Aspire guide
Specific Populations
Specific Populations manual
Periodizing the Cross Country Season: Base Miles vs Taper Week
How a distance runner must drastically shift their carbohydrate and fat ratios between 60-mile summer weeks and the 20-mile taper week leading into State Finals.
Why this matters
An elite cross country runner burns an astronomical amount of calories during August when they are pounding out 50-70 miles a week in the summer heat.
Read time
3 min
Audience
Coach + Athlete
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Specific Populations
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Periodizing the Cross Country Season: Base Miles vs Taper Week
Read time
3 min
Audience
Coach + Athlete
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Talk to your coach or dietitian about your race week meal plan!
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Talk to your coach or dietitian about your race week meal plan!
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Overview
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Timeline
The Periodization Comparison Matrix
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Read the full ebook here, then jump to the one-page handout when you need the shareable version.
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Open the sections you need, print the handout, then send both to coaches, parents, or athletes.
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How a distance runner must drastically shift their carbohydrate and fat ratios between 60-mile summer weeks and the 20-mile taper week leading into State…
SUMMER GRIND
50-70 Miles/Week
- You burn tons of energy pounding out miles in the heat!
TAPER TIME
15-25 Miles/Week
- Your mileage drops a lot to rest your legs.
SUMMER FUEL STRATEGY
Eat lots of carbs (pasta, rice, bread) to power long runs.
- Include healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive oil) for extra energy.
- This helps you avoid losing muscle when training hard.
Overview
What this resource is helping solve
How a distance runner must drastically shift their carbohydrate and fat ratios between 60-mile summer weeks and the 20-mile taper week leading into State Finals.
How a distance runner must drastically shift their carbohydrate and fat ratios between 60-mile summer weeks and the 20-mile taper week leading into State Finals.
- taper week nutrition
- cross country base phase
- runner macro periodization
The Periodization Comparison Matrix
An elite distance runner must fundamentally alter their macro-nutrient profile to match their mechanical training block.
The Training Block
The Mechanical Volume
The Required Nutritional Pivot
**The Summer Base Phase**
The absolute highest volume and caloric demand of the entire competitive year (50-70 miles/week).
The athlete operates on massive carbohydrates (6-8 g/kg) and high dietary fats (avocados, nuts, heavy oils) simply to successfully pack…
**The Championship Taper**
Absolute lowest training volume (15-25 miles/week). Runs are extremely brief (20-30 minutes) but biologically violent and sharp.
The athlete maintains high protein to protect muscle tissue, and moderate carbohydrates to keep glycogen tanks peaked. Dietary Fats must…
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What to do next
Use it this week
Talk to your coach or dietitian about your race week meal plan!
Source topics
taper week nutrition • cross country base phase • runner macro periodization • weight gain taper • xc nutrition strategy