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2012-10-10 8:23 AM

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Subject: Taper Question - HIM

So my first HIM is next Saturday (October 20th), 10 days away, and I am now in taper mode.  I was surprised that my training plan calls for a 2 hour 45 minute ride this Saturday and an 1 hour and 20 min run on Sunday. The plan is from the Triathlete's Magazine Training Guide by Matt Fitzgerald.  Since the race is less than 10 days away this duration of training seems a bit excessive.  Up to this point, I have had no issues with the training plan and have followed them very closely.

However, my gut tells me to back these durations down since this is my last race of 2012 and I am less than 10 days away so I would not get the full benefit of these workouts for this race. 

What would you do?  Follow the plan or go with your gut?



2012-10-10 8:35 AM
in reply to: #4447720

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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM

Depending on what you've been doing up to this point, I don't really see anything wrong with those distances 10 days out.  I did a 50 mile ride about 8 days before my HIM at a Zone2 pace, and a much longer run (2.5 hrs) a few days before that.  I don't think an easy 9-10 mile run is that big of a deal more than a week out.  Now 7 days out is when I began the taper and cut the volume by 50% while keeping up the intensity.  Felt nice and fresh for the race and had a great PR.

If you can do the run today or tomorrow I think that would be better.  But the ride on Saturday should be no big deal.

Good luck!

 

2012-10-10 8:56 AM
in reply to: #4447720


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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM

How did you feel after the long workouts this weekend?

I'm following the same plan (Level 3) in preparation for my 1st HIM on Nov 11. I just finished a 3h 15min bike this Saturday followed by a 1h 48min run on Sunday. Just based on my performance on these two workouts I feel like I need to keep at it.  I felt great for the first 2h 30-45min on the bike and the first 1h 30 min on the run but I felt like I kind of deteriorated towards the end. I kept pushing the pace and finished strong in both workouts (65 mi bike and 11.3 run) but I felt like the engine could go but the legs were feeling fatigued. I need to keep pushing, continue to tweak my nutrition and get used to the pain

I feel positive for race day and my plan is to follow the program until week 19 (including the long workouts) and then go into taper mode. 7 days should be plenty of time to recover and rebuild energy levels before the race. I also think the plan's amount of training during the taper week is a little too much and I plan to only do the swim workouts and a light 30-45 min run that week. I might throw in a 45 min easy spin on the trainer on Thursday. I followed the same taper week plan for my other races and it worked out great.

2012-10-10 9:49 AM
in reply to: #4447720

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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM

I am doing a HIM on 10/20 as well.  My taper is only 1 week but those distances don't seem too extreme.  I am doing a full week of training this week and this weekend I am running a local road race (7k) and then biking for an hour afterwards.  Sunday I am swimming the first leg of an Olympic relay team for some OW comfort and then doing a 1 hr run that afternoon to keep the legs fresh.

These distances are still a reduction from my last weekend (65 mile bike on Saturday - 13 mile run Sunday) but the real taper will start on Monday of next week.  Sounds like your plan is similar.

2012-10-10 1:03 PM
in reply to: #4447720

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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM

Wow, I am impressed with the responses and also impressed with the level of effort you guys put into this sport.  It makes me feel like I haven't been doing anything!

I will stick with the plan.

2012-10-10 1:27 PM
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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM
Yes, stick with the plan. It'll work great. Pure runners (marathoners) sometimes taper more since running is more impact, but for the HIM, it's not as big a dropoff. I did a very similar thing recently and it worked perfectly.


2012-10-11 6:35 PM
in reply to: #4447720

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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM

Are you doing Pumpkinman?  If so, then learn from my experience.  This will be my 3rd year. My first year went fine.....great.......placed 3rd in my AG.  So the second year (last year) I felt like I should push my training a little more and race more aggressively.....consequently I made the horrible mistake of NOT RESPECTING THE TAPER!  My body was telling me exactly what you are feeling....but my mind and my ego told me to push it more than I should have the last 10 days.  On the Saturday prior to the race I did more than I should have and I was NOT rested for the race.  It turned out being a disaster!  My quads were shot and cramping in the first mile of the run.  OH man, what a lesson to learn!  All that training and then I never got to use it.

So, I would say that you arent going to realize any TRAINING benefit these last 10 days.....if you haven't paid the price by now, then doing too much in the last 10 days is only going to make it worse.  RESPECT THE TAPER and TRUST YOUR TRAINING!  And if you are doing Pumpkinman, believe me, you are going to want to have your legs!  So my humble opinion is this: IF THERE IS ANY QUESTION IN THE 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE RACE, THEN I WOULD RATHER DO TOO LITTLE THAN TOO MUCH. 

I hope you are doing Pumpkinman.  It's a GREAT race!  And on this race you must respect the hills!  Don't overdo it early in the bike leg cuz you will pay for it like no other in the run!

GOOD LUCK!



Edited by dabeachbums5 2012-10-11 6:41 PM
2012-10-12 8:39 AM
in reply to: #4447720

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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM
shy1 - 2012-10-10 8:23 AM

So my first HIM is next Saturday (October 20th), 10 days away, and I am now in taper mode.  I was surprised that my training plan calls for a 2 hour 45 minute ride this Saturday and an 1 hour and 20 min run on Sunday. The plan is from the Triathlete's Magazine Training Guide by Matt Fitzgerald.  Since the race is less than 10 days away this duration of training seems a bit excessive.  Up to this point, I have had no issues with the training plan and have followed them very closely.

However, my gut tells me to back these durations down since this is my last race of 2012 and I am less than 10 days away so I would not get the full benefit of these workouts for this race. 

What would you do?  Follow the plan or go with your gut?

 

If you have followed the plan for 18 or 19 weeks stick with it for the last 2 weeks. I use Fitzgerald also and I thought maybe the last couple of weeks were too much, but I followed them and  have felt great on race day. I have used them for 3 HIM and have felt well prepared and ready on race day all 3 times.

2012-10-12 9:32 AM
in reply to: #4447720

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Subject: RE: Taper Question - HIM

I think the plan is fine.  This year I did 2 HIM's 2 weeks apart and didn't really taper much for the first one other than about 4 days out I dropped my intensity to all easy stuff and I dropped my time in the saddle and on the run about 15%-20%.  I also must say that the first race wasn't "raced."  Rather, it was a final attempt to get my fueling down to exactly where it needed to be for my "A" race 2 weeks later.  So I raced much easier than I planned on going for the second race.

I cannot see your training logs to know what kind of distances and times you are putting in for training for the past month so it's kind of hard to say for certain, but I would not waver from the plan at all.  If it has worked this far in, there is no reason to change anything now.

The biggest thing I would question is your fueling strategy.  Do you have one?  And have you tried it out during training.  You may not have a good day if thought hasn't been put into this aspect of race day.

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