For the three weeks leading to the Las Vegas “Rage in the Sage” H.I.M. I’ve done what all of you great athletes do-- taper. How about sharing some nutrition, and workout, tips for the 72 hours just prior to race. Just checking for some sage words from the tri-universe.
And, as always, thanks for any and all responses.
Here’s what’s worked for me in the 72 hours leading up to a HIM:
T-72: Sound asleep.
T-72 until T-48: Short run, moderate swim, start carbo-loading.
T-48 until T-24: Short bike, continue carbo-loading.
T-24 until T-14: Short swim or rest day, depending on how stir-crazy I feel. Start hydrating.
T-14: Huge pasta dinner. Keep hydrating.
T-10: Sound asleep.
T-3: 800ish calorie breakfast. Start unhydrating.
T-2: First dump.
T-1: Second dump.
T-.25: Swim warm up. Keep unhydrating.
I’m no pro, expert, or phenomenal athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve experimented and used what I’ve learned about my body’s likes and dislikes during training.
Then:
Race finish+2 min: Cold beer, Belgian if possible.
Race finish+5 min through 24 hours: Lots of greasy food.
Real simple
For the two days before race day, do a 60 minute combined multisport at race pace. Whatever. Break it up as you want but do all 3 events. Immediately hit a carb drink HARD. Load all day using race fuels if possible plus salt if you do the salt thing. Taje the day in quaters with the load. Hydrate of course. You will probably wake at about midnight before tha race for a piss, so hit a carb drink right then.
4 days before the race I’ll do a hard 56ish mile bike to blow out the cobwebs and sharpen things up after 9-10 days of taper. 3 days before I’ll do a short but hard swim then a short run. 2 days before I’ll take off. The day before I’ll do an easy swim/run.
My diet will be normal (the scaled-back “taper” normal) leading up to the race until the morning of the day before, where I’ll eat a huge breakfast. I eat a small meal the night before and try to get some rest.
But your race is in Las Vegas. So I’d adjust my taper to involve Strippers, Midgets, and Firetrucks.
But your race is in Las Vegas. So I’d adjust my taper to involve Strippers, Midgets, and Firetrucks
now THAT is funny.
to the OP, tapering = knowing thyself. find what works for you. an old running coach of mine used to preach going short and fast so the legs won’t “forget” how to turnover…stay sharp without going so long that you’ve dipped into the reserves and need to recover from your effort. i’ve extrapolated his advice to the swim and bike as well.
No need to overeat with night before meal. Avoid fiber, but otherwise eat normally. finish before 7:00 PM. Try to get a good nights sleep.
Loads of entertainment options to be certain. But as soon as I get off work, I get away from Vegas and hide out in Boulder City. Home of “Rage in the Sage” and “Pumkinman” and “Silverman”. Local pride brother.
Thanks for the advice… the firetruck shit cracks me up.