Watson has some very sound tapering and pre-race do’s and do nots.

DO:

A) Tell your family what kind of race week support you would like from them, B) Stick to your taper plan, feeling less than 100 per cent is perfectly normal, C) The day before the race, stay off your feet as much as possible, check in your race gear early the day before the race, and then go to your hotel and do nothing.

DO NOT:

A) Believe that you will magically be faster in a race than you were in training, B) Use taper time to become the super spouse, parent, or employee and make up for lost time, C) Go to the race expo, buy some gear and use it in the race.