Tapers

your taper always depends on the months of training you did before it. Thanks for all your feedback, Ande. What does that mean, exactly? That if you're in better shape, you don't have to cut back as drastically?

Conversely, I wish I could always taper! Like that guy who was profiled in the recent Swimmer who swims 2,000 yards, three days per week and is swimming fast. Now that would be awesome. Crazy thing, I got my fastest LC 100/200 breaststroke times the summer I got injured, was losing a family member to cancer, and could only fit in 3 swimming days a week. I taught a lot of fitness classes that summer, but other than that, it makes no sense to me whatsoever.

I used to hate tapering as well. But it does yield results and hence I persist in my 3 week tapers. However, I agree that the lack of exercise can make the taper period a mental game with the taper b*tchies and worry. I have had very good luck with shorter drop tapers for in season meets. I'll lay off drylands 7-10 days before X meet and beginning on Monday decrease yardage from 3000-1500 and also decrease intensity. I laid down some pretty fast pre-nationals times using this approach and it definitely avoids the taper lunacy and makes meets more fun and relaxed. I did speak to Laura at Nationals. She said she did her usual 5000 the Monday before the meet started and just eased up a few days. Seems to work well for her! Thanks for your suggestions, Leslie. I think this "drop taper" is going to be what I'll try for a few meets so I don't feel so emotionally frazzled. I need to feel confident and in control to be able to race well. But I agree about the dryland - that definitely has to go at the end and that wastes my legs the most...

More rest & less sore muscles will give you a better time in big meets. It may seem as if you are not doing enough, but if you have a good base it will work out for you .

Hi Susan Tapering sure seems to be such an individual thing. I, too, have struggled through the years to find a taper that really fits me. While coaching at this Year's Walnut Creek Intensive Training Camp, I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by Restwise. I was super impressed with what they had to say. You might check them out at Restwise.com. They do a scientific approach to training and tapering, for triathletes, for swimmers, cyclists and runners. I know that swimmer Karen Duggan (active here on the forums) is trying them out on a 6-month subscription, so you could check in wi her to see what she thinks.

Hi Susan Tapering sure seems to be such an individual thing. I, too, have struggled through the years to find a taper that really fits me. While coaching at this Year's Walnut Creek Intensive Training Camp, I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by Restwise. I was super impressed with what they had to say. You might check them out at Restwise.com. They do a scientific approach to training and tapering, for triathletes, for swimmers, cyclists and runners. I know that swimmer Karen Duggan (active here on the forums) is trying them out on a 6-month subscription, so you could check in with her to see what she thinks.

Hi Susan Tapering sure seems to be such an individual thing. I, too, have struggled through the years to find a taper that really fits me. While coaching at this Year's Walnut Creek Intensive Training Camp, I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by Restwise. I was super impressed with what they had to say. You might check them out at Restwise.com. They do a scientific approach to training and tapering, for triathletes, for swimmers, cyclists and runners. I know that swimmer Karen Duggan (active here on the forums) is trying them out on a 6-month subscription, so you could check in with her to see what she thinks.

I usually do 2600-3300 4 or 5 days a week and a lot of cross training. My preference would be to swim at least 1800 every day during "taper." That is about the minimum yardage for me to feel normal. As cokie pointed out (and many others will attest), tapering/resting is highly individualized. In the ballpark of 2600-3300 yard workouts, I would peg you for a 3 day rest period. Mon - 3,300 Tues - 2,800 Wed - 2,000-2,500 (basically a normal practice, just shorten your main set a bit) Thurs - ~1,500 (meet warmup plus some 100's or 50's pace) Fri - ~1,000 (or meet warmup equivalent) Sat - Meet At the yardages you describe, you can quickly get back up to speed the following week. You could test that out at just about any meet and it's not going to ruin your training. However, you said you don't feel normal with less than 1,800 yards. If that truly is the case, I would suggest continuing with your normal practices except the day before the meet (do meet warmup) and reducing/eliminating any dryland work the same week of your meet.

I do different workouts on different days - IM, lactate, middle distance, sprint. I do know I recover most slowly from sprint workouts... I usually do 2600-3300 4 or 5 days a week and a lot of cross training. My preference would be to swim at least 1800 every day during "taper." That is about the minimum yardage for me to feel normal. Some random thoughts, hopefully something will help: -- Pure yardage is not always a reliable metric, I can see a taper that would consist of nearly the same amount of yardage that you normally do but that is more restful or has a different focus. (For example, I'll often do 3000 or more during one day of a meet...though a lot of that is easy swimming.) -- You didn't mention what you do with your cross-training during taper. Since that appears to be a good part of your normal exercise routine, you obviously need a taper plan for that too. Since the goal is to swim fast, I would venture to say that a good part of your taper may even be cutting back on and eventually eliminating your cross-training. -- If sprinting is what taxes you the most, you definitely need to cut back on it. Personally, I wouldn't do lactate work the week before your meet. Good luck.

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. "feeling moody, tired, and depressed and worried about my races" are the taper bitchies, they happen Which is why I wrote: SFF Tip 240 Test Your Taper Which I feel is the best way to prepare for big meets and not get all upset. Swim fast in practice and feel confident that you're likely to swim faster in meets. Don't think taper. Think like Rich Abrahams & call it Championship Performance Preparation Do what you need to do to perform to the best of your ability at your big meet Experiment try different approaches in different seasons. Make notes, notice outcomes. Figure out what works best for you. Worrying is just your internal dialog. It's the stuff you're saying to yourself. Switch the script. Write down a list of sentances and phrases you want to be true about you. Then ACT AS IF they already are true. Act as if you already are what you most want to be. when I asked a well known coach how much rest his swimmers need, he said, it depends how confident they are. your taper always depends on the months of training you did before it.