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→Variability of Tapering Results
This section looks at how much variability there is in tapering results. These diagrams show the 95% [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidence_interval confidence level]. This means that one in twenty runners will be at one end of the 95% confidence level or the other.
==Training Intensity==
[[File:Taper fequency multisport confidence.jpg|none|thumb|500px|Reducing intensity Variability and frequency for running and multisport tapers.]]
You can see quite a lot of variability in the running results, but tapers without reducing intensity do not have a negative impact on performance; at worse they are no different to not tapering.
==Mileage==
[[File:Taper volume running confidence.jpg|none|thumb|500px|Reducing Variability and reducing mileage for running tapers.]]
Here you can see that all mileage reductions can produce a negative result for some runners. The 40-60% range has the greatest potential for a negative result, so a smaller reduction seems best.
==Taper Length==
[[File:Taper length running confidence.jpg|none|thumb|500px|Taper Variability and taper length for running tapers.]]
For taper length, the 95% levels follow the general trend, with two weeks being optimal and not producing a negative result even for the worst off 5%.
==Training Frequency==
[[File:Taper fequency multisport confidence.jpg|none|thumb|500px|Reducing Variability and reducing training frequency for running and multisport tapers.]]Again, there are noticeable differences between running and multisport tapers. The impact of reducing frequency of running is greater, so keeping the same frequency is more important.
=Tapering and Altitude Training for Sea Level Competition=
When using altitude training such as [[Intermittent Hypoxic Exposure]] to improve sea level performance, the general advice is to terminate training a 4-7 days before competition. However, this is based on anecdotal evidence rather than scientific study.
