I hate tapering!

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:35:27 GMT

Fort...please buy your husband a plane ticket and send him out to hang with the guys till the taper is over! You should probably include the kids too.:thhbbb:

RE: I hate tapering!

Paul Smith — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:43:11 GMT

A 9-10 day taper at the masters level? Swimming between 10-12K per week means that I rest completely one day and do very light exercises on the two days before the meet just to keep muscle enzymes up. 9-10 day measn that I might lose 50% of my fitness! MAC....sorry but that is simply not the way it works for most when you have trained 4-6 months for ameet you don't lose it by resting. Age becomes an incredible factor for us masters and for those of us who do train at the volume you mention a true taper is actually 3 weeks. No "taper" means different things to different people but in general it would be no reduction in volume 3 weeks out but shifting to higher quality swims with more rest...for some of us (me) I stop weights here as well, two weeks out again mileage is about the same but even longer rest intervals with lots of drill work, turn work, light pulling, etc. one week out its usually get in until I feel good, swim a couple of 200 pace 50's, some variable speed 25's and a longer warm down....this works for me swimming anything up to the 500. Fort...please buy your husband a plane ticket and send him out to hang with the guys till the taper is over!

RE: I hate tapering!

The Fortress — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:51:03 GMT

Well, I've started another one. I'm already dreading it. I still hate to taper, even though it seemed to work decently well last August. I'm beat up from a lot of speedwork, so I'm going to cut back more this time and stay >2000 with easy swimming, drills and only a few sprints. I should be climbing the walls soon ... or rolling down the hallway from the weight gain. :lmao:

RE: I hate tapering!

Allen Stark — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 10:54:55 GMT

I heard a lecture by *** Costill in which he said his studies showed a taper benefits you even if you are swimming 1500 yd 3X per wk. I need a 3 week taper for optimum speed. I have read men need a longer taper than women and that sprinters and breaststrokers need a longer taper than distance swimmers.

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:19:58 GMT

Just don't be doing this :bitching: to the wife while you're going crazy! I train 6 days a week with double workout. I've taken off completely! I swam a little yesterday and will spin a couple of miles today. It driving me nuts!:sad: Fort: Too late, but at work. I should go apologize.:bow:

RE: I hate tapering!

MAC swimmer — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:02:18 GMT

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:27:17 GMT

I resemble that remark! :mooning: :thhbbb: Me too Me too!! So glad I have been keeping up with this forum - today I did my final swim before my OW event on Saturday, and it was AWFUL! I was SOOOO SLOW and it felt bad. Very bonky. But I am just going to listen to all the good advice I have been getting about feeling lousy at the end of your taper and hope that Saturday goes well! If not, I'm sure you will hear me griping all the way from Ptown... :bitching:

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:11:17 GMT

Well, I feel like I am in a taper because when I was in Roatan, I was swimming 6 days a week; averaging 4 to 7 miles on all those swims. Now that I am back in the DFW area, I swim in a lake 2 nights a week and only about 1,000 yds due to time constraints (gets dark). But Sundays I do 4 miles plus with a kayaker. The indoor pools here are over 90 degrees so those are off-limits. So, not swimming but 3 times a week is AWFUL! And, I probably am tapering and I certainly DO NOT LIKE IT. I can't wait to get to Mexico the pool is always 90+ the pool is only 20 yards long but I swim lots of 100s. I will be adding flip turns now that my knees are starting to work.

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:38:22 GMT

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:36:50 GMT

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:21:55 GMT

Should we really taper if we swim less than 4000m a day. I don't think so. There are very few that workout more than 4000m. Now if we do 10,000m a day I may understand that we could Taper.

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:07:40 GMT

This tapering is driving me nuts! My race is Saturday. I took last Saturday through Tuesday off. Swam a little today (2 timed 300s, 4 all out 25s, a couple of drills and warm up/down). Its only 600M OW. Should I just chill or should I at least get in the water and keep the shoulders loose?

RE: I hate tapering!

The Fortress — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:52:51 GMT

If you are are doing less than 4000m you are barely in condition. I resemble that remark! :mooning: :thhbbb:

RE: I hate tapering!

aquaFeisty — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 05:05:16 GMT

If you are are doing less than 4000m you are barely in condition. Would you consinder it tapering by taking two days before a race and just swimming a few easy lengths and a few sprints, just to keep loose. That is all I ever did but I was averaging less than a 1000 m a day until I became a marathon swimmer. Nope, wouldn't call that a taper, but I am not a naturally talented swimmer like you either. I know that a taper helps me, even with my low yardage. I'm certainly not recommending people only swim 3x/week and then taper. In fact, the goal this season is a whopping 4x/week. Woohoo! Hang in there, Donna! I wouldn't want to swim in indoor 90+ degree pools either. Blech.

RE: I hate tapering!

aquaFeisty — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:28:32 GMT

Gotta disagree... Everyone should absolutely taper!!! Last season, I swam 3x/week for weekly yardage totals max'ing out at just under 10,000 yards and I benefited hugely from the taper. Granted, it was a short taper (about 9-10 days or so) but it's not like I had a lot to taper from! The taper sharpens you and makes the last 12 1/2 yards of the hundred much quicker, though they still might hurt as much. Actually, I seem to benefit a lot more from a taper now than I did when I was in high school and swimming 6 days/week. It could be that my background level of exhaustion is just higher and I really need the rest or it could be that I don't slack as much as I used to during the regular training season. Probably a combo of both...

RE: I hate tapering!

The Fortress — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:26:33 GMT

Should we really taper if we swim less than 4000m a day. I don't think so. There are very few than workout more than that. Now if we do 10,000m a day I may understand that we could Taper. I dunno, George. I never do more than 4000 meters in a single swim workout. But I also cross train. My 10-14 day swim "taper" + eliminating cross training seemed to work reasonably well for me. Recovery and tapering seems to be especially important for masters and/or sprinters. I don't think it matters that much, Bill, for your triathlon. I assume you'll do some biking and running before Saturday? If it's only a 600 OW swim, you probably don't need to swim. On the other hand, getting in and doing some easy swimming does keep your shoulders loose. Just don't be doing this :bitching: to the wife while you're going crazy!

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 06:11:39 GMT

So I am having the wierdest tapering experience ever. I am in my taper with about a week and a half to go before my 1.4 mile OW event. Thanks to my fellow taper-haters wonderful advice, the fact that I have felt like a slow bloated slug has not been a surprise. :D What was very strange was that I got in the pool today to do some sprint and interval work, and right away I notice that I have settled into a 4 beat kick. Which wouldn't be so wierd execept that up until now, my kick has been HORRENDOUS. I couldn't even call it a 6 beat kick - it was more like a 6-and-a-half beat kick since I had this wierd little stutter that kept sneaking in there. So today suddenly I'm swimming with a comfortable 4 beat kick. I feel like a slug, but I also notice the pool lane below me seems to be moving by just a little faster. So I said what the heck, and timed a 200 split - swam it comfortably and just concentrated on keeping the kick timed with my strokes. I knocked 12 SECONDS off my average 200 split time!!! Obviously, my heart rate was lower too. Normally I'd be psyched to have a breakthrough like this! Certainly, the time away from the pool during my taper has led to some subconscious processing of how I swim. The only thing that concerns me is that I am less than 2 weeks away from my OW event, and it seems a bizarre time to suddenly change up my form. Anyone have an experience like this before? :confused:

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:08:37 GMT

Holy mackerel, Batman! 20 miles!?!?!? :bolt: That's unbelievable! I'm just trying to get to a place where mentally and physically I can tackle the 4.4 mile Chesapeake Bay Swim!! (The added pleasure of swimming through diesel makes it a particularly attractive event...) I also just realized that I will be on a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas just as my taper is coming into the homestretch. While it will be easy to lie out in the sun, it will be REALLY HARD to resist signing up for the 6 hour kayak around Freeport (rated "strenous" for activity!) Arrgggghhhh!!!:frustrated:

RE: I hate tapering!

Paul Smith — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:34:49 GMT

whoops....

RE: I hate tapering!

FindingMyInnerFish — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:04:05 GMT

This is dangerous thinking, scwids. Just look up some of Islandsox's posts and see where it could lead... (she's doing a 20-miler later this winter) Heh! After a mile of chop at the end of my swim and telling myself "never again," I find myself looking up more long swims on the internet to consider. Talk me down, somebody! :eek: But at least for the near future, I don't see a 20-miler for me. After my five-miler, I was so happy to see land.... But I also remember telling myself I'd never run a marathon... and have since run seven. In lots of ways, long swims don't jar my body the way long runs have. And last night's group interval workout (running) went better than these workouts have for a while which I think was due to a few easy weeks and the Big Swim training. My inner fish is laughing. ;)

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:46:54 GMT

This thread has been great - I really appreciate all the good advice and will feel MUCH better going into my taper knowing I will be crabby and have some temporary osmotic weight gain. I'm sure my husband will also be perfectly understanding as well....hah! My long swim today went great from an endurance standpoint - I am still a real SLOW-n-steady, but it was nice to know that my 200 splits were all within 5 seconds of each other right up until the end, and I got out of the pool feeling tired but quite good and still having some energy. Which makes me think about what FMIF said - I can't help but wonder if I feel ok getting out at 1.5 miles, how much further COULD I go? :wiggle: This is dangerous thinking, scwids. Just look up some of Islandsox's posts and see where it could lead... (she's doing a 20-miler later this winter)

RE: I hate tapering!

indyswimbag — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:35:18 GMT

I am with you!! I hate to taper....partially because I have never hit a true taper..except for one time in 2005...when it was on it was really:cheerleader: BUT when you miss it is really:doh:.... I am a distance person that pretends to do the IM/*** and I have found that if I taper for more than 2 weeks I usually have a great practice about 8th day and then am a little flat around meet time. I am open for any tips... I practice about 4x aweek and average about 5000-6000 yds. I know what you mean I get really antsy and quite B*itchy...also a little bloated feeling...good to know about the weight gain. Anyway this is a rather disjointed post but I wanted to say that when the taper works it is like the swimming gods are smiling but when it is off it is:censor:

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:48:41 GMT

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:23:06 GMT

Sorry, I've been:Lurking:, but enjoying this thread. How long do you typically taper? For a 70.3 mile race (1.2 mile swim), I may taper 2 weeks and only one week of swimming. For the usual Olympic Distance of 46.2 miles (1500M), I taper a week of Running and biking, the swimming may take a day off. :confused: I may not be tapering enough, but my old swim coach said that in Tri's (which is anywhere from 800m to 1.2 miles) you don't taper. Am I doing it wrong?

RE: I hate tapering!

Former Member — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:15:38 GMT

Stud: Prolo jabs are to the shoulder, not the guns. You're just jealous because you never lift weights! I don't need to with my guns!! Mine are all naturally and cown mouldingly induced... :drink: