October First!!
Today is October first which only means one thing…the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI is just 9 days away! It always amazes me how fast races creep up on me. I am so focused on my training and the daily schedule of training that it always seems sudden when my taper begins 2 weeks before the race. However, it never seems real until the calendar reads October. This will be my 3rd year in Kona, however, my first as a professional and first as a married man! Last year after Kona my wife, Ashley and I got married a few days after the race. I am VERY happy to be taking here back to Kona for our one year anniversary. To me Kona is a very special place for two reasons, 1) the most amazing race is the world and 2) a very special place for Ashley and I. So I can tell you leading up to the race will be all business, however, there will be a lot of fun afterward! 
On another note, I am feeling sluggish in my workouts this week, but I know that this is all a normal part of my taper and if doubt creeps in the next 9 days all I need to do is just think back to some of the strongest, most powerful and fastest workouts have EVER done. So I’m looking forward to the Big Island and all the people and adventures that it holds.
Today is only day three of my taper but I am already feeling flat and the fatigue of the last several months of training is catching up to me. I know that this is part of the process of preparing for a race and I need to simply trust my training and trust the taper process. I find that a lot of athletes begin to doubt their fitness and feel the need to “test” their fitness with another big workout, however, I know that this is simply a mistake. My mottos during taper are “when in doubt, leave it out,” “nothing I can do now to get faster, only slower.” The focus of taper is rest and preparing the body and the mind for the physical and mental demands of race day. Two weeks is not enough time to lose any fitness, even three weeks, which is my recommended length of an Ironman taper for age groupers, will not make a difference on race day. My recommendation for taper is to be mentally patient and confidence. It is important to stay active, but the emphasis should be on short race specific efforts, but remember “when in doubt leave it out!”
Thanks for all the support!
