Around this part of the world… the triathlon season is coming to a close. There are only a few races left, the days are starting to get shorter, and the weather a bit cooler…. all a bit depressing! Oh well.. there’s always cyclocross season, x-country running series, then nordic skiing when the snow falls… and don’t forget the fall marathon. 
My season ended at Calgary 70.3. I haven’t done a single workout for about 11 days now. I didn’t really plan to take this time off… I just felt I needed a break, but more mentally than physically. I’ve been sleeping in, drinking a few extra beers, had my parents visit from Regina for a few days, and even went out for a round of golf! I’m itching to get back at it though… will start again tomorrow with some short workouts to ease my body into it.
It’s August, and that means Ironman Canada taper time! Many of my friends have been putting in plenty of hard training for the past year and are now counting down the days to the big show in Penticton on August 30. Unfortunately, Naomi and I will be unable to make the trip this year… her first operational day at school is Aug 31… and there is no way we can watch the race and make it back to Edmonton by the next morning!
On that note, I would like to dispel a myth about the taper. It has become so common for people to become sick during their taper, whether it be for a 1/2 or full ironman, that getting sick during a taper is considered “completely normal”. It is even thought of as GOOD, and it’s just our body letting us know we need some rest.
Huh? What? Let’s set the record straight. Coming down with a cold/flu is not normal, for age groupers OR elites; very common, yes. Normal? No. In fact, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you get sick you are tapering improperly. The reason for getting sick is not that you need rest, it is because you ARE resting!
First, lets state the key rule of tapering:
The length and structure of a taper is relative to an athlete’s training volume and accumulated fatigue.
There is no “formulaic” approach to structuring a taper. How long you need to recover depends on how consistently, how hard, and for how long you have been training. The greater the total accumulated fatigue, the longer you need to taper. Most age groupers start their taper much too early, and get to race day feeling stale. If you’ve been training 12 hours/week, you don’t need a 4 week taper for Ironman!
When we are training hard our immune system gets stimulated to ward off illness. However, if over train, we push our bodies into a catabolic state, raising our cortisol levels too high. This increases the likelihood of becoming sick. When tapering, the reverse can happen. If we drop the work load too quickly, the immune system goes into “rest mode” and says “I don’t have to work so hard anymore, going to sleep now!”. The sudden depressed state of the immune system will also increase the likelihood of becoming sick.
By keeping the Body’s Five Systems firing, while at the same time decreasing the workload gradually, or the shortening the length of our taper altogether, we can prevent our bodies from going into “rest mode” and the “ill” effects that come with it.
Enjoy Your Taper.
You’re absolutely right– it’s not normal, and usually means that you’ve made too quick of a change in training intensity and/or volume. They drop off too abruptly and their immune system rebels.
After the tour I got sick – I think because I stepped outside my training plan.
I’ve been sick every year before my A races but so far not sick as I’m tapering for Ironman. I’m happy about it. I’m pretty consistent with keeping the same routine and just lowering the volume.
Anyway, happy tapering indeed! and I know you and Naomi will be there in spirit!