The Taper Tightrope - keeping your focus on those last few weeks

The taper period of a marathon training programme is always one I have had great difficulty with ,as after your last long run it's easy to think that the hard work is over and it's time to relax. It is also easy to feel that bit tired and fed up after all the hard training and use this period to wind down as opposed to getting primed for the big event.
Nutrition and rest are huge aspects of the taper as lowering the mileage gives the body that chance to recover and get over any niggles you may have. Also, when mileage is decreased, amount of calories burned is also decreased so it's even more important to be aware of your diet and nutrition.
I previously adapted a three week taper period before the marathon but on reflection this was too long a period for high mileage to drop and maintain focus before the big day.
Two weeks is ample time to taper and maybe maintain intensity for the shorter runs whilst practising your marathon pace on every longer run you have during this time to keep focus and so that on the day, running at this pace becomes more natural as the legs are well and truly used to it!