For the Iron Chicas: Tapering

Here's some quick advice on tapering prior to IronGirl.

Tapering means that you take it very easy the week before the race. You will not lose any cardio fitness if you "rest" for 5 days.

The trick is to manage your eating while tapering. The week before the race eat "clean". Only eat foods you are familiar with, and avoid chips and other crap that directly destroy performance. No red meat or fried foods. Fruit, vegetable, fish, chicken, whole grains, yoghurt.

My suggestion is that you do a final, hard workout Saturday or Sunday prior. Then, on Tuesday, do something light and fun for one hour. Ride the bike without hard climbs. Jog without pushing. If you can mix these with an easy swim (for a total of 60 minutes of activity) that's even better. Stretch well. Really well. Take the time to know your tight, problem areas. The purpose of this is to let the muscles work without damaging them, while elevating your heart rate into zone 2 (effort should be such that you can chat with a training partner without gasping for breath).

Then, on Friday, do something again. Even less strenuous. The purpose here is to make sure everything is loose and perform a "system check up". Anything hurt? Anything tight? Now is the time to address it. Again, stretching is important, as is "getting into yourself".

I believe that the taper week is critical for two reasons. First, it let's your body heal and restore itself, so that you are as near to 100% as possible for the event. Second, it enables you to get your headspace right. Take the time during the week, and during those light workouts, to focus on what you've learned and what the race will be.

Visualize. Focus on one key to each leg (swim, bike, run) and master it...inside. And make it positive.

• It should NOT be: "don't do X".
• It SHOULD be: "finish strong over hill Y".

Specific. Positive. Visual.

Don't make it general, like "keep a high cadence". Better would be "keep a high cadence up highland road".

Make it so real that you can taste, smell, and sense it. The result is that when you are in the event you already have the memory of success. It works.