IRONMAN Taper: Lake Placid 2014 Edition

ByAnthony Chan
At a Glance

With two weeks to Ironman Lake Placid, I explain the taper — my first full one in eight months — and how backing off training while dialing in recovery lets the body rebuild and peak on race day.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • First full taper in eight months, heading into Ironman Lake Placid
  • About two weeks out from race day
  • Focus shifts from breaking down muscle to complete recovery and rebuilding
  • Uses low-fat chocolate milk with a 3:1 carb-to-protein ratio for recovery

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Taper is when fitness surfaces: rest lets months of training stress convert into peak performance
  • Recovery is active work: optimizing nutrition and rest is the taper’s real job
  • Nail the fuel ratio: a 3:1 carb-to-protein mix is a proven recovery sweet spot
  • Trust the process: holding fitness while resting is the key to arriving fresh

The last time I fully tapered for a race was over 8 months ago for IRONMAN Florida. All season long, my body’s muscles have constantly been broken down and rebuilt during training rides, long runs, swim workouts – pretty much anything that causes training stress. Now it is finally time to give my body the chance to rebuild completely, while holding onto the performance that I have compounded over the past eight months. If done properly, the end result will be increased muscle strength from rest, and the ability to peak performance.

There’s about 2 weeks left until race day…

And you know it’s Ironman taper time when you hit a nice roadblock! (like the Long Island Rail Road)

What’s left to do is to optimize and speed up the recovery period. For me, I rebuilt with low fat chocolate milk. Why chocolate milk you ask? It’s loaded with carbs and proteins necessary for recovery; a 3 to 1 ratio, which is the sweet spot to rebuild.

See you at Lake Placid!

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