Macca's Taper Plan

In a note on his website Friday, he says he plans to fly to Kona two weeks before the race. He said he's battling a bit of a chest cold after racing in Malaysia (winning a 1/2 ironman in a course record) earlier this month and is planning a longer taper than usual.

"I think the key for me will be to be fresh and relaxed and enjoy the day. Training has been great so just let my racing take care of itself.

"I must admit I am really looking forward to competing. I love reading about all the favourites for the event and how tough they are going to be. It keeps you motiavted and eager to take them on. I love a solid challenge.

"[This] week I will do a few big tough bike sets and two more over distance runs. I have changed my approach slightly this year in the fact that I am not doing so much speed work leading into the race. I have a big base of natural speed and I think in the past this has been detrimental to me as my margin for error in pacing myself is much higher. I just need to learn to run smooth, slower and controlled. This is something that is difficult with natural speed. Your natural running rythmn is too fast for the early tempo in Hawaii and often you blow up later in the run.''

Macca