The almighty taper is a thing of beauty. Most experienced runners, and certainly any runner who's trained with a coach, knows about this masterpiece of training theory. No amount or type of training, no training regimen, however well executed, will fulfill its potential unless it ends with the appropriate taper period. If you're not familiar with the idea of tapering for a goal race, this episode will convince you never to omit this from another training cycle. If you are familiar with tapering, it will be a reminder and refresher of all that is required for the optimal taper.