Re-Run: Finding the Right Taper & Recovery Week Strategy with Jason Fitzgerald (Mar, 2022)

·54 min·3 clips

Jason Fitzgerald says a recovery week is “a week in the middle of your training plan that is easier than other weeks around it.”

Brodie frames the rerun around a familiar running problem: how to taper without overthinking the entire build. Jason Fitzgerald joins the conversation to tease apart the difference between a small adjustment and a real change in approach. The discussion starts with race-day feel and whether a runner felt genuinely fresh. From there, it shifts into what that feeling should mean the next time around. A one-week taper can become a two-week taper if the athlete needs it, and the episode treats that as an actual shift rather than a cosmetic tweak. It also pushes back on giving the taper too much blame when a marathon goes badly. Training before the taper may matter more than the taper itself. That keeps the episode grounded. The tone stays practical instead of dramatic. Brodie keeps coming back to the idea that runners have to compare attempts over time. Trial and error comes across as part of the process, not a sign that planning failed. Jason’s coaching perspective adds useful context for runners still learning how they respond to load and recovery. The episode treats individual variation as normal. It also suggests that a coach can help make sense of those variations. That matters most when the athlete is unsure whether to shorten, lengthen, or reshape the taper. The conversation never pretends there is one universal rule. Instead, it points toward observation, adjustment, and patience. By the end, the focus is on learning from each race rather than overreacting to a single result. The practical goal is better judgment next time. The running problem stays the same; the response gets sharper. The episode closes by pointing listeners toward Jason Fitzgerald’s resources and Brodie’s injury support links.

As heard by us

A practical look at tapering, recovery, and the risk of blaming race day for deeper training issues.

This rerun on taper and recovery week strategy keeps the focus on marathon prep without pretending there is one clean answer. Jason Fitzgerald and Brodie walk through one week versus two week tapers, how much to change after a race, and the easy habit of blaming the taper when…

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Want a clearer way to judge your taper before race day?

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