as long as i've been racing, i've always dreaded tapering down. i always second guess myself but thankfully, it usually ends up being the right amount of rest to workout ratio. come race days, i've always been good to go. my philosophy is much like no 2 snowflakes are alike...no 2 athletes are alike in their training or their taper.
i'm from the school of thought (and yes, i have been properly schooled/college educated in this area) that exercise and training IS NOT an exact science. i've been reading a lot of articles lately on training philosophies and proper rest, nutrition, etc...i don't think any particular one is better than another. you have to find the bits and pieces in each one, try them out, and see what works for you. it's like a combination lock; you have to find the right combination.
with all of that said, i got to thinking about my personality type, since i've been having all of these tapering second thoughts. i wouldn't consider myself type A at all and not completely type B.
so far, i feel like a slug and it's only tuesday. bike and swim tonight. i already told my domestique that i can't lead too much on any of our rides the rest of the week. i'll get in a swim tomorrow and thursday. i'll also be testing out the 110+ spf tomorrow as well and will report back on that.
until later...much love and peace out!
I am hardcore type A... total stress case at times, strive for perfection and I am a work-a-holic. Gotta find the balance in everything I guess.
ReplyDeleteTapers suck, plain and simple haha.
I would say that I am just a little bit more type A than B. I will add...the older I get the more type B I am:)
ReplyDeleteI have never tapered before..okay maybe not run one or two days before a race....and that is about it:) Maybe if I finally sign up for a marathon I will actually enjoy a taper:)
love the "what works for you part" so smart to ALWAYS keep that in mind.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh how I WISH I could drop the stress part of the Type A. ;)
Happy Taper Tuesday to Ya. blah.
I've been called the poster child for type "A" many times. The best taper that I've ever had I forced myself to turn off my brain and just follow my coach's plan. He realized what he was dealing with and kept the intensity high but shortened the duration, but as you say, no two athletes are the same.
ReplyDeleteI am not totally type A but I have many of the characteristics! Whoops! FYI, the bag is purty!
ReplyDeleteOK folks... A KC taper week is more than most of us put in during peak IM training. What did you have in mind this week? 150 miles of bike, 30 miles of run, and 5 miles swimming??? LOL
ReplyDeleteI am neither A or B, but I do agree that I hate taper weeks. I start to feel lazy and anxious all at the same time. I just want the race date to get there!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am Type, who knows?
I hate taper weeks too! I get all cranky and grumpy and anxious and feel ready to explode!
ReplyDeleteThat chart had to be made by some Type B person that wanted to hate on us type A's ...lol.
ReplyDeleteI fall squarely in the Type A category except I really do not let the stress bother me - I just go run, swim, or bike and forget about all the lazy, unmotivated, uninteresting, clock watching Type B people who are holding me back ... kidding people, kidding!
Dude, I am 100% type A. Not a single part of me is type B. Nope! It's taper time for me as well and the only thing I feel at this point is... FAT! Good grief! Lots of good luck wishes coming your way!! :o)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem like training and tapering are so individual. When I was swimming competitively, our coaches would write individual workouts for us during taper. They observed us every season and adjusted our training and tapering strategies accordingly. I think it really worked. Unfortunately, it's harder for me to figure that stuff out on my own.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the rest of your taper. You are ready!
Isn't your domestique supposed to be leading you? All good.
ReplyDeleteObviously your personality is x%A. That is to say there is an intercept relationship between 70% A and 30% B.
x²+2xy+y² or something like that. It's too late to figure it out.
I'm definitely more Type B than A, but have some Type A tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI like your backpack...it looks really cool!
Just an FYI, for some reason your music player on the left side of your blog covers up part of your post, so it's hard to read the first part.