I am nine weeks out from my next “A” priority race – the Bassman half ironman. I’ve completed 11 weeks of training that are specific to this race. This training has included 6 triathlon events that I’ve been using as part of my training regimen. Prior to beginning triathlon training, I spent my time training for an early spring marathon (Ocean Drive, March 30). Since the beginning of this year, I’ve biked about a 1,000 miles, run over 600 miles, and swum about 56 kilometers (almost 35 miles). The one thing I haven’t done enough of, however, is recovery.
As I reviewed my training log from the last three months of training, it seems clear that I have not been taking my recovery as seriously as I should be. I’ve taken some easy days, and even some rest days – but none of these days have come in a sequence long enough to constitute a “recovery week” – whether that be a short 4-5 day week or a full 7-day week. And, you know, I’m starting to feel it. My legs are tired, I’m getting a little bit irritable, I’m craving sweets in the middle of the day, and did I mention I’m tired? Hmmm – sort of sounds like what happens when you don’t allow your body to recover from the stresses of training.
I’ve read about the dangers and symptoms of overtraining and the value of a recovery week after each major period in a training plan. The science makes sense. So, this week, I’m taking advantage of the recovery week before I begin the next period of my training: base 3. I’m thinking this recovery is especially important since I’ve been a runner only. I just started swimming and road cycling in March of this year – introducing new stresses to my body. And, the increased training hours are also relatively new. I don’t think I’ve spent this much time training since I was in high school and I rowed crew.
According to my training plan, this recovery week includes less hours than I’ve been training – going from 10-12 hours per week to about 5-7 hours this week (depending upon some customization). I think it’s also important to mention that recovery week does not mean a week of all easy workouts. I’ll still need to fit in some mild speed work to keep my fast-twitch muscle fibers ready for the work to come in the following weeks. And, I’m signed up for a sprint triathlon on Sunday – I’ll count that as my speed work for the week.
I like to work hard, but I have learn that in order to be able to continue to work hard – recovery is a must. I’m going to go put my feet up now.
