IMCDA Are you ready? (Page 25)

ditto Goldberger's plan for Friday. will meet at 2 at clock tower.

I'm getting a sore throat! Hope it's one of those weird things that can happen while tapering.

No problem, it's a public beach and lake.  Bring your wetsuit.

Better cold and nasty today than next Sunday. The weather looks to be warming up.

To Chippy...

Yes, anyone can swim. I did it last year, knowing I was doing IM this year, and wanted to get a feel for it...so glad I did! I did not check my bag however, figured that was just for IM participants, but don't know if they care or not, I assume they use a race number to identify the bag. C'mon and join us!

(Oldag92 wrote - Are we meeting Friday morning for some OWS at the Gatorade Bag Check? I have 30' OWS on my training schedule for Friday.)


Wow, talk about taper! A 30' swim? I thought my swim distances were short!

Hey....what's wrong with a 30 minute swim??

Isn't 30' -- Mean 30 seconds, maybe?

Ok...I see what she meant.  But nope... 30' is 30 minutes.  30" would be 30 seconds.

But that is funny now that I realize she thought I was planning a 30 second open water swim.

Edited by OldAg92 2006-06-18 4:08 PM

30' = 30 feet - would you break that up into intervals or go straight through?

No silly...30' means 30 feet, that isn't even :30 seconds, not even at my slow pace! A 30 foot swim would be quite a taper!

To get picky, 30 seconds would be 00:00:30, and 30 minutes would be 30:00. However, I am not getting picky, just thought it was funny, and wanted to hassle you, all in fun!

See you next week?

Goldberger got it!

30 minutes, 30 feet, 30 meters or 30 inches, I can tell, we are tapering!! Madness I say...

anyway changing the subject...

Is anyone getting their bike tuned up right before the race? Living in the islands I don't have the luxury of a local bike store. There is a great mechanic in St. Croix, but for me that still is far away. Am thinking of dishing out the $75.00 (just when I thought the credit card was safe) and bringing in my bike still in its case to Inside out Sports and having them put it together and tune it up. It has been popping off the small ring lately and the last thing I need besides flat tires is the chain breaking or continuiously falling off. Anyone doing this or have done it with success? The onsite tune up that is...

Thanks.

Jodie

I shipped my bike to InsideOut Sports for the Florida Half last year and they put it together and gave it a tune up.  They did a very good job and I was glad I did it.

This user's post has been ignored.

I am also bringing in my bike to insideout sports to have them put it together and tune it up.  I will let you know how it goes!

I'm with you, T. Bouncing off the walls here. Just got back from a 2 hr lunch.

The taper blues
By Gale Bernhardt
For Active.com
May 25, 2006

It's late June and in the next few weeks most triathletes will reduce training volume, commonly called taper, in order to feel rested for important races. As athletes begin the taper process, some notice they feel down and experience "the blues."

Not all athletes experience the same feelings, or combination of feelings, but it's common to experience taper blues. The list below can help you identify if you've experienced any of the common taper symptoms. Being aware of these feelings can help you handle them properly, and ensure your tapering remains on track.

If this is your first season of racing, the list can help you recognize common taper symptoms.

Common taper symptoms

At the beginning of the taper, some athletes say they feel more tired than when they were putting in long training hours. For those who are tapering their volume over several weeks, this feeling leads to a temptation to resume higher volume. Resist the temptation; it'll pay off on race day.
When tapering for a key race, many athletes feel flat and fatigued during the final workouts, wondering how they'll ever make it through the event. This feeling can sometimes cause athletes to test themselves on the actual race course or distance to be sure they can make it. This is what I call fear-based training -- and giving into this feeling can harm your performance.
As the taper continues, many athletes notice (or more likely their family and friends notice first) that they're slightly grouchy -- okay, some athletes are more than just a little grumpy. Often, family and friends will urge the athlete to put in more hours, in desperate hope of extinguishing the foul mood. Take their comments and observations to heart and lighten-up. Apologize for any over-the-edge behaviors and educate your family and friends about the tapering process.
Roughly half the athletes I work with begin to notice little aches and pains they never noticed before the taper period. The pains show up for no apparent reason. In fact, these pains were nonexistent during the high-volume training phase, making it tempting to resume longer training hours. If aches and pains emerge, resist the urge to increase training volume.
Some athletes may feel slightly blue or depressed the week before the race. Others feel they have so much energy they'll go nuts if they don't work out. Don't act on either of these feelings -- just let them pass.
Within one or two days of the race, most athletes feel good. They're typically ready to race and are anxious to race -- immediately! This feeling is exactly what you want, and why you've tapered your training volume. Unfortunately, the feeling comes late in the taper process and it takes a leap of faith if you've never experienced the feeling of racing with a rested body.
If training volume has been tapered and you've maintained some speed work during the tapering process, you'll be strong and fast on race day. Once the race has started, butterflies tend to disperse and feelings of confidence take over. This is your day to be at your best -- enjoy it

Thanks for posting that Taper Blues article here!   I think we could all use a little bit of those words...

Well, all of that described me perfectly...too funny!  Thanks for posting it.