Taper time: Hurry up slowly

by Erin Greene on 28 Aug, 2013 10:08 • Español
Taper time: Hurry up slowly

With the PruHealth London Grand Final just weeks away, it’s getting down to taper time for triathletes everywhere. You’ve spent months training, months of turning down dinner invites in lieu of an extra run, months of early alarms and icy baths. Now the time has come to reap the benefits of your hard work at your big race, but you’ve got to get through taper time first. We asked resident expert and two-time Olympian Kris Gemmell for his top taper tips, and here’s what he had to say.

What’s done is done
Now isn’t the time for last minute training. You’ve done the work, tested your limits, pushed through them and did things you never thought possible. One of the biggest mistakes you can do now is trying to fit in some last minute training for small percentage performance gains. You can’t play catch up, so don’t try.

Recover, recover, recover
Remember all those days you were exhausted mentally and physically, but pushed through a tough workout even though you were jonesing for a day off? Well now it’s time to take that day. You’ve earned it, your body needs it, your mind will benefit from it. The last two weeks are all about recovering as much as possible.

No room for newbies
It’s often tempting to outfit yourself in some new gear for the big day, but resist the urge. If you haven’t trained in it or practiced with it, it shouldn’t make your bag when packing for race day. Much the same, now isn’t the time to try a new race strategy or nutrition plan. In short, don’t change anything leading into your biggest event of the year.

You are what you eat
Caloric intake versus output is monumentally important while training. If you didn’t eat enough before a big training block, you most likely felt it in a big way. Much the same, be mindful of your nutrition during taper. Less training obviously means you are using less energy, so don’t forget to adjust your nutrition to your training volume.

Enjoy the journey
And last but perhaps most importantly of all, believe in the work you’ve done. Believe it will all come together just as you’ve been envisioning. You’ve had your eye on the prize. You’ve been focused. You’ve done everything right. Now it’s time to trust in the process and enjoy the journey.


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Related Event: 2013 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final London
11 - 15 Sep, 2013 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Men
1. Javier Gomez Noya ESP 01:48:16
2. Jonathan Brownlee GBR 01:48:17
3. Mario Mola ESP 01:49:10
4. Dmitry Polyanskiy AIN 01:49:21
5. Vincent Luis FRA 01:49:24
Results: Elite Women
1. Non Stanford GBR 02:01:32
2. Aileen Reid IRL 02:01:57
3. Emma Moffatt AUS 02:02:00
4. Jodie Stimpson GBR 02:02:06
5. Alice Betto ITA 02:02:09
Results: Junior Men
1. Dorian Coninx FRA 00:51:57
2. Marc Austin GBR 00:52:00
3. Grant Sheldon GBR 00:52:01
4. Raphael Montoya FRA 00:52:19
5. Gordon Benson GBR 00:52:25
Results: Junior Women
1. Tamara Gorman USA 00:57:08
2. Georgia Taylor-Brown GBR 00:57:31
3. Laura Lindemann GER 00:57:34
4. Jaz Hedgeland AUS 00:57:39
5. Sumire Ohara JPN 00:57:51
Results: U23 Men
1. Pierre Le Corre FRA 01:42:47
2. Fernando Alarza ESP 01:42:51
3. Declan Wilson AUS 01:42:55
4. Igor Polyanskiy RUS 01:43:16
5. Matthias Steinwandter ITA 01:43:27
Results: U23 Women
1. Charlotte McShane AUS 01:55:38
2. Ellen Pennock CAN 01:55:39
3. Amelie Kretz CAN 01:55:41
4. Hanna Philippin GER 01:55:43
5. Joanna Brown CAN 01:55:49
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