Taper:
A gradual decrease in action or force
Gradually decreasing in size toward a point

After 18 weeks of training, sweating, time-management juggling, obsessing and more sweating, today begins the first day of my long-awaited and beloved taper before the Beach2Battleship Half Ironman. For those of you who are newer to endurance sports, tapering is the time just before a long race where you cut back on your mileage and training time to start to see how your training is really paying off and to go into race day with fresh legs. Most tapers last between 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the race distance.

I was really excited about beginning to taper today, until I looked at my upcoming training plan for the week and realized my “taper” is similar to last week. Oof! Six more days of intensity before I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I am feeling really good about race day and the miles I’ve put in. I’m controlling what I can control. I am ready. 10 more days until show time.

Here’s what my half Ironman training looked like last week.

Monday
AM: Swam 2,400 meters
This was a long, straight swim I did on the last day my outdoor pool was open for the year. It was dark and raining at 6 a.m. when I started, but the skies cleared before I finished. It was the perfect metaphor for how I feel about early morning workouts. I never want to wake up and feel like crawling back into bed those first 20 minutes, but when you finish a great workout before most of the world is even up, there is no better way to start the day. You fill powerful and fulfilled.

PM: 1-hour sports massage (You can read more about the benefits of sports massage here.)

Tuesday
Biked 1 hour and 25 minutes on the trainer with 30 minutes at tempo pace (20.85 miles)

Wednesday
AM: Swam 2,600 meters
300-meter warm up
8 x 25-meter drills with 10 seconds of recovery between each
7 x 100 meters at moderate pace with 5 seconds of recovery between each
6 x 150 at maximum intensity with 1 minute of recovery between each
8 x 25 kick with 15 seconds of recovery between each
300-meter cool down

PM: Ran a 44-minute tempo run (5.01 miles) outside, including a 1.5-mile warm up, 20 minutes at tempo pace (between 7:00 and 7:25/mile) and a 1.5-mile cool down

Thursday
AM: Ran 7.12 miles at an 8:59 average pace
This was one of the worst runs I’ve had in months. I felt like lead the entire time and had to stop and walk for a few minutes. I just didn’t have any energy and my legs felt like stone. We all have bad workouts now and them. Don’t let them get in your head too much. A bad workout doesn’t define you.

PM: Biked 1 hour and 40 minutes on a paved, flat trail (31.65 miles; 19 mph average pace)
The most exciting thing about this bike – and perhaps the most exciting thing that happened all week – was that I rode with race wheels! I have been thinking and obsessing about race wheels for quite some time. There are so many factors we can’t control on race day – weather, wind, GI issues, etc. – so I want to control all the elements that could potentially make me faster. Upgrades to my bike are one of them, and race wheels are said to add more aerodynamics to your bike to help you go faster.

I was fortunate enough to have met the fabulous team at CogNation Cycling – an awesome new company that creates top-of-the-line carbon fiber cycling wheels at prices everyday athletes can afford … well, with a little saving and planning. The team is allowing me to demo their wheels for the month of October, including racing them on the Beach2Battleship course on race day.

Wheels often cost more than some people’s bikes. The fact that I get to try these out, possibly enhance my bike time and get to work with a company that really cares about athletes is like a dream come true. I had lunch on Wednesday with CogNation Cycling co-owner Jeff Peck, who is a 6-time Ironman finisher who shares my passion for working to become the best version of ourselves and helping other athletes do the same. Many of the popular cycling wheel companies retail a set of wheels around the $3,000 range. I love that CogNation is trying to bring the experience of high performance riding to the masses with more affordable and accessible pricing (about half the cost) and an approach that doesn’t leave you feeling intimidated and inadequate. I am so, so grateful for my partnership with them and for being part of their carbon race movement. If you are a cyclist or triathlete and are thinking about making the leap to race wheels, definitely be sure to check them out.

On Thursday’s ride, I rode 1 mph faster than I’ve ever ridden on that same course. To put things in perspective, when I first started riding during week #1 of training, I rode 32 miles in 2 hours. On Thursday, I rode the same distance in 1 hour and 40 minutes. I credit this to more intense training and my awesome wheels. Maybe the CogNation team will actually help me like cycling more. Maybe.

Friday
REST (Hallelujah!)

Saturday
Swam an open water swim at Red Top Mountain State Park (~1.4 miles)
This was the first time I’ve swam in my wetsuit all year and my first time swimming in a full sleeve wetsuit. I forgot to start my Garmin so my mileage is an estimate based on swimming this route before and what my fellow training partners logged on their watches. It was a beautiful morning for a swim. If swimming in open water makes you feel a little nervous, check out these tips for mastering open water swims.

After the swim, I met my good pal Tammy for an hour run on the surrounding trails. This is one of my favorite places to run. There are a lot of hills on the route with a good bit of technical terrain, so we were huffing and puffing in some parts but the payoff was worth it: total beauty. You can read more about trail running for newbies here.

Sunday
Brick: 2-hour bike ride (36.7 miles; 18.4 mph average) immediately followed by a 6.01-mile run at 8:11/mile average on the Silver Comet Trail.
I felt amazing during this workout. I could not believe how great I felt during my run. My mile splits were 8:12, 8:20, 8:09, 8:19, 8:20, 7:54. I was actually smiling during the run because I know I am ready for race day. I’ve put in the work. I’ve done the training. And, I’m mentally in the right place.

But did I really need THIS after my workout?!?

Apparently I did, because I ate every last crumb of it.

Mr. rUnladylike and I took our bikes and rode around Atlanta on Sunday after my ride (I guess I needed to log another 8 miles, didn’t I? Oye!) We stopped for brunch and at fun events along the way, like a food truck festival and free art in the park. This is seriously the best time of the year to live in Atlanta.

Weekly Total: 117 miles, 10 workouts, 11 hours and 15 minutes
Swim: 4.47 miles
Bike: 89.2 miles (97.2 if you count my 8-mile cruise on Sunday *wink*)
Run: 23.24 miles

Here’s to the taper. Well, the semi-taper.

How do you feel when tapering for a big race? Does it make you go stir crazy or do you enjoy the lower mileage? If you’re racing later this month, how are you feeling going into race day?