Tapering for HIM while training for IM.
I am on the HIM plan until 6/10 when I will be doing Escape from Alcatraz. After this event I will then load the IM plan. On the HIM plan I will start a slow taper starting next week until the race on 6/10. Can you confirm that I should be tapering all 3 weeks and that you don't see this interfering with my IM Canada (8/26) training? Biking is my weakest link and I am concerned that cutting down to 2x a week is not the best move for my long term goal.
Thanks,
Lee Ann
0
Comments
Simple-minded approach: if it's not your A race, don't bother tapering for Alcatraz as if it were an HIM. The bike is 18 miles and the run is 8 miles. Your weekly intensity sessions on the bike and run will have you prepped just fine, and you don't want to retard your fitness build-up as we head into the final 12-15 weeks before Canada. I assume you're traveling to SFO; make that day the start of your "taper", give yourself 1-2 days off after, and start to ramp up again by the end of the week.
You might want to throw this question into the Macro thread to get the Coaches' read on it.
I have had a couple of HIM or HIM-like races this yr in my buildup to IMNYC. One thing you can do is to set the HIM plan to end 2 or 3 weeks after Alcatraz. Then simply dial back the last few days of training before the race. So obviously you won't do a long hard run on Thursday and you'll probably cut your Wednesday bike main sets in half and cut the total time down by a bit.
Depending on how hard I race them, I often need more than 1-2 days to recover afterwards. I take Monday off, swim on Tuesday, light-to-medium bike on Wednesday, 2/3 the intensity and duration run on Thursday, then I'm ready to hit the weekend bikes hard again and really get into the new IM plan.
But, I agree with Al (as usual), since it's not your "A" race, no need to taper for it like it is.