I despise tapering so much, it sometimes makes me NOT want to compete anymore. I feel moody, tired, and depressed and worried about my races because I'm so used to being very active on a daily basis. I remember reading that Laura Val doesn't worry about a taper but the article had no details. Is there anyone else who has been able to perform really well without cutting way back on yardage? I would be interested in hearing what you do.
I'm a big believer now in a longer taper, up to 3 weeks. For me it's a gradual drop in yards, combined with a gradual increase in EZ swimming as a percentage of those yards. I dropped weights completely at 3 weeks too. I'm 44. I think it takes me longer to rebuild than someone in their 20s. I didn't feel rested/tapered/EZ speed until a day or two before Greensboro. In a normal week now, I swim from 3k to 3.5k per practice 5 days a week and lift weights 4 times per week. I go down to roughly half of that the week of the meet. I also drop morning practices completely to sleep in.
It worked for me at Greensboro. I dropped on average 2 seconds per 100 from my in season times. I don't get the b*tchies so much as an increasing sense of anxiety and feeling unsettled. Like I have all this excess strength ready to burst. It's quite cool actually. When I was a kid, I remember pulling the interior door handle off my Dad's car on the way to a championship meet. Guess, I was ready then!
I'm a big believer now in a longer taper, up to 3 weeks. For me it's a gradual drop in yards, combined with a gradual increase in EZ swimming as a percentage of those yards. I dropped weights completely at 3 weeks too. I'm 44. I think it takes me longer to rebuild than someone in their 20s. I didn't feel rested/tapered/EZ speed until a day or two before Greensboro. In a normal week now, I swim from 3k to 3.5k per practice 5 days a week and lift weights 4 times per week. I go down to roughly half of that the week of the meet. I also drop morning practices completely to sleep in.
It worked for me at Greensboro. I dropped on average 2 seconds per 100 from my in season times. I don't get the b*tchies so much as an increasing sense of anxiety and feeling unsettled. Like I have all this excess strength ready to burst. It's quite cool actually. When I was a kid, I remember pulling the interior door handle off my Dad's car on the way to a championship meet. Guess, I was ready then!
