Tapering!

I’m enjoying the reduction in training volume during the taper and I’ll surely benefit from the added rest. A common mistake people make is to go into an Ironmen over-trained. The old saying is better 10% under-trained than 1% over-trained and it can't be stated enough that rest is one of the most important parts of the equation when it comes to preparing for an Ironman.

It makes little difference how much you train leading up to the race if you do not allow your body time to rest and recover and especially in the crucial final month leading up to the race. There is really nothing you can do in that last month that is going to increase your endurance or make you better prepared for the race, besides rest.

You are basically stuck with whatever preparation you have managed over the course of your training once you are a month or so away from your race. At that point it's imperative that you begin to taper down your training so your body can recover for the big effort.

It's is really counter-productive to go out and swim the entire Ironman course or head out on the bike course for a 90k ride when you are just a week away from the race.. When it is that close to your race, all you are really doing is using up valuable energy that you will need on race day. By all means go out and test the waters of at the race site, but a 30 minute easy swim is fine. Easy pace runs of 30 minutes and bikes of 45 minutes are more than enough. Dave Scott's suggestion is to cut the amount of your training down, but keep the intensity the same as it has been for most of your training over the year for the first three weeks of your taper. On that final week there should be no high intensity or distance training of any sort.

Next week I’ll take three full rest days and will do very short bikes and runs in the early morning when the heat of the day is not a factor. Friday is the key day to rest completely, and to also get your best night’s sleep as it can be tough to sleep soundly the eve of the race.