I feel confident in my plan, but there is no way I would be too prideful to think I couldn’t learn more. So, let’s here some of your best advice on tapering for an ironman!
One think I am questioning is how long should my long run be for the last 2 weeks? I am planning on doing a short swim/bike/run brick both Saturdays of these last 2 weeks. I want to try and really get into rythme and iron out the details.
Lesson 1: Less is more.
In all serious, I am doing Ironman Chattanooga this weekend. Wisconsin was impromptu so I am very much in strange territory but trying some new things with the two weeks in between. To my benefit I was able to shut it down about 9 miles in the run at Wisconsin. It will be interesting nonetheless as I still didn’t feel like I had the bike volume necessary and it is easy to fall victim to thoughts that you are underprepared.
how long should my long run be for the last 2 weeks?
Personally I do my last big run 14 or more days out, after that I don’t usually run more than 8-10 miles. Most runs are just 10K but specifically either at race pace or super easy
if you get a proper uninterrupted training, tapering for around 3 weeks is what the body need to be in optimal condition for the race. Now, all this depend how you train before hand.
When done properly, most people will react very similar to a well plan and executed taper.
Long run start decreasing in duration 4-5 weeks before the race… then overall volume reduce 3 weeks out, and go on until race day.
One of the mistake i often see is a big reduction of training at the start of taper and the syndrome of ‘‘vacation’’ that people expect. Week 3 of taper is no holiday…week 2 either…
Wise words…
I’m trying to put this to work now…3 weeks out…balancing the need to keep sharp and ready…whilst rested and relaxed. I agree…after the hard training block to get ready for an event, it is easy to say…taper…sweet…I can chill now. Not so fast!
I have taken out a few “second sport workouts” and replaced them with extra sleep. For instance, if I would swim in the morning then bike, with the bike being the main focus of that day, I’ve taken out the swim for sleep instead. That said, I do almost all my hard swim training in the last two weeks…somehow this really works for me…as in 52 minutes works for me…fully 10 minutes faster than what I’d typically do in a 3800m set in the pool.
I also do bricks after almost every ride now…even super short runs…just to remember on race day the legs are going to feel like crap coming off the bike but within a few kms they will come back to me. Once the work has been done, it’s all in the mind!
And that individuality applies to the taper too…listen to the body…and wait for the last week to really bring things in.
A question, however, to add to this discussion…for those with more experience…how do you balance nutrition with the taper…I struggle to eat less so I don’t put on fat during the taper…so what I’ve been doing is very easy 2-3 hour rides to burn calories without putting too much stress on the body. Stupid idea? Better ideas? Thanks guys!
I’d say it’s impossible to answer the question properly without knowing the volume and intensity of training you’re doing upto taper. If you’re knocking out 30 hour weeks before taper then you’re going to need longer than if you’re knocking out 8 hour weeks.
Lots of good advice on the thread.
Your taper should be a reflection of your training. If your training was big and intense, then your taper should be longer and with a greater reduction in volume compared to your training loads.
For regular folks doing regular training, you likely had a pretty large block these past couple of weeks. You want to decrease the volume a bit, and maybe have a couple of decent runs later in the week. Like others have said, my last longish run is 14 days out. After that it’s nothing more than 8 miles.
My usual - week 1 of taper is just a little less stress having to make the workouts, a little less volume if it means fitting in the workout, etc. My bike ride on the weekend is much shorter, like 40 miles, and I do a 12 mile run.
Week 2 - no workouts over an hour, keep things easy to schedule, frequency over duration, just jump on the bike for a spin, get a couple miles of running, hit the pool for 1200, that sort of thing. Long run on the weekend is 8 miles.
Week 3 - I do a single sport each morning…one day swim, one day bike, one day run…then repeat. 6 days then race. Each workout is 30-45 mins, easy pace with some tempo work. No rest day before the race. I always feel fresh and bouncy and like I’ve absorbed all of my training.
I’m certainly no coach, but I thought I’d throw out what I do. I’m doing IMLOU in a few weeks, so my confidence is strong right now…in a few days I’ll probably be mush and will question the plan I wrote above.
A question, however, to add to this discussion…for those with more experience…how do you balance nutrition with the taper…I struggle to eat less so I don’t put on fat during the taper…so what I’ve been doing is very easy 2-3 hour rides to burn calories without putting too much stress on the body. Stupid idea? Better ideas? Thanks guys!
One thing I do to keep from over eating is after and between meals, I chew gum. It keeps me from wanting to eat just for eaating’s sake. I make sure I am eating enough quality foods so I can be fully recovered but not so much I start gaining too much weight. One thing to keep in mind is when you start carb loading, it is normal to gain a little, mostly due to water retention. I would be careful of any unnecessary volume.
Eating less is probably the hardest part of the taper for me. You don’t really need to carb load, other than making sure you don’t eat paleo leading into the race. A decrease in volume and eating normally will load you up fine.
I wouldn’t do 2-3 hour rides just to create a deficit. I would just suck it up. You can do it for 3 weeks.
Scientifically speaking a “fast exponential taper” has proven to be the most effective. Which looks something like this:
It has also been shown that it is advised to maintain or possibly even increase intensity while reducing volume. Also it is better to decrease the volume of workouts rather than their frequency. The next question is the length of the taper. I am not sure I have seen anything consensus on this, but in general, I think the recommendation is that the three sports in triathlon require different taper lengths, with running being the longest taper, then swimming, then cycling. Also, the length of the race will dictate the length of the taper. For Ironman distance events, I think a taper of approximately 3 weeks/2 weeks/1 week for run/swim/bike is about right, though it is very different from person to person. Olbrecht would say this difference has to do with your body’s balance between anaerobic and aerobic systems. People with strong aerobic systems compared to anaerboic systems will recover faster and thus require a shorter taper to feel at top form. The best thing to do is start with general guidelines and track your own taper using TSB, nutrition, sleep, etc and compare it to performance. Then slowly modify it over the course of several races to find what works best for you.
Scientifically speaking a “fast exponential taper” has proven to be the most effective. Which looks something like this:
It has also been shown that it is advised to maintain or possibly even increase intensity while reducing volume. Also it is better to decrease the volume of workouts rather than their frequency. The next question is the length of the taper. I am not sure I have seen anything consensus on this, but in general, I think the recommendation is that the three sports in triathlon require different taper lengths, with running being the longest taper, then swimming, then cycling. Also, the length of the race will dictate the length of the taper. For Ironman distance events, I think a taper of approximately 3 weeks/2 weeks/1 week for run/swim/bike is about right, though it is very different from person to person. Olbrecht would say this difference has to do with your body’s balance between anaerobic and aerobic systems. People with strong aerobic systems compared to anaerboic systems will recover faster and thus require a shorter taper to feel at top form. The best thing to do is start with general guidelines and track your own taper using TSB, nutrition, sleep, etc and compare it to performance. Then slowly modify it over the course of several races to find what works best for you.
Thanks so much to everyone posting in this thread! Two weeks out from the big dance on the big island…like so many noob athletes…tapering goes against the grain of the things that brought me here, and it is difficult, but essential to change. I usually train 20-24 hours; not just because I want to go well in Ironman, but I simply love to swim ride and run…I’d train this much even if science categorically proved I would go fast on 10 hours of training…for me the result is simply about the process, I love my frequent 30km runs with 1200m elevation…alone in nature with my body and my mind. That said, I still want to do well and feel great on Oct 10…who knows if I’ll ever get back there!
A few take homes that I will incorporate in my taper.
1.Frequency over volume. This makes perfect sense. I think I will also do more of rides the next two weeks on the trainer…keeps me disciplined on the time and avoids the risk of falling etc. (paranoia…I do ride in Taiwan, however, so everyday is a gamble with the drivers) I like the plan for the week before the race…feeling each discipline gives more confidence…I will adjust it with a morning swim each day though…therapy for the mind.
2. Taper the run more…I agree with this…I have a bit of a tight calf…no injury, but backing off will give it the time it needs. Do a couple kms at my target race pace, a km harder, and the rest nice and easy.
3. Swim…I really don’t taper for it…I build…this has always made me faster in the water. My last IM, I swam 6000M the week before, and dropped 500m off each day…swam every day until the race…and nailed a 52 wetsuit swim. Body is weird weird weird when it comes to the water.
4. Eat less, sleep more. Water is my friend here! Will help with the time shift that I’ve only given myself 3 days to adapt to because of other constraints.
5. Relax,smile, savour and remember!
In some periodization models, if you base volume was very high, than in a sense, taper, in terms of hourly volume might start almost 3 months out. In terms of training load, it might start 3 weeks or 6-7 weeks out.
I agree that a progressive taper makes the most sense and works very well for me. I’ve taken that to the extreme somewhat and rarely do any training or very, very minimal 1-2 days before an “A” or “B+” race.
I also, as Wahoo mentioned, increase intensity to start sharper, but allowing reduced training load and volume to provide the recovery I need.
This graph linked below helped me prepare for my 1st ironman and other races. You can see the discussion here as well.
http://imgur.com/NvrZcGs