Peaking & Tapering “It’s better to be underdone than overcooked"
Hi there,
A lot of you have big events coming up in the next few weeks, so you are probably thinking about tapering. It might seem like a complicated process to get it exactly right on the day, but it’s really quite simple. As a coach, “it depends” is the best I can offer, because it is a very individual process.
Having said that, there are some standard guidelines I can offer:
Reduce fatigue, maintain fitness - If you have been consistent with your training, it’s unlikely you will get any fitter in the last 2 weeks before your event, and even if you do it’s going to be less than 1%. You’ll feel faster and stronger just by being fresher! If you have energy to spare, don’t waste it on a PB effort 3 days before the race. Save it for race day!
Less is more - Reduce the volume of training, maintain your normal training frequency, and retain a sprinkling of intensity.
Running first, swimming last - Running takes more out of the body, so reduce the training load here sooner. Keep cycling in a little longer. You can keep swimming long and hard up to race week.
What has worked in the past? - For your best taper ‘mine’ your training diaries. When have you had your best race results? This may provide a clue as to your best preparation.
Don't do anything silly - When you start easing back on the training you could be forgiven for thinking that you are ready. MISTAKE! Watch out for banana skins. I’ve had many athletes who turned an ankle playing football in the garden with their kids, or fell their bike on a ride because they lost concentration.
Longer races need a longer taper - If you are racing for 12+ hours you need a longer taper than you would for a 1 hour event. My rule of thumb is 140.6 needs 3-4 weeks, 70.3 needs 2-3weeks, Standard & Sprint need 7-10 days. But, as I said above, find what works for you. In general, it’s better to be underdone than overcooked.
Mental fatigue can impair physical performance - Less training means more time on your hands. Beware of spending that time doing mentally fatiguing work. It might harm your race day performance. Check out this research to read what could happen.
The key element in all of this is finding what works for you, so please don't feel the need to get too bogged down with reading dozens of scientific papers. There doesn’t seem to be any consensus other than some of the points I have highlighted above.
Of course, if you have some different ideas that have worked for you, please feel free to share them on my Facebook page!
Click here to read this on the web
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I really appreciate you being part of my tribe and I look forward to helping you achieve better health and better performance.
Simon
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