taper week - Triathlon Week

Beaner · 09-08-2005, 04:33 AM

I only decided to do my first trithlon last week. The race is on Sept. 17, which gave me about 3 weeks to train from the time I decided. I will attempt the Olympic. While I am in relatively good shape, I have been doing more intense training and brick workouts for the last 2 weeks. In light of the fact that I do not have much time to prepare, should I still use next week (the week before the race) as a taper week? Or, Should I still train hard early in the week and go easy as of wednesday (race is on sat.)?

sfricks · 09-08-2005, 07:35 AM

For an Oly distance I'd begin to taper 1 week before. You won't gain anything in performance and run the rish of a) injury and b) fatigue and soreness. Give yourself a break that week. Now... Taper doesn't mean stop. Just a reduction in distance but workouts done at race pace. HTH

Smartt/RST · 09-08-2005, 08:45 AM

It's a bit hard to say, as I don't know what being in "relatively good shape" means in relation to being prepared for an oly tri. However, if I were to set up a schedule for you, I would not give you a taper, but simply put your last "hard" workout for your legs on tuesday and your last "hard" workout for your arms on wed. How much hard/speed work I would give you, and how much to do between now and then, is impossible for me to say since I know nothing about you.
Another way to put it would be that my approach would be to build you into the race, as opposed to killing you now and then hoping that you recover during the last 5-7 days (i.e.: taper); in this way, you would build momentum, feeling your best in the days right before the race, knowing you are ready instead of hoping you have recovered.

Beaner · 09-08-2005, 08:55 AM

Thx guys.

Michael, what I mean by "relatively fit" is that before I decided to do the tri, I could complete any of the 3 disciplines alone, at full oly distances with relative ease . Not extremely fast/ not extremely slow. Now that I have decided to do this, I have started combining the sports. What I have been doing in the last 2 weeks is swim daily and a) bike 40k no run /run 10k no bike or, b) bike 20k run 5k. In your opinion, which one better serves my purpose in the last few days?

Smartt/RST · 09-08-2005, 09:03 AM

Option "B" if it is done at race pace as it fits into the principal of maintaining intensity while reducing volume during a taper; especially if your body is accustomed to this workout by the time the week of the race rolls around (i.e.: it will not cause undo fatigue/soreness in the days before your race).

Beaner · 09-09-2005, 06:19 AM

as i've been doing bricks most of the week and am planning on doing more, i was thinking of using tomorrow for a hill workout. instead of riding/running at race pace on mixed terrain i was going to bike up/down a big hill a few times immediately followed by running the hill for a few reps. this late in the game, will the hill training help me in the race?

Smartt/RST · 09-09-2005, 07:32 AM

Only if your race involves going up/down a big hill...when time is limited, train as specificly for your event as possible.

Beaner · 09-09-2005, 07:53 AM

For fear of burning out (both mentally and physically) before the race, is doing shorter than race distance bricks fine or should I slip a couple of race distance training sessions into the next few days. Also, I plan on going easy thurs. & fri. before the saturday race. Should I add another day of rest (with swimming only) before then. And, before I forget, THX! for all the advise.

Smartt/RST · 09-09-2005, 08:23 AM

Race distance bricks are definately something you want to try at least once before your race, but as I mentioned earlier, I would not advise killing yourself now and then hope to recover in the few days before the race (if you had followed a long, "textbook" build up to this race, then training extra-hard 2 and 3 weeks out from your race, and then tapering would be appropriate). Your race is next week, so if you have not already done so, one race simulation brick this sat would be good, if for no other reason than to just be familiar with the distance for mental and nutritional purposes; just make it a workout and not a full blown head-popping "race effort". As you get closer to your race, go back to "option B" and what I said in previous posts.