Fuel, hydrate, taper — like you mean to finish strong

The wall isn't a fitness failure — it's a fuel failure. Enter your race and expected finish time, and I'll build your carbohydrate plan, in gels or real food. Chef's choice.

The final seven days can't win your race — but they can lose it. Tick your way through the week; your progress saves while this page is open.

0 of 18 done — the taper begins

6–4 days out

• Volume drops — trust the taper; phantom aches are normal features, not warnings
• Bank sleep now — the night that matters most is two nights before, not the last one
• Keep meals, coffee, and hydration exactly as usual — no diet "clean-ups" this week
• Start topping up fluids and electrolytes daily
• Short easy runs with a few relaxed strides — movement, not training

3–2 days out

• Confirm every race-day item is tested — shoes, socks, outfit, anti-chafe, fuel. Nothing new.
• If there's an expo: admire it, buy nothing you'll use on race day
• Carb-forward, familiar meals — nothing experimental in the gut
• Protect the penultimate night's sleep like it's the race itself
• Stay off your feet where you can — sit at the expo café, skip the walking tour

Day before

• Lay it ALL out: bib pinned, chip on shoe, outfit assembled, fuel counted, breakfast staged
• Familiar carb-forward dinner, normal portion — full, not stuffed
• Charge the watch; set out throwaway warm layer if cold start
• Normal bedtime, zero pressure — a restless final night costs little

Race morning

• Practiced breakfast, unhurried; usual caffeine on the usual schedule
• Arrive with porta-potty-line time built in (there is always a line)
• Seed honestly — start near a realistic pace group, not ahead of it
• First kilometres slower than feels reasonable — the negative split is where midlife runners win

Forget BMI — it can't tell muscle from anything else and it was never built for athletes. This score measures what actually predicts thriving into your 70s and 80s: what your body can do. Answer honestly; there's no failing, only a starting line.