June 15, 2021
You’ve been training. Through months of canceled and postponed races.
Through closed pools, virtual schooling, and working from home.
The time has come! And I’m damn excited!
Whoa. Slow down, tiger. We have one more important step to go through. Let’s not underestimate the importance of tapering.
It may seem really simple, but it’s actually difficult to get right. There is more to it than just sitting back and putting your feet up (although that is an important part of it!). It’s about unloading accumulated stress so you can show up fresh.
1. Taper is not about gaining fitness. You have had plenty of time for that and your body deserves a little rest if you are going to ask it to perform well on race day. In the two weeks leading up to race day, you will start decreasing your overall volume. However, you can include small amounts of short fast work. This will keep both your muscles and mind sharp and ready to go without exhausting you and preventing you from recovering. Trust the training. Avoid the urge to throw in any last-minute training.
2. Spend some time training at race pace. And by race pace, I mean effort….not time! Don’t worry about the data and go by feel! Trust in your training and that your body knows what it is doing!
3. Use this time to catch up on sleep and continue to eat healthy without making big drastic changes to your nutrition plan. STICK WITH WHAT YOU KNOW WORKS!
4. If you treat yourself to new gear at the expo…save it for after the race. Nothing new on race day! This includes clothing, socks, sunglasses, race belts, new flavors of gels….you get the idea!
One more piece of advice…try to clear your schedule a little in the week before race day. Don’t cram a bunch of extra stuff. It’s not the time to reorganize your basement, plant the garden, or throw a dinner party.
If you want to see how it’s done (I hope!) be sure to follow my Instagram Stories! Patriot 70.3 here I come!
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