Help with Taper for 1650/1000

Here are my questions: 1- Am I swimming enough yardage to bother with a proper taper? 2-How much (%) per week should I cut back and when should I start tapering? 3-Should I do any extra "speed" or "pace" work during the taper? 4-What does the last week before the meet look like? 1. Yes, definitely. 2. I usually taper two weeks and cut back 25% the first week, and 25% from this the second week. 3. Yes, and I think you should be doing pace work now. Don't overdo it with either of these during taper. The idea is to rest, after all, and too much pace or speed work will tire you out. 4. I'd suggest doing no more than 3,000 yards per workout. By the end of the week basically do a meet warmup. Maybe 2,000 tops. And don't worry if you feel a little 'off' and have trouble with your pace during taper week. That usually happens to me. You will be ready to go when the meet comes!

1. Yes, definitely. 2. I usually taper two weeks and cut back 25% the first week, and 25% from this the second week. 3. Yes, and I think you should be doing pace work now. Don't overdo it with either of these during taper. The idea is to rest, after all, and too much pace or speed work will tire you out. 4. I'd suggest doing no more than 3,000 yards per workout. By the end of the week basically do a meet warmup. Maybe 2,000 tops. And don't worry if you feel a little 'off' and have trouble with your pace during taper week. That usually happens to me. You will be ready to go when the meet comes! I agree with Kirk on this. A comment for note 3: Remember your goals swims of 1650 and 1000 don't need to have you trying to push sub-30 second 50's in practice. That is assuming you're not shooting for times of 16:30 and 10:00 minutes respectively for those two swims. Break down your goal times into a 200 and/or 100 split times and work on feeling what it's like to hold that pace, keeping in mind that it's usually a little tougher feeling in workout than it will be when you actually race rested.

Break down your goal times into a 200 and/or 100 split times and work on feeling what it's like to hold that pace, keeping in mind that it's usually a little tougher feeling in workout than it will be when you actually race rested. Definitely. Last year I was doing sets of 50s at 500 pace and 100s at 1650 pace and I could barely make them with a 2:1 swimming to rest ratio (i.e., I was trying to hold 1:01s on 100s on the 1:30).

If you're doing 20 reps at your target pace, then I'd think you certainly have something to taper down from. Yeah, and it certainly helps mentally if you know you can hold that pace.

My goal meet is March 27/28. I am swimming 10 individual events and relays. My focus events are the 1650 and 1000 freestyle. The mile is the 1st event on Saturday morning, the 1,000 is the 1st event Sunday. I have been swimming 16-18K per week for 4 months. Here are my questions: 1- Am I swimming enough yardage to bother with a proper taper? hmmm, borderline. It depends in part on the training density, that is the number of workouts per week. If you're swimming 3x (5 to 6 kilos) then I'd be very careful not to cut too much. If you're swimming 5 to 6 times 3kilos, that is another story. 2-How much (%) per week should I cut back and when should I start tapering? Given that your goal is to perform in a pure threshold event, I would keep the taper well within 10 days. A week being probably sufficient. Now, a proper taper for a threshold event is probably improper for anaerobic capacity events (50/100/200). Vice versa. 3-Should I do any extra "speed" or "pace" work during the taper? I would rather go with extra speed (read mostly vo2max work) 2 weeks prior the beginning of the taper, then taper mostly on race pace sets. The interesting bit here is that the taper is one thing. An important one. But the sort of work you'll be doing prior the taper is almost as important. It can leverage your taper. 4-What does the last week before the meet look like? Race pace work. **Maybe** 1 vo2max set early in the week. The few days prior the meet depends on what works best for you. Myself, I absolutely need a workout the day prior the event. That's my wake up call. so I like to take 1 or 2 days off prior this short and sweet wake up call. I am usually happy with how I do at State but am wondering if I'm missing the boat somewhere. Well, a lot of endurance athletes are spoiling their competitions by tapering too much. However... I have done alot more swimming the last 10 months than ever before and I can honestly say I'm tired and my shoulders are a bit ragged. ... any tapering strategy should first take into account all that you've put in the bank during the season. If you have a lot of volume in the bank, you'll be able to maintain fitness despite a cut in volume For next year, if you like playing with data, you may consider using Skiba's SwimScore model in order to assist you with your performance modeling (season wide that is): www.physfarm.com/swimscore.pdf

I agree with the above. When it comes to taper, hopefully you know what's worked for you in the past. Follow the same routine. Also, I've found, as I've aged, I need a longer taper time. In high school 2 weeks worked great but now I really need three. I'm a sprinter and everyone's different so use what works for you. The key is to rest. Finally, with a 10 event lineup, try to stay off your feet in between events. Take a fold up lounge to the meet or find some space where you can lay down. If you get into conversations with your friends, sit down and stretch your legs out. It'll help in the long run. Good Luck.

Definitely. Last year I was doing sets of 50s at 500 pace and 100s at 1650 pace and I could barely make them with a 2:1 swimming to rest ratio (i.e., I was trying to hold 1:01s on 100s on the 1:30). Not to get too much off-topic here, but how many reps do you want to do for these sets, Kirk? Do you do 10 x 50 or 17 x 100 so that they add up to the race distance, or should you do just enough to get the feel of the pace?

Not to get too much off-topic here, but how many reps do you want to do for these sets, Kirk? I haven't done it this year, but what I did last year was build up the reps over time. For example, the first week I did it I think I did just 4x50 and 4x100. Then I'd bump it up by two reps each week, but only do one set or the other. Around a month out from Nationals I was up to 20 reps. The first week I would have never thought I could hold the pace for 20, but by the time I got to it it wasn't bad. In fact, I'd normally get faster as I went through the set!

I haven't done it this year, but what I did last year was build up the reps over time. For example, the first week I did it I think I did just 4x50 and 4x100. Then I'd bump it up by two reps each week, but only do one set or the other. Around a month out from Nationals I was up to 20 reps. The first week I would have never thought I could hold the pace for 20, but by the time I got to it it wasn't bad. In fact, I'd normally get faster as I went through the set! Thanks Kirk. Sounds like a great way to do it- and effective! If you're doing 20 reps at your target pace, then I'd think you certainly have something to taper down from.

Personally, if those were my two focus events, I would eliminate some of the others. If you add up the multiple warmups and warm downs, that's a lot of swimming in two days. I try to get more sleep (never easy, especially since I seem to have a sleep disorder) the week before the meet. The day before I stay off my feet as much as possible; I try to take that day off from work if I can. And if the pool is more than an hour away I will usually drive down the night before.