Difference in recovery between tapered vs. non-tapered meets
Former Member
Just wondering if any of you have experienced a difference in your recovery between tapered and non-tapered meets. This weekend I swam my first truly non-tapered meet. My times weren't that far off my best times, which was fairly encouraging. However, I did notice that on the second day of the meet I was more fatigued than I normally am on the second day of meets, with other variables being similar. And today I had a particularly crappy practice -- couldn't hit intervals that normally wouldn't be a problem for me, even the day after most meets. Should I be concerned, with Nationals two and a half weeks from now? Or is this to be expected and the result of not tapering for this meet?
I think I'm probably obsessing too much. Nats nerves, I guess. :)
Former Member
I used to be fatigued at meets a lot but I started to drink a protein drink after longer events and the final event of the day. I've found I can recover much quicker and the 2nd day of the meet is much easier for me. I also drink protein after every practice and I find I'm not as sore, especially after hard, sprint practices.
I eat alot of protein as well. I always eat within 30-45 minutes after my morning workout (and my body definitely lets me know if I'm late). Then about 10:30 or so I eat a protien meal replacement bar and a Gatorade. I try to eat 5 or so smaller meals a day. I have a fairly slow metabolism and not the body type to eat 3 squares a day.
Chocolate milk is good, but I wouldn't drink it at a meet unless it was after my last event. It wouldn't be the best thing for my stomach during a meet. I just stick to Gatorade and Met-Rx Big 100 Bars from Wal-Mart and Bananas. My diet doesn't vary all that much during training so I'm gonna keep the same eating habits at Nationals.
I'm also having a tougher time recovering after my non-taper meet last weekend. But I rarely taper for a meet, so that's not the reason for me. I'm just chalking it up to being overtrained. Taper for Nationals can't come too soon for me...
