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Elise's Fitness Fun

The Countdown

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USMS Memberelise526
, June 22nd, 2009 at 07:14 PM (825 Views)
Just 5.5 weeks until I swim at Nationals. That gives me 4 more weeks of hard training. Hard training is all relative as many would think that my workouts are quite a joke. Nonetheless, they are hard for me and I guess that is what matters in the end.

The last two weeks have worn me out physically and mentally, so I decided to take a two-day very passive rest. After years of overtraining doing tris, I've come to recognize the signs like the back of my hand. Even though what I am doing is not overtraining for most, it can be for me. What also matters is stress outside the pool. Yesterday, I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck. Also, my allergies have been kicked up and I've been snappy! These are all signs that it is time for me to rest, rest, rest. I plan to hit the pool tomorrow morning and hope I feel like dynamite!

I've always noticed that I don't realize how tired I am until I have time to rest. I recall when I was training for sprint triathlons, I never rested and was constantly fueled by adrenaline and endorphins. It seemed like the endorphins and adrenaline masked just how tired I was. It's probably almost the same feeling as being pumped up on amphetamines -you feel like you can go, go, go, but in reality, your body is exhausted.

What is really interesting is that I see articles about this type of thing all the time in triathlon magazines and on triathlon websites. Interestingly enough, these articles are often written by former triathletes that are long removed from the sport and have regained a sense of objectivity. On the other hand, many folks that do triathlons do quite well and are able to keep a healthy perspective. If one is truly an adrenaline junkie though (like me) tris and the training for it can become quite addictive. Next thing you know, you start thinking that 100 miles of biking a week in addition to 30 miles of running is not enough to prepare for a sprint tri.

Oh well, enough rambling for today. I guess I'm just looking for a way to justify my rest.

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  1. Bobinator's Avatar
    Have a good rest Elise, you deserve it!
    I had an easy week last week and was rewarded by a decent 5k ow race and a really good workout today! Rest is an under-rated element of training!
  2. The Fortress's Avatar
    You've been training plenty hard. Two days of passive rest is nothing. It was a good idea to take it now, as well, so that you can get some good training in the month before your Nats taper. I was feeling the same way two weeks ago.
  3. elise526's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bobinator
    Have a good rest Elise, you deserve it!
    I had an easy week last week and was rewarded by a decent 5k ow race and a really good workout today! Rest is an under-rated element of training!
    Thanks, Bobinator. Having you say that makes me feel better about taking a couple of days off.

    It is no good to feel beat up all of the time!
  4. elise526's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by The Fortress
    You've been training plenty hard. Two days of passive rest is nothing. It was a good idea to take it now, as well, so that you can get some good training in the month before your Nats taper. I was feeling the same way two weeks ago.
    Thanks, Fort. Gotta let the body recharge sometimes. I was feeling like two days was bad, but you put it in perspective for me. Thanks!!
  5. Chris Stevenson's Avatar
    I think you're off a week. The first day of nationals (Aug 6) is 6 weeks from Thursday.
  6. aquageek's Avatar
    This is a really good post. I should pay more attention to the obvious signs as well.
  7. Chris Stevenson's Avatar
    "What is really interesting is that I see articles about this type of thing all the time in triathlon magazines and on triathlon websites. Interestingly enough, these articles are often written by former triathletes that are long removed from the sport and have regained a sense of objectivity. On the other hand, many folks that do triathlons do quite well and are able to keep a healthy perspective. If one is truly an adrenaline junkie though (like me) tris and the training for it can become quite addictive. Next thing you know, you start thinking that 100 miles of biking a week in addition to 30 miles of running is not enough to prepare for a sprint tri."

    Obviously overtraining is bad and recovery time is critical. Elise's knack of learning her body's "signs" of overtraining is very valuable feedback.

    But I do want to point out that this "more, more, more!" mentality has a basis in exercise physiology. The idea is that, once you adapt to a particular stress-level, the only way to continue to improve is to increase the stress.

    Many triathletes do this by adding more miles at the same intensity level. That can work (especially for endurance events...even sprint tris) but a more time-efficient approach is to train the same amount at higher intensities.