After a night of kicking my butt at Tri club, I kicked my taper off with a trip to Vancouver this past weekend. Dezz and I flew out Friday afternoon, giving us plenty of time to track down the Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant for a 9-course sampler, followed by a sunset stroll along the beach. On Saturday we rented hybrid bikes and did a leisurely ride around Stanley Park. Nothing like parking your bike on the beach and eating salmon burgers. Ahh, Vancouver. After a fish supper (fish & chips) we headed to watch Sade and John Legend. AMAZING! We met up with a couple of friends for drinks afterwards. And then Sunday was a lot of walking, shopping and eating. It was a very relaxing weekend. However, I tried not to lose sight of IMC being a mere 2 weeks away. I kept my alcohol consumption to my limit...2 drinks Friday, 2 drinks Saturday and 0 drinks Sunday. And yeah, we ate a LOT, but I did try to go for the healthier options (even buying groceries Friday night so we could make our own breakfasts). The rest was definitely welcome physically, but the mental break was equally as welcome.
Of course I feel at a loss when I'm away from training for too long, so my run on Monday night was much anticipated. Many people have asked me if I rest until Ironman now. The short answer is "no". A taper doesn't mean that I put my feet up until race day. Rather, the loooong training days are behind me and I focus just on shorter training sessions with some intensity. So Monday night's run was only 45 minutes but after a warm-up I did some interval runs, followed by a cool down. Yesterday and today's bike rides were commutes to work, but with short intervals incorporated. Toss in some yoga sessions, a couple of swims, and more running and cycling, and you have yourself a taper week.
In about 10 days 23 hours, I'll be running down that finisher's chute. At that point I can sit back, put my feet up and yes, rest.
Of course I feel at a loss when I'm away from training for too long, so my run on Monday night was much anticipated. Many people have asked me if I rest until Ironman now. The short answer is "no". A taper doesn't mean that I put my feet up until race day. Rather, the loooong training days are behind me and I focus just on shorter training sessions with some intensity. So Monday night's run was only 45 minutes but after a warm-up I did some interval runs, followed by a cool down. Yesterday and today's bike rides were commutes to work, but with short intervals incorporated. Toss in some yoga sessions, a couple of swims, and more running and cycling, and you have yourself a taper week.
In about 10 days 23 hours, I'll be running down that finisher's chute. At that point I can sit back, put my feet up and yes, rest.
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