Taper Time

The promise of taper has been a key motivator for the Musketeers in the past month.

The team ramped it up for one last mega weekend before the long awaited taper commenced. 

Saturday, The Musketeers cycled 180km to the Gong and back, followed by a lovely 18km coastal run off.  They guys also stopped in at Velosophy to say hi...

Sunday had the Musketeers out at Kurnell completing a Multi-set of 90km ride/15k run/90km ride/15km run.  A great training session with huge speeds on the bike. Off the bike, the locals of Cronulla got quite the show with 4 bare chested and sweaty men... with moustaches... tearing it up along the coastal path. One dissapointed Musketeer fan wonders... where were the capes?

So...here they are... the training intensity has peaked, and now is the time to focus on rewarding the body for all its hard work.    

The intensity and volume of Musketeer training sessions will decrease 30% each week until race day.  Having said that, tapering for the Musketeers is largely based on feel.  In order to give the body optimum recovery, one has to acknowledge how it is feeling on each given day and make adjustments as required to ensure nothing is being pushed too hard.  The work has been done and there is nothing to be gained by pushing yourself too much in the 3 weeks leading up to a race. 

As a rule of thumb, swimming is something that can maintain its intensity up until 3-4 days out from race day. Its lower impact and as such, recovery is generally quicker.  The majority of reduction in volume and intensity will be seen in cycling and more again in running. 

The Musketeer diet will now change. As the volume and intensity of training reduces so too will the food intake.  A well balanced diet of green vegetables, red fruits (berries etc) and lean protein has been enforced.    

Good quality sleep, and lots of it, now becomes high priority.  Fortunately, the Musketeers have incredibly supportive Wife’s and Partners... These people are the key ingredient in helping Musketeers do what they do. Without their understanding and unwavering support, Kona would be a much harder road. 

The Musketeers are fighting fit and ready for the challenge ahead. What a spectacular road to Kona it’s been so far.... nearly there!

All for one. 

No long ride is complete without a can of 'Mother'.