Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Tapering
Tapering is the period of reduced training leading into a competition that
allows you to “freshen up” and be in a position to produce your best
performance. The main idea behind a taper is to “back off” the volume of
training to reduce the fatigue and allow full recovery while still doing enough
training to maintain the fitness components necessary for competition
performance.

(took this from http://www.nswis.com.au/ArticleDocuments/234/Tapering.pdf)

That is the book definition. Here's my definition:

i) Tired all the time. I sleep for 7-8 hours and I still get up tired.

ii) Time slows down. Today is Wednesday and it feels like the whole week has gone by. I can't wait till tomorrow when I start my trip.

iii) Fresh. On Mon I did a 4 x 3 min on the trainer. I was at zone 3. My legs were just ripping it. I have to control myself to slow down.

iv) Hungry. Since I am training less, I should be eating less. I gained 2-3 lbs since my taper. Stomach is hungry all the time.

v) Doubt. I have to remind myself that I can swim, bike and run long. I have to remind myself I sign up for an Ironman b/c it is hard..not b/c it is easy.

Yesterday I went to the pool since my accident. Can I swim? Kinda.

When I swing my right arm, I have to twist my upper body to compensate for the pain. It looks like I am wiggling in the water than swimming. I feel very comfy in the water. Maybe that's because I am just happy to be dipping in the chlorine bath again. I did 10 laps and I got out.

I spent this week doing preparation. Logistics for family to come down. Last night took my bike to the shop (my gears are skipping). Got all my nutrition ready....

Here's my race strategy: Treat the swim, the bike and the first half of the run as one long training day. The last half of the run is where the race begins!

I will do another post tomorrow before I head down to Lake Placid. If you are at Lake Placid, I will be on at the Gatorade Bag Check in on Fri at 7:30 am with Darren and Sheila. We will be doing a morning dip.

In case I don't have time to post before I head down to Ironman USA... my number is 280. You can track me on Ironmanlive on Sun to see my progress.

19 comments:

Unknown said...

Best of luck, Cliff.

We'll be tracking you!

Unknown said...

You are gonna rock it Cliff! See ya on the course and be sure to say hi to guys wearing HEAT uniforms!

Phil said...

Cliff - best of luck. I've never done this race before, but the consensus from people I know who have done it is this: 1) Don't sweat the small stuff, 2) Don't try to be a stud on the first loop of the bike, 3) Enjoy yourself. Try to wear a maple leaf somewhere on you! Lots of Canadian fans along the route.

Bolder said...

good luck Cliff.

this is a day, just for you.

enjoy it.

we'll be tracking and cheering for you.

Carrie said...

Have a rockin' good time out there Cliff! Hope you can feel the love out on the race course when you need it most.

Papa Louie said...

Have a great race, Cliff!

jameson said...

go get'em!

Brent Buckner said...

Your day, your way!

Donald said...

I'm right there with you on all of those taper jitters. I'm sure you'll do great, Cliff. Have a wonderful race.

Robin said...

I will try to find you.

Remember -- on the run look for the white, red & maroon TRIFURY tent!

I will look for #280!

Mike said...

Go get em!

TriShannon said...

Good Luck Cliff!!

AddictedToEndorphins said...

Good Luck! IT's almost Show time!!

anners said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
anners said...

I will be thinking of you this weekend. From 5k to marathon, from sprint tri to ironman...you have come so far. I am honoured to have known you throughout part of your journey :)

Go Cliff Go!

Mike said...

Cliff,
Have an awesome race out there! I'll definitely be online tracking you and sending positive vibes!
Good luck and Godspeed!

Rae said...

Good luck!! We'll be sending you strong vibes all day Sunday and cheering for you from afar!! I can't wait to read all about it!

Thomas said...

Good Luck, Cliff. You shoulder will still get better in the next few days, but the fact that you managed 10 laps in the pool without drowning means you'll be fine come race day. Go get them!

ShirleyPerly said...

Cliff, have a great time this weekend. Make it your day!!