Totally Tapering

If you know me at all or follow my blog regularly you will be well aware that I'm not a massive fan of anything relating to rest and/or recovery. Whilst I plan 'rest' days with good intentions it usually ends up with "just a gentle swim" or "just a deadlift and squat set" or sometimes "sod it, let's do an 80 miler".


As much as my training buddies, triathlon club coaches and running group leaders keep telling me to have a rest and let the body heal, I just don't want to stop. To be honest, I'm so pleased about my fitness improvement in the last year that I am actually too scared to stop. It's almost as if one whole day of no exercise will cause mass fatness and cardio meltdown! 


However, with my first triathlon of the year (and second proper one ever) coming up this weekend, I have decided that now would be a good time to really try this tapering business. As of Monday I have done no weight training whatsoever, because apparently you should let your muscles rest and not keep breaking them down. In fact if you have seen me in the gym at all this week that will probably explain the wistful, nostalgic stare in the direction of the dumbbells. 


Today I have done absolutely nothing. Even in the glorious sunshine I got a lift to work. It feels very peculiar indeed, I thought doing one workout a day felt peculiar but this.. this is almost like I'm in some twilight zone where time goes on forever and I have a proper chance to sit down and have two cups of coffee without rushing off for my next activity. 


I'm not about to have some sort of rest epiphany where I decide that all this recovery business is brilliant, but it is quite pleasant to have some downtime. Plus, if anybody questions me I can confidently say that "I'm not being lazy, no, I am tapering". 


I must say I'm really not entirely convinced by it at all but the proof will be in the pudding (so long as I don't gorge on actual pudding during all this rest time), either I will have turned into a big, relaxed, floppy mess and it will all go horribly wrong or I'll be able to race harder than ever before with all my untorn, rested muscles. Let's hope it's the latter.