2018 ETU European Championships - adapting to changes and the art of tapering
Following the ITU long course World Championships in July, Dave and I made a last minute change to our plans and decided to extend my season just a couple of months to race the ETU middle distance European Championships in October.
It was my first time to extend the racing season outside the initial plans and go through another mini-training cycle, which meant: rest, build and peak again within two and a half months. It actually went pretty well. The tapering weeks were a touch more dramatic in terms of the intensity build-up and volume reduction but, to my surprise, my body reacted well.
I never like my tapering weeks. I have no idea why everybody gets so excited about it. I personally, really start feeling better only 1-2 days before the race. The remaining of the time, I feel out of whack, usually sleepy, flat and not with much speed. Our tapering typically lasts 1-3 weeks before the race day. The timing depends on the race distance and the amount of training I have done in the previous months. Shorter distance races = Shorter taper (~1week). Longer distance races = Longer taper (up to 3weeks). Shorter season/preparation = Shorter taper, etc. In the longer taper (2-3weeks), during the first week, Dave usually does not reduce my volume but he introduces a bit more intensity on the swim and on the run. The second week, he starts reducing the volume in all three sports and the intensity peaks either in frequency or duration. The third week, he dramatically reduces the volume and eases out a bit the intensity.
Once again, this time, Dave timed my peak perfectly! The ETU middle-distance European Championships race took place in the island of Ibiza, Spain. It was a little bit of an odd venue because Ibiza is considered one of the biggest party islands of Europe. However, middle October marks the beginning of the party off-season and everything was relatively quiet. Our race terrain was in the beautiful beaches and picturesque streets around the old fortress of Platja de Ses Figueretes.
To our bad fortune though, the weather on race day played out severe thunderstorms and flooding, so the race got a 2hr delayed start and the bike course was cut in half. Not particularly great news for me because first, I am not particularly used to racing in the evening (race started at 3:40); second, I am performing better in longer distance bike courses (yeap: my legs cannot produce the massive watts for the 1hr type of rides anymore); and third, the new shorter bike course made it into a runners race!
I managed a good swim and bike, and I pulled out a decent race overall running yet one of my best half-marathon times after the bike (1:51 on a hilly course). I ended finishing 19th. Ironically, the exact same place I finished at the ITU long-course World Championships 3months before.
Despite all changes and difficulties along the way, I am super happy with my consistent personal progress in all three sports. I am now confident that I can handle injury or setbacks, and I complete a training regime with all phases successfully (base, build, overload, taper).
I do not peak at random times nor PR at small, local races. I only perform at the races that I focus on.
Another thing I am happy about is that I can still put good performances in preparatory races throughout the season without resting or tapering. This year, early in the season, I had podium finishes at Xterra races that lead me to the Regional Champion jersey and managed a 4th place finish at the NJ State olympic distance triathlon, only a week after the World Championships! These results in the middle of my training cycles for the World and European championships proved that my body can handle more than I previously thought.
I am still on my month of rest (2 weeks of complete laziness and 2 weeks of relative activity) but I can't wait to strategize my next season!
Happy planning everyone!
It was my first time to extend the racing season outside the initial plans and go through another mini-training cycle, which meant: rest, build and peak again within two and a half months. It actually went pretty well. The tapering weeks were a touch more dramatic in terms of the intensity build-up and volume reduction but, to my surprise, my body reacted well.
I never like my tapering weeks. I have no idea why everybody gets so excited about it. I personally, really start feeling better only 1-2 days before the race. The remaining of the time, I feel out of whack, usually sleepy, flat and not with much speed. Our tapering typically lasts 1-3 weeks before the race day. The timing depends on the race distance and the amount of training I have done in the previous months. Shorter distance races = Shorter taper (~1week). Longer distance races = Longer taper (up to 3weeks). Shorter season/preparation = Shorter taper, etc. In the longer taper (2-3weeks), during the first week, Dave usually does not reduce my volume but he introduces a bit more intensity on the swim and on the run. The second week, he starts reducing the volume in all three sports and the intensity peaks either in frequency or duration. The third week, he dramatically reduces the volume and eases out a bit the intensity.
Once again, this time, Dave timed my peak perfectly! The ETU middle-distance European Championships race took place in the island of Ibiza, Spain. It was a little bit of an odd venue because Ibiza is considered one of the biggest party islands of Europe. However, middle October marks the beginning of the party off-season and everything was relatively quiet. Our race terrain was in the beautiful beaches and picturesque streets around the old fortress of Platja de Ses Figueretes.To our bad fortune though, the weather on race day played out severe thunderstorms and flooding, so the race got a 2hr delayed start and the bike course was cut in half. Not particularly great news for me because first, I am not particularly used to racing in the evening (race started at 3:40); second, I am performing better in longer distance bike courses (yeap: my legs cannot produce the massive watts for the 1hr type of rides anymore); and third, the new shorter bike course made it into a runners race!
I managed a good swim and bike, and I pulled out a decent race overall running yet one of my best half-marathon times after the bike (1:51 on a hilly course). I ended finishing 19th. Ironically, the exact same place I finished at the ITU long-course World Championships 3months before.
Despite all changes and difficulties along the way, I am super happy with my consistent personal progress in all three sports. I am now confident that I can handle injury or setbacks, and I complete a training regime with all phases successfully (base, build, overload, taper).
I do not peak at random times nor PR at small, local races. I only perform at the races that I focus on.
Another thing I am happy about is that I can still put good performances in preparatory races throughout the season without resting or tapering. This year, early in the season, I had podium finishes at Xterra races that lead me to the Regional Champion jersey and managed a 4th place finish at the NJ State olympic distance triathlon, only a week after the World Championships! These results in the middle of my training cycles for the World and European championships proved that my body can handle more than I previously thought.I am still on my month of rest (2 weeks of complete laziness and 2 weeks of relative activity) but I can't wait to strategize my next season!
Happy planning everyone!
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