A question to everyone out there? As my race day is coming up, I am still in turbo mode with my training. I have 3 weeks to go. My intention is to put in one more 'hardcore' week of training. I will start it Monday with a 5-6 hour ride, Tuesday a 30k'ish run and then add in some strong swims another good speed workout another good sprint bike day and a 2-3k speed OWS. Then the week after start to drop the miles. Am I being too agressive to close to the race? I feel that I get the most out of my training leading to a race keeping a decent intensity towards it. However, I have not done an IM and do not want to go into it tired. PLEASE share your thoughts, ideas and experiences! Look forward to your replies!
Yesterday was an awesome run day! Did an 18k run with one of the girls in my run Yoga clinic. The weather was easy for it, sunny and cool with a slight breeze to keep it fresh! Loved every minute of it! It was great a well as the girl I was running with set a new distance PB and di it with a smile. One of the greatest things I enjoyed about the run was the mental aspect of it. All the time that I have run, it has not been at all my favorite thing to do. As a matter of fact I thought running sucked! Every day going out for my run was a chore, I know it was all in my mond because it was no different that any other workout, I just let it get to me! I have come to the relaization that my lack of passion was driven by my own mental game. As I have been out following a logic to my run training and putting in teh miles the results have started to arrive. As I am getting results I am enjoying the runs, go figure! So, yesterdays run is one which I have done a ton of times. The difference was I did the entire thing with a smile on my face. I started strong and finished hte exact same way! The only thing I changed is some story in my head that running sucks!
So, as I continue along the training and racing my frame of mind is now going to be in a different bucket! Love it or don't bother doing it! It makes the whole day a lot easier to do and the results come along much better!
I hope you all have an awesome weekend! Good luck to those who are racing and, HAVE FUN!@
The new Adventure has Started!!!
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Haha, don't ask Bryan about tapering.
ReplyDeleteI like this, I need to change the story in my head about running as well. thanks for that.
For my upcoming IM Louisville, my coach had me start tapering at 3 weeks out - technically - though the time didn't decrease until 2 weeks out but the intensity did. Exactly 3 weekends from the race, I did a 6 hour ride/1 hour run brick on Saturday ('race rehearsal', at race pace, with race nutrition, etc.) and rest/recover on Sunday. My weekly training for that week was just under 15 hrs. The follow week, my training was also just under 15 hrs, but my long brick was cut back from 7 hours to 5 and I had more shorter, lower-intensity workouts during the week. This week, one weekend before Louisville: I did a 3.5 hr brick (2.5 ride/1 run) at race pace today and tomorrow is an 'optional' easy 1-2 hour spin. My training time for this week will be around 9-10 hours. This week coming up, leading to the race, I think I only have about 5 hours, almost al of which is easy and includes a swim at the race venue.
ReplyDeleteI'm by no means a certified coach, but I think when in doubt it's better to over-taper than to over-do it, even though we often crave the intense training sessions or want to make sure we're as ready as we can be. What's that saying -- it's better to be 20% undertrained than 1% overtrained? or something like that. I'm a big fan of the taper.
Hope this helps some... I'd be interested as well to hear what others out there are doing.
Good luck!
I wish I could help you with this one, but I think it best to be guided by how you feel. I know when I used to do swim squads before our major meets we would taper 2 weeks out. My performance was always at its best after 2 weeks tapering.
ReplyDeleteSorry I have no IM experience thus no counsel! Good luck with what you choose, I'm sure you will figure it out...you have simply had a SOLID 4.5 months of training that I have followed. Great work.
ReplyDelete-Derek
having no IM experience gives me no credit. But the take no less than 2 weeks and don't run over 20km on those weeks. But you are sooo there that whatever you do will work.
ReplyDeleteSwimming-wise you can "do a Bryan" and go for a 6k'er on the days priors. Seems to work for him LOL.
Taper NOW! Your hard work is done and you need to recover. One more week of hard training won't get you any faster, but it could deny your muscles the chance to recover properly. Do it!!
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