Race, Taper, Race?
643
Member
752 days
tsilcyc posted 8 weeks ago.
Race the race. It's a half and you should be completely capable of doing it and recovering from it quickly.
How many weeks are you tapering? Two? You could do Week2 - 10 hours, Week1, 5 hours. Don't go long or hard as there is nothing to be gained from it. Your training is not about the last two weeks, it is about the acculation of training over the last 6+ months.
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717
Member
216 days
TriSooner posted 8 weeks ago.
Nobody wrote:
I'm doing the Boise half IM on 6/1....then doing IM CdA on 6/22.
Sounds like you lucked out/planned this perfectly!
Nobody wrote:
Absolutely do not put in long mileage before the half. Doing that + the half = over training. I would actually put in a mini taper before the half: Have a few light week days (Wed., Thurs., Fri.) and take Sat. off (if it is a Sunday race.) If you trainined hard all week, put in long hours before the half - and then raced the half - it would turn the post-half/pre-IM taper into post Half recovery and I can't see how you would benefit trying to simutaneously recover and taper. Remember what your A race is. Look at the half as your last full-on training day. I wouldn't go all out 100% and try to PR, but I would have long sections of the s/b/r where I pushed it really hard with lengthy intervals, keeping in mind that it is still a training day but you want to push it too to see how you feel.
But being that I'm doing a 1/2 IM 3 weeks prior to my "A" race, what would y'all suggest I do: Focus on intensity or just do a relaxed race and put some long miles in on a day or two before the Boise half?
Quote:
Also, what should my taper look like? 10 hours a week too much? (I'm just hoping for a 12:30).
Depends on what your long weeks prior are like. My equation is the first week (of two) of taper is half of my longest preceding week; then the secend week (race week) is half of week one (e.g., 20, 10, 5). Either way, it gets progressively lighter. You should/will feel like you have tons of energy, an uncontrollable urge to go train that last week, and strangely questioning, "Have I done enough?" and "What could one more spin hurt?" Don't.
BTW - You will love CDA if you haven't been before. 99% of Texans have never even heard of it, much less can they pronounce it. But I tell them that CDA is one of the most beautiful and under-rated places in the US.
3315
Member
1281 days
RV posted 8 weeks ago.
Racing a HIM that close to your A race - especially IM - isn't the best idea.
An HIM will put a 7-10 day opportunity cost in your training plan.
Based on having a short taper prior to the HIM - basically easy/light days beginning Wed, or certainly Thurs on the front end. And then recovery on the backend, through about Thursday.
You are losing out on your dedicated training time in the aerobars, race-specific, practice pacing and nutrition, long riding, etc.
With that - if you do the race - then better to race it, rather than doing a relaxed race. That would just be an expensive, very easy training day.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
198
Member
568 days
Nobody posted 8 weeks ago.
Good advice. Thanks everyone for the information.
I've been up to CDA before--last year--as a spectator. It's very gorgeous up there and I can't wait to see what the bike is like compared to KY.
I'm not too worried about the Boise half being too much....I think that it makes the most sense for me shoot for a ~5:40 at Boise (PR is 5:14) so that I won't need more than 1-2 days of recovery. The problem, of course, is that once the gun goes off I'll have to tell myself to cool my jets so I don't overdo it. I'll come back Mon., take maybe Tues off and then try to squeeze in a normal week, then taper as y'all said for the remaining two.
Greatness is only achieved by those who perpetually raise the expectations of themselves to the point where it ruins their life.
I'm doing the Boise half IM on 6/1....then doing IM CdA on 6/22.
Normally I'd be doing 100 miles on 5/30 and an 18-21 mile run on 6/1, then taper. But being that I'm doing a 1/2 IM 3 weeks prior to my "A" race, what would y'all suggest I do: Focus on intensity or just do a relaxed race and put some long miles in on a day or two before the Boise half?
Also, what should my taper look like? 10 hours a week too much? (I'm just hoping for a 12:30).
Greatness is only achieved by those who perpetually raise the expectations of themselves to the point where it ruins their life.