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.
Michael Heather, you really said it right! If we doubt our preparation, we will not do as well. All of my best races have been when I was confident that I had prepared correctly. Racing can be such a mind game. For me, being able to hit the correct time for the first 1/4 of the race gives me confidence in my taper. Additional yardage will not work within the last few weeks. Too many swimmers have fantastic times after a forced layoff. We can't discount rest. But you have to believe.
Betsy,
I hear what you and the others who commented right before you are saying, but my issue isn't that I don't believe tapering will work. I know I'm in outstanding shape. Tapering has worked very well for me before. It's just that now that I've been swimming Masters for awhile, the tapers are beginning to annoy me since I love to exercise and feel so good when I'm training that I don't like what it does to my personal and professional life when I'm doing almost nothing and feeling icky and grouchy. I think I will experiment with a 7 day taper next time (longer for weights) and see what happens. I'm seeking a place where I'm satisfied with the results as well as my frame-of-reference.
Michael Heather, you really said it right! If we doubt our preparation, we will not do as well. All of my best races have been when I was confident that I had prepared correctly. Racing can be such a mind game. For me, being able to hit the correct time for the first 1/4 of the race gives me confidence in my taper. Additional yardage will not work within the last few weeks. Too many swimmers have fantastic times after a forced layoff. We can't discount rest. But you have to believe.
Betsy,
I hear what you and the others who commented right before you are saying, but my issue isn't that I don't believe tapering will work. I know I'm in outstanding shape. Tapering has worked very well for me before. It's just that now that I've been swimming Masters for awhile, the tapers are beginning to annoy me since I love to exercise and feel so good when I'm training that I don't like what it does to my personal and professional life when I'm doing almost nothing and feeling icky and grouchy. I think I will experiment with a 7 day taper next time (longer for weights) and see what happens. I'm seeking a place where I'm satisfied with the results as well as my frame-of-reference.
