Lets face it. We all need a kick up the ass to get out our front door and train from time to time. Maybe its 5am and that snooze button is looking tempting. Maybe its cold and raining. Maybe you aren't performing at the level you were last year. Maybe you've just been dumped by your partner who for some reason doesn't think its acceptable to spend £7000 on your 'winter' bike. Whatever the reason, these 5 videos are sure to get you fired up and back to training at your best....

For endurance athletes, "tapering" refers to a decrease in training volume  leading up to competitions. It might last anywhere between 3 days and 2-3 weeks depending on the athlete's goals, event and training load. The aim of tapering is to maintain fitness and endurance while removing fatigue and finding some 'form'... simple right?!

• Volume of Training (Higher volume = more taper)
• Type of Event (Longer events = more taper)
• Age (Older athletes can sometimes require more recovery before an event)
• Previous Experience (What worked well in the past)
• Life (Busy lifestyle may need more recovery)
• Injury (Main goal is to get to the start in one piece - so we might taper early)

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1. Reducing volume too early...
Example: If you are on a marathon training plan that has a 3 week taper, but you haven't been completing all the training sessions... you don't need as much taper! Also if you have been over doing your training, you might consider tapering even more to ensure you aren't fatigued on race day. I would advise to reduce volume in this case rather that extending the taper.

2. Reducing too much volume...
Example: Your last long training session is 3 weeks out before your race but you reduce volume so much you start lose your endurance.  This is completely unique to each athlete and is best experimented with. An experienced racer will need to reduce volume much less to find form, but someone in their first season might need to reduce more.

3. Reducing Volume AND intensity...
Example: You remove all your long runs and all intensity. This will lead to losing fitness, endurance and feeling sluggish on race day. Remember our goal is to maintain fitness but lose fatigue! 

4. Spending your taper on a training session...
Example: You go out for one final long training session during your taper (maybe 1 week before) and feel great. You smash all your Strava segments, set a 10k PB mid run, beat your friend you usually fall behind and feel amazing. Well done... you probably just used your taper for this training session and won't be fresh for your race. Try to keep long sessions at your usual speed/intensity especially when you feel amazing.

5. Removing key skills to early...
Example: You are a triathlete who isn't the strongest swimmer and you don't swim for 3-4 days leading up to your event. While you might feel fresh for the race you are going to lose your 'feel for the water' and technique you have been working on. Keeping some short sharp efforts and easy technique work would allow you to still taper but maintain form.
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The above chart is pulled from an athlete's Training Peaks account (they are training for an Ironman Triathlon).
Here is a simplified explanation of what it shows...
Red Dots = Training Sessions (measured by time and intensity) 
Blue Line = Accumulative Training Load  (Think of this as 'fitness')
Pink Line = Fatigue (Note how after hard sessions fatigue goes up, and it also accumulates over time) 
​Yellow Line = Form (A measure of how much training vs how much rest the athlete has had, note how its mostly below zero!)

In the graph above we can see what happens to the same athlete's variables during the final 3 weeks of training...
Red Dots = Sessions reduce in volume (but maintained some intensity)
Blue Line = Accumulative Training Load  comes down slightly - but not much!
Pink Line = Fatigue - this starts to drop. So we have maintained fitness but lost all accumulative fatigue. 
​Yellow Line = Form - suddenly we hit +25 on race day meaning the athlete is well trained, but well rested, but also feeling sharp due to maintaining some intensity in training!
The final Red Dot on the top right is their race! (Which they performed exceptionally well at)

While using something like Training Peaks is great for viewing how this works, it is also key to understand that every athlete will respond different to tapering and sometimes listening to your body (or athlete) during those final few weeks can be the smartest way to adjust and fine tune your tapering.  But its also worth mentioning here.. it can be quite normal to feel sluggish during a taper! So learn through experience.
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Always keep a log of what you do in the final few weeks before your main events, looking back on this and figuring out what worked well and what didn't can be priceless when it comes to planning your next big race! As a coach, if an athlete has an exceptional race I'll quite often use the same taper plan over and over with that athlete. If it didn't work we will try to look at what we could change (volume, length, order of sessions or intensity) until we find the perfect race lead up.
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Some athletes struggle reducing volume during a taper. Here a few things you could focus on to pass the time...

• Eat Well (Its common to pick up illnesses during taper - help fight that with nutrition!)
• Sleep well (Stock up on this as you'll struggle to sleep the night before a race)
• Visualize (Mentally go through your pre-race plans, your race, and how you will feel after when you hit your goal) 

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• There is no 'one size fits all'
• Adjust your taper based on your own training volume and intensity
• Experiment
• Find out what works for you and keep a record of this
• Keep skills tuned up
• Don't be afraid to adjust plans based on how you feel
  
• Consider using a Coach that understands training and tapering!
  

It can happen to anyone. You feel like you can't swim. You feel like you can't breathe. You feel like you might die. 10 minutes later, sat on the edge of the lake, you feel like an idiot. You shouldn't. It can happen to anyone.

While the swim is the shortest section in triathlon it is often the part that causes people most problems. In this short blog we'll look at what causes open water race panics, what we can do to deal with them, and how we can prevent them happening.

3 Things to Remember...

• It happens to ALL abilities. Don't relate this problem to your swim ability. I've seen more experienced than beginner swimmers have this issue this year!
• It doesn't mean your race is over. With the correct strategy and coping methods you may only lose a few minutes. Don't write off your race. (They are expensive these days!)
• The more you practice and prepare for this, the less it will happen.

Common Causes...

• Setting off too fast. Almost ANY pace feels easy for 100-200m when swimming. We've all been there, doing a 400m swim Time Trial, it can feel so easy for the first half, then BOOM, you suddenly realise you were going too fast. Drop yourself in the middle of a busy excited swim start and its very easy to set off at an unsustainable pace and not realise.
• Not acclimatised or exhaling fully. No doubt about it, colder water sets more panics off. Making sure you have got used to the temperature before starting will ensure you are able to exhale fully into the water. 
• Lack of confidence or race nerves. Again, this goes back to needing to be fully relaxed with your breathing, and ensuring you exhale fully.
• Wetsuit comfort. Some wetsuits have a very high neck line, this can cause swimmers to feel restricted with breathing and set off panic.
• Choking. Surprisingly probably the least common cause...!

Coping Strategies...

• Spot the signs early.
  
• Slow down your pace (sometimes this can be enough to prevent it).
• Focus on fully exhaling. 
• Switch to Breaststroke if needed 
• Stop if needed. Remember that in your wetsuit you can float on your back with zero effort, so lay back and relax. Its worth knowing that the rules state you can hang on to a kayak or lake edge so long as you don't make forward progress. So don't assume if a kayak comes to help you they have to take you out the lake. Take your time.
• Ensure you are fully relaxed and settled before setting off again or before picking up the pace if you didn't stop. Take your time.
• Don't write off your race. Sometimes these ordeals feel like a lifetime, when in reality they are a matter of seconds or minutes. Keep a positive mind for the rest of the event, it is easy to make up the time on the bike/run. Stay positive.

Training Methods to Prevent Panics...

• 100m pool reps with 1st length hard. Get used to that feeling of getting short of breath and practice adjusting pace and swimming through it.
  
• Bunch pool sprints. Get comfortable swimming in a group to calm nerves. We swim 2 rows of 3 in a standard pool lane in our squad. (see photo below)
• Breathing drills. Practice breathing every 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 until you can do a length of each comfortably. Try swimming relaxed lengths on 1 or zero breaths. Get comfortable in these situations. 
• Include 'Sink Downs' in your open water warm up. Put your face into the water and practice fully exhaling  until you start to sink down, that is when you know you are fully exhaling. If you are comfortable doing this you should be fine once you start to swim.
• Practice floating. I see so many experienced swimmers forget that in open water they can take a break and rest with zero effort. On your open water training occasionally practice laying on your back in your wetsuit at zero effort. Remember this is possible next time you panic.
• Practice varied pace swims in open water. This will get you comfortable being short on breath and recovering while keeping moving.