Guide · How training works

Easier weeks and the taper: why plans back off on purpose

Why our plans schedule an easier week every fourth build week and taper before race day, and what those weeks look like in a real plan.

By the Milewell teamPublished October 30, 2026Checked October 30, 20262 min read

If you have only seen training plans that climb in a straight line, the weeks in ours that go down can look like a mistake. They are not. They are two of the planner’s core rules.

Easier weeks

Our plans add a little mileage each build week, then drop back. The rule, as the planner states it: every fourth build week is an easier week at about 80% of the previous full week, with the long run at about 75% of its usual length. The final build weeks before the taper are not made easier, so the plan does not end its build with a drop.

You can see this in a real plan. On the half marathon plan page the weekly-miles chart outlines the easier weeks, which fall at weeks 4 and 8 of the sample.

Our reasoning, which is an opinion and not a proven result: rising in small steps with a lighter week now and then asks less of you than rising every single week. The rule is a planning heuristic, not a proven protection against injury, and it has not been reviewed by a qualified coach or clinician.

The taper

A taper reduces training before the race. Ours works by goal:

  • 5K and 10K: the final week, race week, is short and easy and includes rest before race day.
  • Half marathon: two steps. A reduced week, then a short, easy race week.

In every plan, race week is short and easy, and the race itself is the final session.

What to do with this

General advice, not engine output and not backed by a cited study.

  • Don’t “fix” an easier week by adding miles. The point of the plan is that it is lighter.
  • Don’t skip the taper because you feel good. The plan’s taper is part of its design.
  • If a week goes badly, don’t try to make it up. Rejoin the plan at the week it is in.
  • If you feel pain, stop and get professional advice. That is the planner’s own safety message.

What this does not claim

These are our planner’s rules. Other plans taper differently and none of this is medical advice. The planner has not yet been reviewed by a qualified coach or clinician, and we say so on our method page.

See it in your plan

The race readiness checker shows whether a gradual build, with these easier weeks and the taper, fits the time you have.

What this article is based on

Engine statements. Statements about what the planner does come from its published rules and outputs. See How It Works and Our method.

General advice. Passages marked "General advice" are common training guidance, not engine output. They are not backed by cited studies and are not medical advice.

Written by the Milewell team and published on the site owner's approval. The owner is not a credentialed coach or clinician, and this article has not been reviewed by one. See our editorial policy.

This plan is general training information, not medical advice and not clearance to exercise. Stop and get professional advice if you feel pain, dizziness, chest discomfort or unusual shortness of breath. If you have a health condition or are unsure whether running is right for you, talk to a doctor first.