Taper, Recovery, Whatever

    With back to back to back weekends of racing, I am trying to come up with a solid plan for the the weeks between events. It is combination recovery and taper week. Recovery being tantamount. In my studies I have somewhat debunked the Taper week. If I were doing major endurance events such as marathon, half Ironman, Ironman, etc, then the taper would be vital. But I am doing moderate events, that in essence only amount to an extra tough workout. Yes, I am kind of downplaying the difficulty of some of the events I have done, but it is truth. Therefore, the idea of taking the better part of a week off from working out either before or after an event does not make sense to me. Even the experts agree that doing decent workouts during these times is not a bad idea. So, I am wracking my brain, reading, studying, researching, experimenting, attempting to find a viable plan for the week before, the week after, and the all-too-many weeks that are both.
    One expert claims that for Triathlon recovery it should be 3 to 5 days per hour of racing. For Running it should be 4 to 6 days per hour of racing. Both seem like such an intolerably long time. That being said, there is also the common sense concept of taking a the day off after a race, and then moderately exercising the unabused muscles. And yet another expert, citing studies and empirical data, shows that doing a slow recovery run the day after a brutal run doesn't help with recovery, but actually adds considerably to fitness levels. It is all too much data, too many conflicting reports, each method disproving other methods. I must keep gathering information, letting it rattle about on my brain, percolate, process, and naturally evolve into a method that will work for me.
    All this being said, I am actually incapable of taking much down time, either for Taper or Recovery. It is not my nature to sit idle. One objective to organizing my workout space is to give me cross training options to fill in when I need to be taking down time from specific disciplines. But, Runners Run, Cyclists Cycle, and Swimmers Swim. There is no denying that. A distinct advantage of Triathlon is my ability to always be training within one set discipline, allowing my body to rest from the other two. But now, add in Trail Running and, hopefully, Obstacle Course Racing, and I will always be recovering from something. I want my gym set up and ready. Maybe this saturday I can make a trip to the Depot and get some supplies for my Slosh Tubes. Macebelle, and Clubs. I have grand ideas, I just need to solidify my plans. Stay tuned for updates.