Ok, that was a brief phone reply and the real coaches on here might correct me or extend what I say.
So, that was more based around an A race as I (incorrectly) thought you were asking funkster about Frankfort so apologies. In that scenario when I was getting coached and say for a marathon/Ironman I’d do my last long run about 15 days before and possibly the long ride that weekend.
I have known people taper from about 3 weeks out for marathons. I think it’s about getting the adaptions from the training load/overland if you’ve done it right and that’s where I think you are onto diminishing returns in the last 2 weeks, if any improvements. The quote was you can’t do too little. Also, for a big Ironman with multiple months of heavy training it should help remove some of the deep seated fatigue that has built up. A lot of modern training apps will help you these days like Strava & training peaks, albeit a lot of people need to have an idea of their own limitations and factor in ‘life’ in general.
For your imminent race I’d have almost trained through a ‘B’ race unless I had a niggle, illness or other reason, maybe a bit less the weekend before, e.g. instead of a 5 hour bike maybe a 3.5 hour. But then ease down in the week before the race with a few steady sessions to keep ticking over.
Then depending on the race distance, intensity and course I’d have had a few days with next to nothing except maybe a swim, walk or very easy bike and build back into it from the following weekend.
I was vaguely asking in the first reply, then thought I would ask more specifically and hijack the reply, when I thought about it a bit more.
Thank you for the detailed response. Sounds similar to what I have planned then: keep training as usual including, big session 2 weeks out, longish ride 1 week out and a few rest days on the week of the race, taking it a bit more easy. Just don’t do anything daft within 2 weeks, as it will only make life more difficult in the B race.
No niggles at the moment, feel relatively consistent with training and not excessively tired, so don’t feel I need loads of time to recover.
I’ve blown the swim then with over training… been for a whole 2 open water sessions and 2 pool sessions in the last 2 weeks!
Was that all before the same ironman, or did you spread out the mistakes a bit? I suppose starting your training for an Ironman 2 weeks before, by doing a marathon makes perfect sense.
2 hours – with 60 minutes of Tempo step (cut-down) repetitions
24-minutes - 199w / 136 bpm
20-minutes - 198w / 139 bpm
16-minutes - 200w / 139 bpm
Pleased with that, 180w NP for 2 hours is solid progress over the recent period.
DDSS says
The Psychology of the Step-Down Session
Your feedback on how the reps felt is exactly why this workout structure is so powerful:
The 24-Min Rep (199W / 136 bpm): You were fresh off a great, progressive warm-up. The mind is focused, and the cardiovascular system hasn’t drifted yet.
The 20-Min Rep (198W / 139 bpm):The Hardest. This is the classic “middle child” of interval training. The initial freshness has worn off, the cumulative fatigue from the first 24 minutes hits your legs, but the finish line still feels far away. Pushing through this block is where the real mental grit for the back half of the bike ride in Barcelona is built.
The 16-Min Rep (200W / 139 bpm):The Easiest. Even though you were carrying the most fatigue here, the psychological relief of a shorter duration makes a massive difference. Your mind knows it’s only 16 minutes, allowing you to easily lock in the highest wattage of the day with total control.
3 kms were consistent 14:20, 14:19, 14:20, legs are sore now, and that last 7km was hot and the HR had drifted to threshold. So with the 1km floats the mainset was effectively 12km @ 4:53/km
These are all things I heard a friend did. Once.
2 hours – with 60 minutes of Tempo step (cut-down) repetitions
