How to Properly Taper for a Race with Pro Triathlete and Coach Elizabeth James

I hear lots of mixed messages when it comes to tapering for a triathlon race. You put all this effort into training, not tapering properly can have a massive impact on how you perform on race day.

Joining me for this episode is Pro Triathlete and TriDot Coach Elizabeth James. She generously shares her knowledge and experience from both the athlete and coaching perspectives.

We discussed:

• What is an exercise taper?
• Why do you need to taper? Why is it so important for exercise performance?
• What are some of the common mistakes you see triathletes make when it comes to tapering?
• Should you taper for all of your races or just one key A race?
• Is there a difference in taper based on training experience? Would a beginner/new to the sport taper differently to someone with many years of experience? Or is it the same?
• What is reverse tapering? Is it something age-group triathletes should try?

Then Elizabeth walks you through what a taper might look like for each distance of a triathlon event.

• Sprint distance
• Olympic or standard distance
• 70.3 or half Ironman
• Full distance Ironman events

How long should you taper for each of the distances?

How much should your training volume decrease by, for each of the distances?

What’s the frequency of training sessions during taper?

How much intensity is the right amount without turning up to the start line exhausted?

She gets really practical to help you implement a nice taper for your next race.

LINKS:

Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram

If you want to nerd out on the literature, here is a nice little paper;

Tapering for Competition: a review (2012)

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