Ironman Melbourne: 9 days to go - a message for competitors

This is a message for all the men and women who will be racing at Ironman Melbourne next weekend:

You must rest your body! 

There is just over eight days until you will be lining up for a challenge that will test your body and your mind. You have trained for months and now there is no need to over do it.

I can see that my Ironman is in need of good sleep, healthy food and a calm mind. So, my post message of STOP is to say now you are allowed to taper and rest. 

Sure, tapering doesn't mean stopping altogether - this post on the Active website has some great advice on effective tapering and points out two common mistakes people make when tapering  -(i) not tapering for long enough and (ii) going at too high intensity when tapering. So take note.

Now I am no expert by any means but I do believe in listening to your body, so if you feel tired as many do at this point, take what rest you can.

Remember too -  avoid planning too many activities in the lead up days to the race, don't overdo it once you get to the race location by feeling you have to swim, ride and run over the whole course length,  and make sure you take care of your body inside and out so it is in top condition for race day.

Thats all I need to say tonight xx