Last week we had 2 combatants at the european duathlon champs Powerman Alsdorf. John managed a 15 min course and distance PB and Nathalie ( yes her again) took Gold in her age cat. This week Andrew heads to Challenge Gran Canaria and the yoofs are heading to the first round of the British Super series. That has us looking at the lead in to the races and every athlete asks what is the best taper? As with all good coaching questions the answer is 'it depends'. There are multiple factors to consider ( and the science is not definitive) so we have to look at: 1. The demands of the race 2. The importance of the race - A, B, C 3. Where it sits in the overall season plan 4. How the individual reacts physically and mentally to a taper ( this will be influenced by age, conditon, recovery needs, nerves..etc) Very much not a simple thing like reduce volume and maintain intensity. What works for one person may not fit another and what is good for say a 5k run race like Fast ad Flat vs IM Lanzarote are completely different things. The single stand out tip for heading into a race is make sure your nutrition and hydration ar topped up - regardless of the severity or length of the race. A nice little 'cheat' on hydration we use medical goods. If you hit the medical tent post race in a state of depletion they generally hook you up on a drip with a nice saline based hydration fluid. Essentially it is the same as the rehydration sachets you can buy in the pharmacy so prevention is better than cure so a sachet a day 2-3 days out and the muscles at a cellular level willbe fully hydrated on the start line. In the UK it is called diorylyte!

I'm doing this as part of a team of 3. Is anyone else doing it?

Video of daft stuff for dafties https://youtu.be/T4nBtj5dehM?si=dEBiChSxQtuFYCQo

Went for a run up Arthur’s Seat this morning and whilst we are soon coming out of the darkness in March, thought I should have taken my head torch today. Mine is pretty ropey, bargain basement job, any suggestion on torches that are comfy, decent beam and don’t cost as much as a wetsuit? That aside it was pretty busy up there this morning!