Today’s Brick is Brought to you by…Tapering

Workout: Bike 10.7 miles / 53 minutes    Run 2 miles / 19 minutes

The weather was awful today! We got up extra early to get our workout in before we went to breakfast with some friends and managed to get our bike ride in just as it started to rain. Initially I wanted to do the whole 15 miles like we have for the past two Sundays, but given our time constraint and the impending weather, it seemed good to just go ahead and taper. (Note that the actual upcoming race wasn’t actually a factor. I should seriously start using a training plan.)

so gross outside

After our ride, I was still planning on running 3 miles, maybe even 4. Just as I reached the half mile mark, it started to pour. Right around the 1 mile mark it started to thunder and lightning. I almost kept going to the 1.5 mile mark, but made myself turn around. Mo said he had actually expected me to turn around earlier than that but I wanted to get something in. Again, the proximity of Yam City Tri didn’t affect my decision to taper, just made me feel better about having to cut the workout short.

Soaked!

I have been thinking about my goals for Yam City. It’s a 150 meter swim, 14 mile bike, and 2 mile run. Based off of how Rocketchix went, I know there are some things I want to improve on.

1. Swim Time: I have swum once since Rocketchix. Once. It’s only going to be 150 meters so I am hoping that I can finish it in under 5 minutes. I am really not putting a lot of thought or obviously effort into this part.

2. T1: Rocketchix’s T1 time was 4:30. I’d like to see this more like 2:30 minutes. I bought a tri top and shorts along with a race bib belt and have been practicing biking and running sans socks so that I can cut down here.

3. Bike Time: 55 minute goal for 14 miles.

4. T2: This should be under 2 minutes. Maybe even around 1:00, depending on the transition set up. All I have to do is take off my helmet and rack my bike.

5. Run Time: My biggest strength is coming off the bike and running strong. My goal would be to do it in 16 minutes (Rocketchix time was 16:20). Deep down I think I could do it in sub 16:00 though.

This would bring my overall race time to 1:20. Of course, I know that the humidity made a big impact on my runs at GatorTrax, so I will have to play it by feel just a bit.

I’d like to think she’s saying a little prayer for me. More likely it’s for chicken.

Oh, and I think I knew what kind of GPS watch I want to get. I’m leaning towards the Timex Run Trainer. This review by DC Rainmaker has swayed me. He also has tons of reviews on other watches and heart rate monitors if you are interested in one. I’m planning to order it from Road Runner Sports since I do their VIP membership which gets me a 10% discount and free shipping. I’m not quite ready to buy it though.

Do you taper before a race? How far in advance do you start?