October Is Taper Month, and Taper Feels Weird
If you’re running the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon on November 8, October is when your training volume starts to drop. After months of building, you’re suddenly running less, and your body doesn’t quite know what to do with itself. Some days your legs feel great. Other days they feel heavy and flat for no obvious reason. Your brain keeps telling you that you’re losing fitness, even though everything you’ve read says the taper is where the magic happens.
It’s a strange psychological space, and it produces real physical effects. Water retention increases as muscles repair and store glycogen. Sleep patterns shift. Energy levels swing. And because you’re spending less time running, all that nervous energy finds other outlets: tension in your shoulders, tightness in your jaw, restlessness that settles into your lower back.
Your Massage Schedule for the Final Five Weeks
Tracy Rupp, LMT, has guided hundreds of runners through marathon tapers at his Indianapolis practice. Here’s the general timeline he recommends for the weeks leading into the Monumental Marathon. Five to four weeks out, you’re still running meaningful volume. This is your last window for deeper therapeutic massage that addresses chronic tension, stubborn trigger points, and the areas that have been carrying the heaviest load all training cycle. If your IT band has been tight since August, address it now.
Three weeks out: A moderate session focused on the primary running muscles. Firm but not aggressive. The goal is to keep tissue quality high without introducing soreness that takes days to clear. Deep tissue massage at this point should be precise and purposeful.
Two weeks out: A lighter session. Focus on circulation, gentle release, and overall relaxation. This session is as much for your nervous system as it is for your muscles. The taper anxiety peaks around this point, and bodywork that calms the parasympathetic system makes a real difference.
Race week: If you book a session, keep it very light. A flush. Gentle leg work, attention to the feet, and relaxation techniques. Nothing that creates soreness. Many runners schedule this for Tuesday or Wednesday of race week, giving the body a full 72 hours before the Sunday start.
Why Lighter Work Matters More Than You Think
A 2004 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that massage therapy reduced anxiety and improved mood states across multiple studies (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14717648/). During taper, when anxiety is often higher than muscle damage, those psychological benefits become the priority. The physical work has been done. Now it’s about arriving at the start line with a body that feels calm, loose, and ready.
Halloween, Stress, and the Body’s Tipping Point
October also brings Halloween, the beginning of the holiday season, and all the schedule disruption that comes with it. Sugar intake spikes. Sleep routines break. Social obligations multiply. For everyone, not just marathon runners, this is a month where stress accumulates and manifests physically. If you’ve been putting off a massage because life has been busy, October is the month where that delayed maintenance catches up. The blog post Finish Strong: Intentional Wellness and Recovery Through the End of the Year talks about carrying momentum through the holiday stretch, and October is where that intention starts.
Communicate Your Race Goals to Your Therapist
When you book your pre-marathon sessions, tell Tracy what race you’re running, what your goals are, and where you’ve been feeling tightness throughout training. A therapist who understands your timeline, your training, and your goals can calibrate every session to support your specific needs. This kind of intentional, individualized work is what separates athletic-grade bodywork from a generic spa massage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should my massage schedule look like the final two weeks before the Monumental Marathon?
Two weeks out, book a lighter session focused on circulation and gentle release. During race week, if you choose to have a session at all, make it very light. Think of it as a flush, not a treatment. Schedule it early in the week so you have 72 or more hours before the race.
Is it okay to get a massage the week of the race?
Yes, as long as it’s light. A gentle flush session on Tuesday or Wednesday of race week can help settle taper restlessness and promote circulation without creating any soreness. Avoid deep pressure or targeted work this close to race day.
How do I communicate my race goals to my massage therapist?
Be direct. Tell your therapist the race, the date, your goal time or effort level, and the areas that have been bothering you during training. This information allows them to adjust pressure, technique, and focus areas to support your specific timeline and needs.
Five Weeks to Race Day. Make Every One Count.
The training is done. The taper is here. Now it’s about giving your body the best possible conditions to deliver on race day. Whether you’re running the Monumental Marathon, managing October’s seasonal stress, or getting ahead of the holiday rush, Book Your Appointment Today.
Image credit: Envato