By Lance Watson

Much like finding the perfect pair of shoes, finding the perfect taper is something that takes time and patience. Not every taper fits everyone the same way, so what follows is a guide to planning out a taper, but use it as that: a guide. Adjust and modify it as you see fit. And remember, it's better to go in a little undertrained rather than a little overtrained.

The basic idea of a taper is to decrease volume while maintaining or increasing intensity: more quality, less quantity. This allows the body to recover from the months of hard work while ensuring you are not losing fitness. In essence, you are allowing your body to regenerate itself and make itself stronger while maintaining all the benefits gained through prior training.

The first thing to do when planning out your taper is to get a calendar and mark the day of your race. For example, if you are training for the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii, race day this year falls on October 16. Now, count backwards from the date of the race for three weeks and mark off the Monday that falls one to two days later. In this case that means Monday, September 27. That week, September 27 to October 1, is a recovery week after the last few really long and hard training weeks, but it is not technically the taper. The taper begins two weeks out from the race and after the recovery week. The recovery week is the absolute last time that you should be doing anything long. In fact, I would say that your long ride should not surpass four hours or your long run 2.5 hours during this week (and much less than that would be appropriate for many).

The key during your taper is to listen to your body. Be aware of anything that starts to hurt, and do not allow yourself to become overly fatigued. Make sure that your workouts are becoming shorter, and only build the intensity to an acceptable level (i.e. not anything new). Focus on great technique, and keep repeats at race pace or slightly faster so that you can dial into the rhythm you want in Kona.

Note that it does you no good to plan out a perfect taper and then go blow it by doing a day walking tour of the volcano a few days out from the race. During a taper, all the aspects of recovery need to be emphasized: Eat immediately after workouts, stretch and mentally focus on your race.

Also, think about the other things that make you fatigued: flying, work, packing, etc., and plan to deal with these issues.