Show Notes
You've spent weeks training for your half marathon. And now that race day is getting closer... Your training plan is telling you to do less.
Cue the panic. "Am I going to lose fitness?" "Was my longest run long enough?" "Should I squeeze in one more hard workout?" "What about the sessions I missed?" Welcome to the taper.
In Episode 11 of the SLAY Stronger Runner Series, Olympian, coach and SLAY founder Louise Hazel explains why reducing your training before race day isn't losing fitness. It's giving your body the opportunity to finally reveal the fitness you've spent weeks building.
In this episode, you'll learn: • What a taper actually is • Why fitness and fatigue aren't the same thing • Why you can feel worse even though you're fitter • Whether you'll lose fitness by running less • Why you can't cram for a half marathon • What happens to your long run • How strength training should change as race day approaches • Why taper week can make you hyper-aware of every ache and pain • Why easy runs sometimes feel terrible during the taper • What to eat and drink during race week • Why eating less because you're running less is a mistake • How to stop panic-training • The SLAY taper framework: Reduce. Maintain. Trust.
This week's challenge: Don't add another workout. Instead, create your Race-Day Receipts: ten pieces of evidence proving that you're ready. Because eventually... The work has to stop. And the trust has to begin.
Next week: 13.1 — The Start Line.
🎧 LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/35UovsfJZfat5xU6r6i55b?si=a54a6454c06445c4&nd=1 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slay/id1393889958 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX5I8e0HAZxB-SEvp4oLCCA
📩 JOIN THE COMMUNITY Slay App Waitlist: https://slay.myflodesk.com/nhkxhv00tg Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@slayathletic/?sub_confirmation=1 Shop: www.slayathletic.com Slay Newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/emails/6907a431cef52dfcb87b55f9 Slay: Your Strongest Year Yet Free Training: https://www.louisehazel.com/blank-5 Slay Meetups & IRL Community: https://stan.store/slayathletic?fbclid=PAdGRleARCYI9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAafeUDQD0ickXhd39FFC3Mf9yb8wP9i_yUvaUzpgBP7CcxuScV_dqMudyAT5aw_aem_mbFvFU--n6e5nSf9Kt9J3w
✨ IF THIS EPISODE SPOKE TO YOU… Please like, comment, and subscribe — it helps this community of strong women grow. Share it with another woman who deserves to rise in 2026.
More from SLAY
This is it. Twelve weeks of training. Long runs. Strength sessions. Early mornings. Fuel. Recovery. Self-doubt. Progress. And now there is only one thing left to do: Race.
You're TWO WEEKS away from your half marathon. And suddenly you're questioning everything. Did I train enough? Was my longest run long enough? Why do my legs feel terrible? Should I run this week? Should I carb load? How many gels do I need? Can I walk? What if I can't sleep? What if everyone starts faster than me? And the biggest question of all... What if I can't finish?
You’ve been training for weeks. You’re running further. You’re lifting weights. You’re fueling properly. You’re recovering better. So why aren’t you getting faster every week? And if your pace hasn’t changed… is your training actually working? In Episode 10 of the SLAY Stronger Runner Series, Olympian, coach and SLAY founder Louise Hazel explains why pace is only one measure of running progress, and why you could be becoming a significantly better runner without seeing a dramatic change on your watch.
You’re training for 13.1 miles. But does that mean you actually need to run 13.1 miles before race day? And if you haven't… how can you possibly know you'll finish?
You’ve done the training. Now you need to execute it. Because getting fit enough to run a half marathon and knowing how to race a half marathon are two completely different things. Go out too fast and you could pay for it at mile ten. Try something new on race morning and your stomach could have other plans. Panic when your watch shows the wrong pace and months of preparation can suddenly feel irrelevant. In Episode 8 of the SLAY Stronger Runner Series, Olympian, coach and SLAY founder Louise Hazel gives you the complete Race Day Blueprint: how to prepare, pace, fuel and mentally execute your half marathon from the night before to the finish line.