Taper Week 2

Above, the Kona finish line. There is none other like it. (Photo by Barb)

"Swim 2.4 miles. Bike 112 miles. Run 26.2 miles.

Brag for the rest of your life!"

John Collins, Ironman triathlon founder.

When taper time starts, volume drops off drastically, but there are still a few speed bumps on the schedule. Last Friday’s 4000m swim, 90km ride, and 60 minute transition run was similar to a half-Ironman effort. (Time-wise, anyway) I caught a nice weather window and did the ride outside, rather than on the Computranier, then finished up with the transition run on the treadmill, with my acclimatization layers on.

Here’s my wardrobe for simulating the hot, humid conditions of Kona, in the comfort of my basement:

Running tights
Under Armour long-sleeved shirt
Hoodie (this is a new twist, it’s hotter and less messy than the sweatshirt and do-rag combo)
Cycling raincoat
Absorbent cotton gloves

After Sunday’s 80-minute tempo run on the treadmill, I might as well have dragged it outside to hose it down. The washing machine has been getting a workout, and will continue to do so for the remainder of my indoor bike and run workouts. Hydration is important during these sessions, I go through a couple of bottles of Gatorade per session.

It’s only one more week until we leave for Kona. Nothing I do can improve my fitness at this point. There is no such thing as a “fitness cram”, the ultimate fitness level was reached within the last week. The objective now is to maintain fitness, stretch, avoid injury, and don’t gain weight.

This week’s schedule includes two full days off, but continues with two-a-days otherwise, featuring some tempo intervals early in the week.

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday morning: Swim 1 hour, intervals.
Tuesday evening: Bike 45 mins. Z1 (recovery) pace.

Wednesday morning: Treadmill run, 60 mins., including 3x10 min. Z3 (tempo) intervals.
Wednesday evening: Weights, 1 hour.

Thursday morning: Swim 4000m, including (3x400m, 3x300m, 3x200m, 3x100m) at Ironman goal pace + 10 seconds per 100.
Thursday evening: Bike 1 hour, including 3x10 min. Z3 (tempo) intervals.

Friday: Rest day!

Saturday morning: Bike 60km on Computrainer, then 30 min. transition run.

Sunday morning: 1:15 run at Z2 (aerobic) pace.
Sunday evening: 45 min. technique.

Speaking of weight, I’m fortunate to not have to worry about it. The training always takes care of bodyweight, and if I had any extra body fat left after the build cycle, the acclimatization training will take care of it. I’m still eating six small, healthy meals a day; my clothes are more loose but my belt more tight, and Nicole Richie has been emailing me, accusing me of making her look, in her words, “Like, all puffy”.