Funny, last week my friend Rebecca posted a blog about overtraining. I wondered if that applied to me, but quickly dismissed the idea because I’ve been feeling strong in my workouts and not suffering any injuries or pain.
Then when I wrote about my crappy bike ride two evenings ago, Rebecca commented that perhaps I needed a rest. That triggered an email conversation. Here is her advice, printed with permission…good stuff!
Rebecca:
Glad to hear that you made it safely home from your evening bike rides. Scott and I have a rule about no evening outside bike rides on weekdays; those commuting in their cars have zero tolerance for bikers.
Also, reading that you are having trouble getting your heart rate into the right zones made me wonder if you need a little rest. I know that you want to do really well at Rev3 so I would recommend erring on the side of going in over-rested rather than overtrained (but of course you know that this is my mantra). Perhaps your body is telling you that it is getting ready to start the taper. You have been working so hard, make sure that you allow enough time for your body to adapt to the stress that you have been placing on it.
Carol:
Funny, I read your post the other day, and also read Friel’s blog too, and wondered maybe I am at that overtraining point. Which, according to Friel, is good as long as you back off as soon as you are on that hump right? It’s very tempting for me to keep going at it hard tho.
Loved your new blue tri suit. 🙂
Rebecca:
If you are contemplating whether you are at the overtraining point, then you should err on the assumption that you might have crossed the threshold. At this point, you can only make it worse. Since you are 3 weeks out, maybe you should take 3 days off, then if you feel better do good 4-5 days of hard training and then do a nice 2 week taper (and I mean a very restful one…just my own theory though).
I know it is tempting to train hard because that is what we know how to do best. The hardest thing, but what I believe is the smartest, is to back off when you need it and it sounds like you need it.
Carol:
I think you are right….can i quote your note below for my blog? I went to bed last night dreading my long bike ride today. I usually can’t wait for them!
Rebecca:
I would feel honored if you quoted me 🙂 If you are normally super motivated and then suddenly start to really dread training then rest is a good idea.
The end of this story is that I woke up this morning STILL not having any desire whatsoever to ride my bike. So, decided to take it easy for a few days, like this cute puppy!
Hi, I’m new to your site, and I love it! I think it’s a good idea to take it easy when you get feeling like that. I’ve been trying to be careful about not burning out as I train for my first Ironman. I’m in my heaviest week right now and sometimes it’s good just to slow down a little. Come check out my blog: fasterthanpete.com I have 5 weeks till my ironman! Crazy!
Hi Carol,
I am at a similiar point too having trained for my first sprint:
-Two weeks ago I ran a half marathon here in Helsinki as well as being on-call the night before. Took a day off after and resumed my training. Last friday I felt as if my muscles were literally hanging off my bones and had a really hard time completing my swimming set. My pulse level has also increased about 10 beats for any given exercise.. Mind you, I ride my bike to work everyday.
So, I decided to take a few day off which I think is wise at this point. I already feel much better and plan on resuming training tomorrow with a swim + run set. We`ll see.
As always, thank you for a very instructive, readable and entertaining blog.
-B
I agree with the statement. It seems that triathletes are so consumed with their overall schedules, which includes training, working, family, etc, that they forget to take a time-out. We have a difficult time to adjust. There is no problem with resting at all… well not too much that is…
I think we – triathletes – have so much trouble resting because it seems so counterintutive to what we know — training… but it’s SO important, and after I good rest, I come back stronger.