Trust the Taper

Having started seven Ironman races you would think that I would know how to taper by now. Year in and year out the same thing always happens to me and I act like I need to go into extreme panic mode. I emailed coach Luis this morning and the email went something like this.

Well coach, I started my IM taper for Lake Placid a couple weeks ago and wanted to make sure that what I'm going through is normal. Let's take this past weekend for example. On Friday, I did my morning 2000 yard taper swim and felt good but my times in the pool weren't any faster than normal. At lunch I ran 40 minutes, but my legs were still feeling a little sore. After work I got a massage and then did 3.5 hrs on the bike. On the bike, I still felt like my energy was just average and was having a hard time keeping my heart-rate up but I wonder if that was because I had just gotten a deep tissue massage and my muscles were sore from that?

On Saturday I did a tempo run and still didn't feel at my best even though I was running 6:45 - 6:50 miles aerobically. I guess you could say that my energy has "started" to come back, but I feel I still have a ways to go. On Sunday I did 2:30 on the bike and again felt so-so and not at my peak. Every time I tried to lift the pace, aerobically I felt good, but my legs would start to hurt.

I would have thought that by now I'd be full of extra energy especially with the couple days off this week. I still don't feel like I'm full of energy during my workouts, but I do feel full of energy while at work and also when I wake in the morning. Week 3 felt good, but not that good. Should I continue to trust the taper and do things as the schedule says?

A quick email back from coach Luis assured me that what I'm going through is still normal and that by race day I'm going to be ready. Looking back to last year, my taper notes indicated pretty much the same thing. Even up to seven days out I felt sluggish and on race day I was firing on all cylinders.

The fact of the matter is everything is going according to plan even though at times I want to question it. I felt fully rested this morning and have so much energy during the day that I don't know what to do with myself. The next couple of days are all about making it over the mental and emotional barrier. Six days out from the start of my eighth Ironman. What more could I want? I'm looking forward to the final battle.