Now that the local triathlon season is effectively over, it is time for me to concentrate on a little bit of racing of my own. This time the racing is of the paddling variety rather than triathlon.
The race this weekend happens to be the final race of the local paddling season, I guess it is the time of year for seasons to finish. The race is a bit of a low key one, but it is also the final race of the season championship series so I am planning to come at it with a bit of seriousness. As such this week is all about tapering in order to try and hit the race in as good form as possible.
The last paddle race I did was back in March and to be honest I didn't feel I was in particularly good form during the race. My lead up to that race had been pretty interrupted and so when I got to the race my fitness wasn't where I wanted it to be. This time around I am hoping the circumstances are a bit different. In the 6 weeks since that last race I have been able to get in some very good quality training and so I am feeling about as fit as I have for a while. There is always room for improvement, particularly in the areas of strength and technique, but on the whole I am going about as quick as I ever have. I had a practice race last Sunday which was close to a PB for the course, so that is a pretty good sign.
With the taper this week I am not over thinking things too much. Last taper I was a lot more scientific with it and tracked my fatigue pretty closely on TrainingPeaks. This taper I am taking a slightly more relaxed approach to it, mainly due to the more relaxed nature of the race. My plan is to train every day, but to keep the sessions a bit shorter than usual and ease back some of the effort levels. Normally I am an advocate of using the tools to prepare for races as well as possible, but I have done my taper quite a few times now and so I am comfortable enough that the planned taper will get me where I need to be. Close enough for government work anyway.
Other than that the motto of the week will be the usual DDDS. Don't do dumb stuff.
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