Kona Taper week 2
I am 9 days out from Kona and I feel great. That is I am very alert and motivated. The reason I mention this is…usually I am trying to stay awake during my taper.
My typical training regimen is to progressively build both volume and intensity to with in three weeks of my race (Ironman) then gradually step down to race day. The step down looks something like; Taper week 1 70% of max volume, Taper week 2, 60% of max volume and Race week 30-40% of Max. Typically I am in serious need of some recovery and the first week goes by without much thought. I dread week 2 because my body will shut way down leaving me feeling like I’m on downers! Even the reduced schedule can seem epic. By week 3 I start to come out of the fog and by race day I feel like a Super Hero!
So why do I feel different this trip and is that good or bad? Looking back over my schedule from this fall, I made a few changes to my weekly sequence during “Big volume weeks” (25-30 hours). After a big week finished I continually took the first 3 days as recovery days, i.e. kept my volume up but kept my heart rate down. In some cases heart rate at LT -35. By paying closer attention to my recovery with in the builds I believe that it is took less time to bounce back and less of a need for my body to shut way down. Not sure how all this will translate on race day but I do believe that this is the way to go. Work is important but recovery is equal to that some, so in order to really do well it is in our best interest to pay close attention to both.
This year has been a tremendous learning experience. By having only one “A” race it has allowed me to experiment more with my training. I have tried different sequences, intensities and volumes. I think all of this will translate in to me being a better Triathlon Coach for my clients.