OMC News and Updates

One of the most frequent questions I receive from athletes pertains to what you should do on race week.

It depends to some extent upon how important the race is.

“C” (or low-) priority races don’t require anything different than your normal workouts. These races are just for fun so you train through them.

“B” (or medium-) and “A” (or high-) priority races require a reduction in training hours but a focus on race intensity. .

Joe Friel recommends a race simulation workout with 48hrs of recovery (rest or easy workouts) during your taper. A race simulation workout could be a swim-bike brick, a bike-run brick, or even all 3 in a row. So on a one-week taper, you might do a workout on Monday, Wednesday, and a short one on Friday.

Each race simulation should get shorter as you approach the race to ensure your have your full capacities on race day.

The final workout is a short swim-bike-run the day before the race so you are not stale come race morning. That would be 15-20 minutes in each sport with a few quick accelerations.

Get it done early so you can eat, hydrate, and rest that afternoon.

Via: http://www.coachej.com/2009/07/race-week.html