Week 16: Jun 29 - Jul 5
TAPER WEEK. End of the 16-week block. Volume at ~50% of peak. One sharpening session. No strength. Absorb everything.
The mistake every athlete makes is thinking fitness is built during the taper. It’s not. The fitness was built over the last 15 weeks. The taper is where the body realizes that fitness. Supercompensation happens during rest. Every session this week should feel almost too easy. That’s the point.
The urge to do “one more hard session” is the enemy. Trust the process.
Monday - Easy Run
- Distance: 3 km
- Pace: Z1-Z2 (6:00-6:30/km). Shuffle pace. This is a shakeout, not a workout.
Tuesday - Sharpening: Race-Pace Strides
- Warm-up: 10 min easy jog + 4 x 80m strides
- Workout: 4 x 400m at R1 pace (3:15-3:30/km) with 3:00 full recovery walk/jog
- Total quality: 1.6 km. That’s it.
- Purpose: Remind the nervous system what race pace feels like. Full recovery between reps. These should feel SMOOTH, not hard.
- Cool-down: 10 min easy jog
Total ~6 km. If race pace feels smooth and controlled after 15 weeks of building, the training worked. If it feels forced, don’t panic. Taper fatigue is real. The body often feels sluggish 5-7 days before peaking.
Wednesday - Rest
Full rest. No strength training this week. Walk if you want to move.
Thursday - Easy Run
- Distance: 3 km
- Pace: Z2. Easy. Short.
Last run before the taper is complete. Should feel bouncy. If legs feel heavy, that’s normal taper response. Fitness is consolidating.
Friday - Rest
Full rest.
Saturday - Easy Swim (Optional)
- Duration: 20 min easy freestyle
- Purpose: Stay loose. Feel the water. Nothing hard.
- Or: Full rest.
Sunday - Rest
Complete rest. Sleep well. Eat well. Hydrate.
Week 16 Totals
| Volume | |
|---|---|
| Running | ~12 km |
| Strength | 0 |
| Swim | 0-1 session (easy) |
End of 16-Week Block: Where I Should Be
| Metric | Week 1 | Week 16 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly volume | ~20 km | ~48 km (pre-taper) | 2.4x increase over 16 weeks |
| Easy pace | 5:30-6:00/km | Should feel natural at 5:15-5:30 | Aerobic base has shifted |
| Tempo pace | 5:00-5:20/km | Recalibrated twice, should be ~4:20-4:35 | |
| VO2max pace | 4:00-4:20/km | Should be approaching 3:40-3:55 | |
| R1 race pace (3:15/km) | Not attemptable | Touched in W9-15 | May not be fully there yet |
| R2 race pace (4:05/km) | Hard threshold effort | Should feel like strong tempo | |
| Long run | 7 km | 16 km peak | |
| 2:2 breathing at tempo | Inconsistent | Locked in | |
| Swim | Not started | 2x/week, race-effort reps |
What Comes Next (Jul-Aug)
This block ends at the start of July. The qualifying races are April through September. The next phase depends on the W15 race simulation results:
-
If race simulation hit targets: Maintain fitness with 2 quality sessions/week, keep swimming 2x, and peak specifically for the chosen qualifying race(s).
-
If race simulation was close but not there: Run another 4-week mesocycle (3 build + 1 taper) focused specifically on the gap. If R1 pace was off, more VO2max work. If R2 was off, more threshold work.
-
If race simulation was significantly off: Reassess the August timeline. There are qualifying races through September. An extra 4-8 weeks of building may be needed.
The qualification checklist (separate file) has the full race calendar and registration dates.
16 weeks from where I started. The process works. Trust it.