I am an unaffiliated masters swimmer who does 3-4 meets a year and self-trains at my local Y. Lately, I've only been doing about 1500, 3-4 times a week, but mostly race-paced training (something like 300 moderate warmup, 200 kick on back with fins, Main Set (all at about 85-90%): 3 100s, 6 50s, 12 25s, all at about 90-100%, 150-200 cool down.
I have a meet Sunday. I swam yesterday. Last time I had a meet, I did 2700 the day before and was sore and all around pretty zonked and did crappy times. I am also 60 years old. Any recommendations for what I should be doing today and tomorrow (Fri/Sat) before the meet?
Want to point out something I always tried to explain to my high school boys and college girls that I coached: There is a 5 letter "T" word that is far more important than "taper" when you get into championship meet season, and that is "trust." Whether you have a coach on deck tapering you, or you are doing it yourself, you need to trust: that what you are doing will work and that you will be ready to swim fast when it is time to swim fast.
Don't get sidetracked mentally (or physically) by the pre-taper or early-taper "blues." Honestly, despite heavy training, some of the worst times I have ever felt is in the first 4-7 days of a taper. It is imperative that you stay the course and not get too bummed out by it.
Anecdotally, the scary thing is that you can feel like garbage still as you walk up to the blocks for your race(s). Former breaststroker here, and breaststroke is a tough stroke to taper for. I would spend a week of taper (the "blues") with it feeling like absolute crap. Then a week where I felt like I was learning to swim fast breaststroke all over again. Then I would be off to my meet, shave, and have all my timing and cadence thrown off because my stroke count would drop by 1-2 strokes per 25 yards (depending upon the event). I would step up on the blocks not having had a single 25 yards of breaststroke that I could say felt "great" AND "fast". But as soon as I dove in and started my first pull down, it was on. Just had to trust that no matter how crappy I felt along the way, when it was "go time," I was going to be ready to go!
All of this. 100%. TRUST is key to a successful taper.
Want to point out something I always tried to explain to my high school boys and college girls that I coached: There is a 5 letter "T" word that is far more important than "taper" when you get into championship meet season, and that is "trust." Whether you have a coach on deck tapering you, or you are doing it yourself, you need to trust: that what you are doing will work and that you will be ready to swim fast when it is time to swim fast.
Don't get sidetracked mentally (or physically) by the pre-taper or early-taper "blues." Honestly, despite heavy training, some of the worst times I have ever felt is in the first 4-7 days of a taper. It is imperative that you stay the course and not get too bummed out by it.
Anecdotally, the scary thing is that you can feel like garbage still as you walk up to the blocks for your race(s). Former breaststroker here, and breaststroke is a tough stroke to taper for. I would spend a week of taper (the "blues") with it feeling like absolute crap. Then a week where I felt like I was learning to swim fast breaststroke all over again. Then I would be off to my meet, shave, and have all my timing and cadence thrown off because my stroke count would drop by 1-2 strokes per 25 yards (depending upon the event). I would step up on the blocks not having had a single 25 yards of breaststroke that I could say felt "great" AND "fast". But as soon as I dove in and started my first pull down, it was on. Just had to trust that no matter how crappy I felt along the way, when it was "go time," I was going to be ready to go!
All of this. 100%. TRUST is key to a successful taper.
