Taper Madness

As you approach the key race of your season, and activity lightens a little as the taper begins, it's a good chance to reflect on the training journey. As I wrote recently, I estimate 80% of triathletes have significant disruptions to their training schedule. It may be injury, illness, work, or family. Some may be by choice, some by error, some simply bad luck. The reality is that we are where we are. Life is simply like that. 

We did our best to load our bodies with adaptive stress and then supported it while it grew stronger. In the end, we arrive at the start line as ready as life has allowed. We have given ourselves a chance, an opportunity to be part of the day, celebrate our fitness, and see if maybe we can cross that finish line. And to be at that start line is a cause to celebrate in itself. Many athletes will have run into obstacles that they could not overcome and they will not be there with us. 

When the taper starts our energy needs to shift even more to cognitive matters like race day logistics and execution. We rehearse the day in our mind and on paper and make sure we have a strategy or at least resilience to overcome anything we might face, and we will face many tests on the day, that is a fact. 

There will be moments where you question yourself or worry about eventualities. This is what I call 'Taper Madness'. It's natural. This is a chance to exercise the self-talk and mantras you will need under considerable greater stress on race day. We are where we are. Keep preparing, keep rehearsing, and then on the day let's simply go for a swim, a bike ride and a run, and execute our plan. Whether we are able to cross that finish line or not, what a journey it has been. 

• I've had the privilege of working with 6x IM World Champ Dave Scott on a number of occasions through the years. When the IM was first described to him around 1979 he listened to the distances and assumed it was done over three days not all on the same day! The message is: Ironman is an incredible challenge so if you're nervous about it that just means you're a healthy human being.

• Taper Eating: Your activity level is going down so make sure to adjust your caloric intake. For evening meals stick with normal (non IM training) serving sizes and if you're hungry in the evening have a high protein snack and/or just enough to satiate. I don't recommend changing your breakfast or lunch intake. 

• Taper: Your body takes time to rebalance it's biochemistry after so many months of long hours training. Be patient. Some athletes get nervous and and do one more hard long workout just to be sure. From here forward any long or hard workout will only hurt you on event day, not help.

• Execution: Re-read my blogs on event day obstacles and execution.

• Use some of your extra time to review your logistics plan for the event and to practice transitions. We're not looking to shave seconds in transition but to make sure they are efficient and relaxed. Practice changing your tire tube, both front and back as well.

• Always remember the IM run motto: start slow then don't slow down. Athletes start the bike too hard and start the run too hard. If you think you may have trouble with pace then I suggest a tweak to the way you refer to the Ironman. Don't think of yourself 'racing' an IM. Did your 180k rides feel like a race? No, you just went out there and got them done, you endured them. That is what you do in an IM, you 'endure'. The stronger your body is the less time you'll be out there. 

• Heart rate on any race day is not a good indicator of effort due to adrenaline and other factors. Find the 'feel' on race day that you had on those peak swims, bikes and runs in training. If you look down and see you are faster than your target speed back it off. It's a long day ahead.