The Ironman taper.....am I losing my fitness and I feel FAT!

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It is what you look forward to during 2 long months of hard training when your training for an Ironman.  You keep thinking about the week you begin your taper.  You long to have a day when you only have to train one hour.  Then it finally gets here and you feel let down.  Well this is how I feel at least. My mind plays tricks on me during my taper. I  feel as if I  am losing my fitness and getting fat.  I know this is not true.  Being a coach I know the importance of going into a race like an Ironman well rested.  I know the importance of a proper taper. My mind doesn't agree and today on my 3.5 mile run, my mind almost convinced me to go 6.  I didn't and I stuck with the 3.5 miles.  I also wanted to swim more than 2000 meters but I didn't. I got out of the pool and wanted more.  I know its crazy but I can't really explain how I feel when I taper. I look forward to it and then it gets here and I don't like it. 

When you are at the height of your Ironman training as exhausting as it is, its still a great feeling of super fitness and its exhilarating.  You feel like an animal! As tired as you are after those long 6 hour workouts you feel strong at the same time. If you have not gone through this it is hard to explain but it happens to many people who train for Ironman events. 

Another problem is that during your major training your appetite is through the roof.  You could eat everything in sight and actually lose weight. Some days I consume double what my normal calorie intake would be.  Now you go into your taper and your metabolism is still on fire and your not training nearly as much.  You need to have much more self control when it comes to food intake. 

It is so hard not to do too much these two weeks leading up to my Ironman. I will control myself and stick to the plan but its hard. I know its what my body needs.

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