Posts Tagged ‘sports taper’
4 days till XTERRA. Tapering
“Tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition”- Wiki.
At this stage, no training – or specific training session – will make you any faster on race day. The only reason I dont spend all week in the hammock is beacause 1) I need to learn the course and stay updated with changes, 2) you need to do at least, some light training to stay loose and flexible.
What tapering does: (I’m not a sport scientist, so this is the Caveman-ed down version)
– You get fresher. Duh. (3-4 days hard taper for “normal” races and 4-6 days for “big” races. Add 1 day for every 5 or so years over 35.)
– Tapering restores glycogen and hydration levels. No carbo loading or over-eating needed. Just eat and drink like normal- the lower training volume & intensity will take care of the rest.
– Resting heightens mental alertness. Good time to do taxes, catch up on creative writing or learn the guitar.
– Gives you time to do other stuff. Like day dreaming about winning…