How About Lower Priority Races?
So far all of the attention has gone to tapering for your "A" race. But what about lower priority races, the so-called "B" or "C" races? Do you need to taper for these races, and if so, how much? Well the answer to the first question is yes. Even for your lower priority races you need to back off but not in the same way.
B Races: Generally these races are important to you and may even be a test race or single event race where you want to do well. Consider reducing your training volume and minimize the intensity about a week out from a B race to shed some fatigue.
C Races: These are low priority races often used as a fun substitute for hard training sessions. You can train through these races but don't overdo it. Back off of your training volume a couple days before the race and minimize the intensity in the week leading into the race.
While these may be low priority, remember you almost always go harder in a race. Be sure to recover from your effort before you load up the intensity again. Going out with your friends and pushing it in your local 10K on the weekend is lots of fun, and I'm all for it. But if you try to jump right back into your regular training schedule by heading to the track a few days later you can quickly find yourself injured, mentally burned-out, or over-trained.
More: How to Optimize Your Triathlon Taper
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