Taper weeks can be one of the most mentally difficult aspects of training. So I am writing this blog as a reminder to myself of the importance of taking the taper week(s) seriously and the benefits I hope to achieve if I am successful.
Every training season consists of phases. Each phase builds upon the other until you finally arrive at your peak fitness (once or twice in the season). However your actual fitness lags behind your training. It is not instant or immediate. You don't ride up a hill one day and become faster tomorrow. No. It takes repetitive and consistent strain on the muscles to force a change. And it takes time for the body to rest and recover before that change can be realized. We don't get strong when we tear our bodies up. We get strong by tearing them up and then resting, allowing them to adapt to the changes you have made so the next time you ride up that hill, you are stronger than the first time. This is our body's method of protecting itself - by getting stronger.
So far, it sounds pretty simple- right? And in reality the concept is simple. But lets put it into real life. For the last 8 months, I have been pushing myself to ride long (3-5 hours) on the weekends, do interval work at least once a week and ride 2-3 one hour to 90 minute segments on the other days. I weight train 3 days a week. So now, that I have to sit and recover, my body and mind are rebelling. Now that I have had a chance to stop, my body is realizing the aches and pains I have been ignoring. My brain is feeling lazy from not going from one activity to another at warp speed. What do I do with 6 hours of extra time on a Sunday morning? My instinct is telling me to train hard to get faster but my smarter mind knows that it will only be to my detriment. I have done all the training I can to be as fast as I can on September 10th. No more riding, weight training or amount of exercise is going to help me be faster on race day. It will only make me slower. My only focus at this point - 7 days before the race is to follow these 6 simple rules:
1. sleep lots
2. eat well
3. stay hydrated
4. continue with very light activity less than one hour in length
5. reduce stress
6. use my extra time to envision my race as I hope it to be because if I can see it happening in my mind - it has a better chance of becoming reality
On race day, I hope to wake up, anxious and ready to ride. I want my body to be itching to hurt on the bike. I want my mind to be prepared to push into the pain zone for at least 4 hours and not cave in. I want my skin to feel like it is going to crawl away from my body because it is so bored with the time I have forced it to stay still - to chill - to rest. I want to feel the jitters of the race but the feeling that it is time and I am ready for whatever the day brings. I may finish successful. I may finish with a new learning experience. Or I may not finish at all. But I will be ready.
