Taper Properly for your next Ironman

Chris Carmichael has some tips on how best to taper for an Ironman

Finally it's taper time. The countless weeks of countless hours spent training are coming to an end and it's time to relax and coast into your big race of the season, right? Isn't a good taper just taking it easy for two weeks and getting as much rest as possible? Not according to recent research and information gathered from some of the best triathlon coaches in the country.

There is no argument that a good training plan should be thoughtfully and scientifically based, and that the main idea of the whole process is arriving at your goal event in peak form. The taper is vitally important to this outcome, since standing on the starting line with just the right amount of training, rest, and stored energy is the only way to achieve your best performance.

The specific goal of a taper is to reduce or eliminate the amount of stress that is placed on the mind and body by training. The last two to three weeks leading up to your race is not the time to attempt to make further gains to your fitness. We all know that the goal of training is to overload an energy system and then allow it to recover and adapt in a positive way. By reducing the amount of fatigue that you place on your body during this taper period, you help facilitate certain physiological and psychological changes that will help you perform at a high level. Your perception of how much effort a given speed or distance requires should be reduced, your general mood should improve, your perception of fatigue from training should reduce, and your sleep quality may improve as well. Along with those mental changes that may occur, it is possible for your red blood cell count and hemoglobin level to increase, which also may result in an improved hematocrit to allow for more oxygen delivery to your muscles. Maintaining intensity, frequency, and volume of training during this taper period will not allow these important changes to be made.

You may have seen a variety of tapering strategies and theories. Research has been done to study the effectiveness of different tapers, and while results are not absolutely conclusive, some good trends can be seen. In a review of studies that analyzed various tapering techniques used by competitive swimmers, runners, and cyclists, it was determined that the most effective taper was one that maintained the frequency of training (number of workouts per week), maintained or increased the intensity of training (number of minutes spent doing fast intervals etc.), and reduced the volume of training (number of hours spent training daily).

A taper that prescribes total rest will result in less training stress but will also result in a loss of some hard earned fitness.

About CTS
Founded in 2000 by Olympian, US Olympic Committee Coach of the Year, and bestselling author, Chris Carmichael, Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) inspires and empowers the athlete in every body to perform at their best. CTS is an Official Coaching Partner of Ironman and Ironman 70.3, and offers personal coaching, training camps, and performance testing services to endurance athletes of all abilities. For more on Carmichael Training Systems and its approach to fitness, nutrition and healthy living, go to www.trainright.com