Triathlon taper

Tapering means reducing training volume prior to a goal race in order to facilitate total and complete recovery

1. Taper length
According to Mark Allen, the 6-time Ironman world champion, the perfect length of an ironman taper is 4 full weeks leading up to the event. So five weeks before ironman you have your peak training week and each week thereafter you reduce training volume by 20-30%.

Unfortunately for me, my whole triathlon training program is only 13-weeks, so my taper is only two weeks - well, actually 13 days because the Ome Marathon was Sunday and NZ is a week from Saturday. I have averaged 14-hours of training per week prior to my taper, and this week I will drop to about 7.5 hours (including Ome).


2. Taper workout intensity
Apparently there is some controversy on this matter, but the consensus is that while decreasing volume one should maintain intensity. On this front I am doing OK. Tuesday I did a hard 45-minute spin class session. Nothing like 1970s music (Journey, Queen..) to motivate me to pedal like crazy. Then last night I joined Namban Rengo in Yoyogi Park for a 6 x 1000 meter workout.

3. Rest and recovery during taper
The experts all emphatically agree that you should get as much rest as possible during the taper. Rest doesn't mean "not training". Rest means doing as little physical activity as possible. Lots of naps. Avoid going to the office. Ideally you would just lie around on soft cushions and have people drop food into your mouth.
I am not fully complying with this point either. I generally have been leading a slacker lifestyle for quite some time now, but this week is busier than average at work, as I need to do a presentation next week. Meanwhile I am dealing with the logistics of the trip (not to mention the long travel itself next week).
On this last point I have been harassing my teammates (Gareth and Mika) to cut back on their frenetic lifestyles leading up their goal races, but, alas, they seem addicted to the glamour and perks of their prestigious busy jobs and social lives.

Steve Lacey commented to me after Sunday's race that he had failed to discern a clear pattern of benefit from tapering. I had to agree - some of my best performances have come right after grueling workouts, or when I have been coming off illness or business trips and am seemingly overly rested. Moreover, last year several races where I attempted to taper (TELL, Obuse), I found myself feeling flat, and my times were slow.

That said, tapering seems intuitively correct, and I will try to avoid stress as much as possible this week.