Sounds about right. I am there with you. IMCDA is my fourth IM taper and it has always been this way. Sorta sick of my bike and feeling thethargic and guilty for the decrease in workload.

I survived last weekend by reading gordo's 'going long'. Not sure what I will do this weekend.

Find a way to keep busy and away from the frig or frozen custard stand and the time will go by quicker.

See you in idaho!!!

Kenney--CHILL!! You've done the work, now let the race come to you. Thinking you've not done enough and trying to "make up time" now will not help, only hurt.

http://www.byrn.org/taper.htm

From the above link: Recovery -- Some athletes feel quite tired in this week. For them, I recommend total rest days. It is essential to end the week totally rested.

Good luck, and HAVE FUN!

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Chill sounds about right...my standard is if the motivation is still in the dirt after 20 mins into the workout I pack it in. You had a mighty big week there, it will take 10-14 days for the body and mind to absorb it. The other thought is something Slowman brought up in an article awhile back -- total rest can signal the body that its major repair time. I think there's something to that. Some active recovery with no pressure other than to reconnect with the enjoyment side of why we do what we do should help as well. Trust the year of training...it's there.

When you taper, your body takes the opportunity to rebuild things. A lot of your "recovery" between workouts gets postponed by your body, because it gets used to hammering out all those miles and knows that it has to do the immediate recovery and be ready for tomorrow's workout. When you go into a taper, about two weeks into it your body grabs the opportunity to do some serious internal work, and so a great deal of energy is diverted to handle those processes. That's why an IM taper should be 4 weeks, to give that time to happen and conclude, so that you have peak energy for the race. Often, with a two or three week taper, or with a half-assed taper, you'll feel more ready for the race the week after than you did on race day.

Definitely "chill"... don't mess up the taper!

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

These are all absolutely normal thoughts, Kenney! Relax. Your race fitness is built. You will cycle through this EMOTIONAL morass several times before the race. Stay focused on the goal. Stay consistent with your training. There are only two things you can do to ruin your race fitness at this point: to stop training altogether, or to shoehorn in one last 100+ bike, 20+ run or 4k+ swim out of misplaced worry that you'll not make the distance. Your body is as primed for stupid injury right now as it is for a great race. One last push may be all it takes to ruin your IM quest. Think of your training between now and the race as peaking, not tapering. Keep the frequency and the quality up and allow the reduced volume to give your body the rest it needs to be ready for that superior race effort you are dreaming about. You will do awesome. Use this time to make and refine your race plan that you have developed through your training. Post that plan on this or another forum. There are lots of experienced IM'ers out there who will be able to provide valuable feedback. Most of all, trust yourself. You know that you are ready. You know what a realistic race goal is for you. Get ready to race your race. I, for one will look forward to hearing your post race report.

I can tell my taper is working when . . .

1. I'm panicked about losing all my fitness (the restorative rest from the taper vastly exceeds the minor loss of fitness)
2. I'm antsy about sitting around on my duff.
3. I'm starting to wonder if I still know how to swim, bike, and run.
4. My wife says I'm grouchy.
5. I put on 3-5 pounds (for me, carbo loading doesn't seem to work well unless I gain some weight)

When those things happen, and when I feel like crap, I know I'm ready for the big race!

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Do not take counsel of your fears.--Andrew Jackson

You all are awesome!! Thanks for the encouragement and advice. As far as a realistic time, I do not have a clue. I can swim the 2.4 in 79 min. in a pool(I do not do flip turns)but have never been in a wetsuit. I pick that up from inside out sports a day or two before the race. Although I have swam in open water(Lake Erie and the Pacific)it was always recreational. As far as the bike, I did a half IM for training and on that ride the headwind was so strong it took 1:56 out and 1:02 back. Did a 112 in training in 6:45 in wind and a 105 in 6:47 with a couple of 1500ft passes and other hills 90 degree heat and winds.(In Montana you have either hills or on the high plains,headwinds)So I am shooting for a conservitive 7 hrs. As far as the run.In traing doing a half I did the run in 1:58. Most of my runs at a HR of 142(Mark Allen method,180- age plus 5 if fit, I am 43)come out to about 8:45 to 9:00. I figure with fatigue a 5hr marathon to play it safe. Goal time 13.5hr? I am just thankful that I am healthy enough to do this and finish...Thanks again every one, Kenney

Do you have a detailed race plan, Kenney?This plan should cover the week leading up to the race, including all the details of how you're getting to the race, where to stay, what to pack, etc. It should outline your nutrition plan for the week, going all the way through recovery. It should detail the timeline at the race site. It should detail most especially how you intend to race the race. How are you approaching the swim? Are you planning to draft? Wear a wetsuit? Negative split the swim loops? What about the bike pacing? In general, absolutely steady pacing rarely works best. Detail your nutrition plan on the bike. What and when are you going to eat? This is the single most important piece to get right for the day. What about transitions? Are you changing entirely for the run? Are you going to eat/drink in transition? How about the run? Are there significant hills at certain points on the course? Are you going to walk them? What is your run nutrition plan? What about contingency plans for when something goes wrong? Flat tire? HR too high on the bike/run? What are you going to do when you cramp? What are you going to do when your day goes to hell and 13.5 hours is just a pipe dream. And don't forget about immediate and extended recovery plans. These are just a few of the things you can include. The more complete the plan, the better you will be prepared. Too many people show up with IM dreams and haven't given much more thought to the race than a spur of the moment 5k. Turn your vague pacing ideas into a solid race plan. Again, if you post it somewhere you're bound to get some solid feedback.

This sounds really time consuming to go through. It may seem a bit much to you. After all, this is just a swim, bike, and run. Trust me. If you have thought out your IM effort fully, you will be prepared for the day and will race the race you are capable of. Have a plan. Stick to it, but don't ride it into the med tent. A solid plan should keep you out of that place!

Thanks. Have some of that but certainly need to think more. Will be posting in a day or two. Thanks again.