Maybe then the question is what type of taper and how long a taper for these different events?
And also maybe depends on whether the event is a "target race" or a workout in preparation for the target race...
With running, I do almost no taper for 5k or track races, just train through them and use them as workouts--unless for some reason they're target races. Then I'd rest/go easy maybe a day or two. For a marathon run, I'll start the taper two to three weeks out.
I'm new to distance swims, but I'm going by my running experience there, w/ this five miler, so that I did the whole race distance 7/14 and then 3 miles 7/21, then the rest has been fairly easy stuff. But I'm no expert on this. We'll see how it works on Friday!
A taper will working differently for almost everyone. What you'll need to do is experiment and find what works for you. I've found that a 2-3 week taper works for me now. Seems to get longer as I get older. Distance people (I'm a sprinter) usually require less of a taper. Sometimes just 2-3 days rest works best for them. I've heard that one good way to see if you hit your taper is to measure vertical jumps before, during and after your taper. If your jump is higher after the event and taper then you can extend taper. Otherwise, adjust accordingly.
