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We are often asked about the proper long-course peak, or taper. Athletes want to know when and how to decrease their training and where to continue working to stay sharp. Ultimately, they want a nice, neat formula. There are some serious problems with this taper assumption, and they are important to cover quickly so that you know where we are coming from:
| • | Problem #1: Most folks don't have a plan in the first place. You know these folks well. They are the ones who either do whatever it is you do that weekend (just tagging along, copying your workout). These folks are easily identified as they are always asking, "So, what are you up to this week?" The second type will just do the same thing week after week. These folks will do the same century ride, every weekend, for three months (ouch), usually followed by some sick 10-mile run. Then they'll run the next day just to "practice" running on tired legs. Not only is the lack of creativity enough to crush you mentally, the fact that there is no real recovery means that most of these athletes will have no race in their legs—regardless of the taper—by race day. |
| • | Problem #2: A formula would assume that we've all done the same work. Even when we coach athletes for the same event, there is such a huge disparity in the volume and intensity of work done that if we were to just assign a general protocol for tapering, everyone would lose out. Think about it: when was the last time you completed all your specified training in a given week? With nothing interfering? That's what we thought! Most athletes just want that security for themselves as they prepare. Which leads us to the next point... |
| • | Problem #3: Desiring a taper usually means an underlying concern about the race. In other words, folks who really want a taper, really badly, are simply expressing their concern that their training, up until now, has been ineffective and maybe, just maybe, this magical taper protocol will help them salvage their race day. If we had any marketing savvy, we would spend all our time and resources just pushing taper plans! |
If you find yourself in any of these places, it's time to take a deep breath and relax. Your work is done. Repeat after me, "My. Training. Is. Done." There's just no tangible performance benefit to be gained from any last killer workout in the final three weeks leading up to your race. Sure, depending on your strengths/weaknesses, fitness level, and race day goals, there might be a few key workouts left to do, but in general, you can do more damage to your race day now than at any other time. In our five plus years of coaching, we have seen it all—from athletes crashing their bikes, to breaking a collarbone or elbow, tweaking a tendon or calf muscle or showing up the race tired because they were trying to cram in some extra credit homework before the race. It's just not worth it.
Three Weeks and Counting
As for workouts in the last three weeks, just do the plan! These final workouts have been tested by more than a 1,000 athletes and they work. Trust the plan and trust your fitness—now is not the time to make up any homework you missed. The general protocol for Peaking correctly is this:
| • | Decrease the volume of the intensity more slowly than the overall. In other words, you will still be doing a good bit of intensity across the week, but the volume of the "other stuff" around the intensity begins to drop dramatically. |
| • | Don't get fat! For nine months you've training 8-16 hours a week and developing the habit of eating the calories to support that volume. You're now going to cut that volume by 25% and then by 50% or more, burning fewer calories and giving you an extra 6-8hrs per week to stare at fridge and remember the good old days of high volume and high calories. Be smart, be disciplined, you're almost there! |
| • | Don't get stupid! No making up missed homework, no games of pickup basketball, nothing funky. |
As coaches, we have three distinct goals for our tapering athletes during this time:
| • | Mentally prepare to execute on race day. There are a lot of important elements involved in executing your race well. Mess up any of these (pacing, nutrition, gear, focus) and your day can be done before you know it. Since most athletes have been training for over 6 months for this event, we like to use the taper period to help them internalize their race plan. We write it out and discuss it. We have them repeat it back to us. We call them two days out and we discuss it again. There can never be enough conversation about the plan, and the newer the athlete, the more important these discussions are. An appropriately-paced bike at IM Wisconsin (say 6:45) led one of our new IM athletes to pass over 800 people on the run as she ran a 4:30. 800 people. If we could tell you how to pass almost 50% of the finishing field on race day, you'd listen up. Well here it is: It's called having a plan and sticking to it. |
| • | Physically prepare for race day. Yes, this part includes some workout stuff. But first, it's more important that folks have the right gear for race day. Racers should pack every thing they own to bring with them, including stuff for rain, cold, heat, etc. They should have their bike overhauled two weeks out so they can test it. They should check their run shoes at six weeks out to make sure they are in good enough shape for race day. They should be doing their final tune up rides/runs in race day gear with all the stuff on their bike so they know what does/doesn't work. They should be rehearsing their Transitions (at least once physically) so they can execute without freaking on race day. |
| • | Gain a sense of perspective. This is the most important thing we can do. Without this perspective, folks can really get themselves out-of-wack. They can get uptight, angry, twitchy, mean-spirited, carried away, you name it. Here's the deal—you are going to do an Ironman. You are physically able to swim, bike and run. You have the support of your family and friends. You have the money to be able to buy the gear you need. You have the job that allows you to take time off to travel and race. You have the means to buy the food you need to eat, etc. You are an incredibly fortunate person with a lot of good stuff going your way. Don't sweat the race. |
As we have outlined thus far, inside Endurance Nation your Ironman training is very different from what most folks are doing to prepare for race day. Your training includes a significant amount of work with intensity, helping you to fast-track your fitness and gain speed and strength. In your case, an essential part of the taper is learning to dial your effort back down to an appropriate race day level. Ripping around town in your aerobars in zones 4/5 is a lot of fun, but trying that in a race situation can end your day prematurely. Make the most of your taper time to dial your effort in as your body recovers from all the training you have done.
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