Week 4 update

My body felt very tired after three weeks of exercise. After this first meso-cycle, all the others will be three weeks instead of four, so I hope that this is as tired as I'll be this year. I missed most of my running the third week because the weather was so gross. I know that sounds pretty lame to my readers who are buried under three feet of snow, but I didn't have access to a treadmill, and there were no safely cleared paths on which to run. So I didn't run. I also skipped a bike ride.

Week 4 provided some much-needed recovery. I skipped two of three swimming workouts, because I've had pain in my shoulders. After two years of minimal swimming, I think I've shocked my body with this sudden onset of swim training. So I gave my shoulders a break and skipped a couple of swims. My legs felt tired during my bikes and runs, too, but I got them done!

I hit my 1000m swim test, though; I did 1000m in 17:55! I know it's not a world-record time or anything, but it's one of my faster times. Not bad, considering I just started swimming again a month ago!

I also joined the YMCA in Kansas City last week. I wanted to join the community center where I've been swimming up until now, but their hours are more limited, and I've got two jobs now. The Gregg/Klice pool is open from 10:45 to 5:30, and I'm sure there will be days when I can't get there during those times.

It's nice to be making money again, and to have a job where I work certain hours and get paid for them. Self-employment exhausted me, as much as I enjoyed setting my own schedule and self-directing. It's refreshing to have someone else tell me what to do, at least for a while. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to combine two retail jobs, though, not to mention half ironman training. I may be overly ambitious.

Vacation!

I know! It's been like two weeks with nary a word from me (unless you happen to follow me on Twitter).

I spent all of last week in Ohio, relaxing with my very laid-back aunt and uncle and training in the hills of Amish Country (not kidding; actually biked passed several horse-drawn buggies).

Did you realize that Ohio has hills? Lots and lots of them. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I knew this. I knew when I asked my aunt and uncle if I could chill at their place for a week that I would be encountering a few rollers in my training. I've driven those hills; I've gotten carsick on those hills. But until you get out and bike and run on 'em, you don't really know what you're up against.

But I am absolutely positively not complaining. The course of Ironman 70.3 Lawrence has changed since last year, but I'm sure it's still a beast. Lawrence has some pretty rolling terrain, and I am decidedly unprepared to encounter it. Or was unprepared, although after this week's long ride, I feel like I can probably take it on.


This week was not by any means strictly training, however; it wasn't really a training camp. Yeah, I brought my bikes (both) and my running shoes (3 different pairs) and my wetsuit (which I never got around to using), but my plan of attack was simply to relax, and I can confidently say that I accomplished my mission. I slept a good 9-10 hours every night, with a few naps thrown in for good measure. I ate wonderfully (thanks to my generous relations). And I got to meet up with some family (including my cousin's newborn baby).

I didn't feel as refreshed as I would have liked, coming back. In fact, this week has sucked ass. But at least now it's almost over. And this weekend, I'm going to Oklahoma City to race the International Boathouse Triathlon, so look for the pre-race report tomorrow!


Thank you guys for hanging with me.

Sabbatical

 

Give me 'til New Year's, kiddies.

It's not that I'm busy. Just highly unmotivated.

Feeling Good About Recovery

Today, while lifeguarding at the pool (because when no one else can guard, guess what the Aquatics Director gets to do), I was working on a forthcoming blog post about overtraining/under-recovering. I was reading a journal article that reviewed the current research on the topic of recovery, which prompted me to think about the unique situation of triathletes when it comes to recovery. Then one of the other lifeguards (my pacer from Friday night, actually) was generous enough to relieve me early (at 5:00 instead of 8:00), so I headed home for a 6-mile tempo run.

Which sucked.

I didn't want to do it. My legs were sore. I was thirsty and hungry. And all I really wanted was a nap.

Ironically enough, about 3/4 of the way through the first mile, I was listening to a podcast detailing the dangers of overtraining for triathletes.

And I took it as a sign. Instead of running 6 miles at tempo pace, I ran 2 miles easy. I figure that since I'm getting into the last main push of my training, and since I'm in the first week of a 3-week build phase, and since I ran my fastest-ever mile split on Friday, it might do me good to push a difficult workout back by one day.

Normally, I feel terrible about this kind of decision. Stupid and weak, insufficient, unable to complete the most basic and mundane training tasks. But today, with this decision, I feel really good; I feel like I made the right choice.

And now I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's tempo run.

Getting Over the Hump: Overcoming March Malaise

What a crappy time to feel lack of motivation in training. The weather's starting to warm up; the equinox has come; we have more daylight, more warmth, less wind . . . and here we are reading blogs, putting off the inevitable swim, bike, run, weights, core, technique, drills, tempo, flexibility . . . It's all so overwhelming, and we don't want to do it anymore.

It seems to be a common problem, this time of year: I know I'm feeling it; several of the athletes I coach have mentioned it; I have a friend in Germany who just e-mailed me about the same thing--March Malaise; March Melancholy; March Mediocrity; March Don't-Make-Me.

Why is that? Like I said, it's the perfect time of year for training. We should all be chomping at our respective bits, rather than dreading the next workout!

I think it's because we've been training for several months, all in base training. We've worked our asses off since January, but have seen precious little result. Plus, the long steady work is starting to take its toll; after all, there are only so many times you can listen to your Long Run Ultra-Hardcore Superstar Like-Macca Playlist before you go a little nutty (and know exactly which song comes next).

If you're starting to feel a little lackluster in your training week, here are my ideas for putting some spark back into your schedule:

• Throw in some intensity. Do some fartlek work in your long workouts. Fartlek means speed play. So play! Have fun with it! Include some short intervals in your tempo workouts. Add a big kick to the end of your workouts. If you've already worked through months of base work, some high-intensity training is not going to jeopardize your path to peak fitness.
  
• Cross train. I know, I know; that's kind of our whole sport. I mean try something new. Find a climbing wall (or, if you are so fortunate to live in an area that has those funny things called mountains, get out and climb); take yoga or pilates; play basketball or soccer with your kids. Shake things up a little.
• Get outside! Bonus points for going with friends.
• Buy gear. You know that as soon as you pick up new equipment, you can't wait to try it out. It can be something small and simple (and cheap!) like new goggles, a running cap, or . . . okay, I can't think of anything small, simple, and cheap that you would need on your bike. What can I say? It's an expensive sport.
• Reflect on your goals. This is the one that has by far been the most helpful for me. Take some time to think about what you want from this season and what it will take to get it. If you can remind yourself why you're working so hard and keep those things in front of you all the time, your motivation will strengthen. I recently finished a book that suggested writing down your goals and using a colored dot (or gold star, or anything similar) next to each goal. Let's say I place a red dot next to each goal on my goal sheet (I actually use a pocket-sized notebook for this). Then I put red dots on my toothpaste, my phone, my watch, my computer screen . . . Everywhere I look, I'm constantly reminded of my goals. Pretty soon, I think of my goals when I see a stop sign, or a red light. Even thinking about the technique gets me excited!
  
• Rest. This is a big one. Don't skimp on recovery. Lack of motivation and general ennui are some of the symptoms of overtraining. Remember that it's better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained, come race day. If you've been pushing hard and your body starts to say, "Hey! I don't wanna do this!" then listen! One thing I've done in my recovery weeks is replace scheduled workouts with goal sessions; two birds with one stone (I know you triathletes love that multi-tasking stuff)!

My final recommendation would be to find a race, a local 10k or a casual weekend time trial, to get your competitive motor running and remind you why you love this sport. Because I'm pretty confident that if you didn't genuinely love this sport, you wouldn't have read this far.

Malaise, Ennui, and Other Signs of Overtraining

• Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
• Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains
• Pain in muscles and joints
• Sudden drop in performance
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Decreased immunity (increased number of colds, and sore throats)
• Decrease in training capacity / intensity
• Moodiness and irritability
• Depression
• Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
• Decreased appetite
• Increased incidence of injuries
• Compulsive need to exercise

If you've been in this sport for a while, I'll bet you already know a bit about overtraining. If you're new to triathlon, you'll probably experience a little bit of overtraining soon. As a coach, I have athletes dropping like flies. This winter has been terrible for various flu and cold viruses, to the point that the hospitals have been crowded with patients complaining of respiratory illnesses; I believe that has greatly contributed to the rash of athlete illness I've seen on my team, particularly since they were getting sick even during the first week of training. But I also know that we've been training hard, and that I coach a group of middle-aged women who seem extraordinarily reluctant to slow the frick down! So I'm sure that their midwestern work ethic has made them easy targets for all the nasty bugs out there.

As an athlete, I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth, here, because as strongly as I've encouraged them to lay off for a few days and give their bodies a chance to recover, I'm currently experiencing:

• A washed out feeling, tired, lacking energy
• Mild aches and pains, soreness, and stiffness everywhere
• Insomnia (and freakin' nightmares, y'all)
• Decrease in training capacity/intensity (I've had a hard time even getting into zone 3 this whole week)
• Loss of enthusiasm for the sport (haven't lifted weights all week)
• A compulsive need to exercise

And yet I'm still totally convinced that I just need to keep training for one more week, to make it to that next recovery cycle.

Experienced athletes will be able to relate to this common connundrum (and newbies, take note): we sort of suspect that we're overtrained and should back off, but simultaneously wonder whether we need to work harder instead. If we don't back off and proceed into some hardcore overtraining, we risk the fitness we've built over the past months, but if we do back off, we feel like we will lose fitness anyway! The supreme irony is that symptoms of no enthusiasm or motivation to work out occur along with a compulsive need to exercise. You'd think that if we feel so blah (for lack of a better term) about scheduled workouts, we'd avoid them like the plague; instead, we add extra workouts on.

Practically, here are some steps to take if you suspect you're overtrained:

• Take the time to prove to yourself beyond any doubt that you are indeed overtrained. The best way to do this is to keep track of resting heart rate and performance stats in a training log (the digital log at Trifuel is a good resource for tracking this information). If your resting HR is up by at least 10% for three days or more, take note; if you see a sudden drop in your speed or wattage, take note; this provides concrete evidence that you're overtrained, so there's no convincing yourself that you should try to muscle through a rough patch by working harder.
• Take one to three days totally off, and reduce your volume by 20% for the rest of your training week (or whatever microcycle you use).
• Get a full seven to nine hours of sleep each night, eat healthy and track your nutrient intake, and drink lots of water. This gives your body the tools it needs to recover and rebuild fully.
• Stretch, use a foam roller, do some yoga, maybe even consider a sports massage. Give your muscles some love!
• Give yourself a mental break from the sport. As you finish your days of rest, allow yourself to get psyched out a little. You should feel excited to get back into training.
• If, like me, you're almost to your recovery week anyway, continue moving your schedule up a week.

I know from personal (current, even) experience that it is ridiculously difficult to put on the brakes and bring your training to a halt; we want to train through this mess, dammit! But take it on good authority: if you try to keep going when you're overtrained, you're going to do more harm than good.

(As a personal aside, I have this problem regularly; I am going to look at my training schedule and consider a three-week mesocycle, instead of the four week cycle under which I'm currently operating.)

Update (11/27/2017):
After several years of periodically dealing with overtraining, I've found that going from three sports to one has reduced the incidence and severity of my overtraining systems. Now that I focus primarily on cycling, I find that I can absorb more intensity, even at a younger age. The trade-off has been soreness; my body deteriorates much more quickly and needs more self-care work (stretching, yoga, self-myofascial release) than it did when I was training for Ironman. I still feel burned out towards the end of a long racing block, but training seems not to effect me as dramatically; I can even do four-week mesocycles instead of the three-week cycles I used when I was triathlon training. For a more in-depth look at overtraining, visit Kyran's page on 9 signs of overtraining.
[Props to About.com for the convenient list of overtraining symptoms; it was much easier to cut and paste than to think all of those up myself]

Discipline

It's funny . . . It took me a good three or four months of training before I could really discipline myself to train every day. It took at least eight months to learn discipline with my nutrition. It took a year before I learned that I can discipline myself to keep going through the pain.

And now I'm learning to discipline myself by not training.

In the past few weeks, I've been phasing into group fitness instructing at Genesis Health Clubs in Wichita (I should be teaching spinning classes within the next two weeks). As part of this process, I've been trying to absorb the atmosphere of the group fitness classes as much as possible, since eventually I'll have the opportunity to instruct other groups as well (i.e. step aerobics, hip hop dance, yoga). Which has meant one or two hour-long classes a day, plus whatever I have in my training schedule. At the same time, I've been phasing my strenth training back in, now that I have a well-equipped gym available to me again.

For a triathlete, three workouts a day shouldn't seem like a big deal; neither should 3 and a half solid hours of training be so intimidating within the sport that produces Ironmen. But the fact is that my body has not been having the time it needs to recover after each workout. I know it's trouble after I sleep 10 hours one night and then fall into bed, exhausted, at 9:45 the next evening. I know I'm overdoing it when everything feels sore, and it never seems to go away. I know I'm pushing myself too hard when every workout is accompanied by a phlegmy feeling in the back of my throat.

I just know.

So now my primary issue is stepping back from my schedule and realizing that not only will I not get faster and stronger by continuing to push myself, I might actually do some damage. Overtraining can lead to injury, and the work you put into your body when you've been going too hard for too long doesn't translate to improvement. I've had to discipline myself to say, "No, you are not going to follow your schedule tomorrow; you are going to take a day to recover. Tomorrow is not a day you could be getting faster; tomorrow is a day you could be resting so you can go strong again next week."

A lot of traaining is learning discipline, and sometimes that means knowing when to chill out, watch TV, and eat animal crackers.

The Return

I am finally finished with the craziness that is graduation. I've been running into all sorts of difficulties with actually obtaining my diploma; I have until June 15 to set them right (or to try) before my graduation date shifts to next December.

Either way, I'm back in the great state of Kansas, having traded the warm, sunny craziness of L.A. for the humid, mosquito-infested calm of Wichita. In all the hustle and bustle of graduating, moving, and saying goodbye to friends, I've had little time for training; the most I've managed is a long ride and a couple of short runs. So I'm looking forward to renewing with fresh vigor, beginning tomorrow morning.

I'm working on some spinning workouts I can't wait to share, and I have some recipes I'm still testing out. But look out for some good stuff coming as we really get into racing season!

Race Report: Wildflower

I don't know that this can properly be called a "race report," considering that I didn't race. But my team did, and I was there to support them and have a great time. A few interesting points (since outlining the whole weekend chronologically would be lame to write and pointless to read):

• Best neighbors ever. We were fortunate enough to camp next to a party of age-groupers from Napa Valley who came with a van, a full kitchen, and some very nice wine. I have to say, our pre-race pasta dinner looked pretty plebian compared with their pork cutlet, barbecued shrimp, and baguette. They definitely camped in style. They were also more than generous, sharing their wine, their food, their campfire, and some very excellent conversation with us. After chatting and eating with them, I'm very optimistic about the world of age-grouping (as opposed to the great collegiate atmosphere I've been fortunate enough to experience). Our friends from Napa were definitely an example of how great the tri community can be. (By the way, if any of our Napa friends are reading this, please comment or e-mail and let me know how you did! I'd love to pass on the information to the rest of the team).
• Topless aid stations. I did not get to see this, but it has pre-determined my course for next season; I will definitely be returning to Lake San Antonio with the USC team to compete next year. I have to get in on that sweet Cal Poly action!
• Challenging course. The Wildflower course is no walk in the park; it's known as one of the more challenging courses in the world. Most of the USC contingent competed in the Long Course (which is the same distance as a half ironman), and for many of the team members, it was the longest distance they'd attempted. But the Olympic distance (which Anthony did) is also a decidedly difficult course, compounded by the weekend's heat and wind. Long story short, two of our team members ended up in the medical tent with IVs in their arms. This was a little shocking and scary, but at the same time I sort of think it's part of the fun (I'm becoming strangely attracted to pain, I think). Fortunately, we didn't have any technical difficulties on the course; no flat tires or anything.
  
• Podium. Congratulations to Susie, who won her age group and was the youngest female competitor in the long course, and to Zach, who placed sixth in his age group (out of about 50).
  
• The last hurrah. It wasn't a huge hurrah--we were so tired and loopy after a day of triathlon that our Cinco de Mayo celebration was not nearly as exuberant as we had planned--but it was the last race for me as an undergraduate with the team that's become my family this year. It's hard for me to realize that I'm leaving; I think I've zoned out a little bit so that I don't have to think about it. But it's going to be painful to leave L.A. behind, even though I feel ready to go home to Kansas. I'm going to miss track workouts, spin workouts, driving to races, hanging out on weekends, conversations, questions, guest speakers . . . and those are only the elements of one aspect of my life. It will be a hard couple of weeks. And I could go on, but I think that's a subject for a different blog.

Wildflower was an excellent time. I have to say, it was strange to be surrounded by all the hype, the toned bodies, the excitement of a huge race, and not really be a part of it. In it, experiencing it, but not really a part of it. Because there is a definite line between the racers and the hangers-on (body composition, for one). To be present but not part of the pain and willpower was disorienting and unpleasant; I want to race, not to watch. But I'm glad I went camping with my team, and they were glad to have me. It was an excellent time, and I'm now even more ready to rock this week of training before I graduate super hard.

By the way, I'd love to read everyone else's race reports; I know the blogosphere was well-represented at Lake San Antonio this weekend. Please comment or e-mail and let me know if you've posted about Wildflower!

Elaboration

To answer Kylie, I thought I'd elaborate a little on my previous, somewhat...um, frustrated post.

Monday, I got an e-mail from my primary reader (the person who determines my grade for my thesis course) asking if I was done, because the program coordinator wants a grade for me. And up to Monday, my reader hadn't actually seen my paper (such as it was).

As a result, I haven't had much luck with eating or sleeping this week, let alone working out. And that's been very frustrating, because I was hoping to use these last two weeks before my retreat in Idyllwild to base build and try to get a little more endurance before I start really building for Shawnee Mission.

However, in the past three days I've revised and expanded a 19-page caterpillar until it has become a beautiful, colorful, 40-page butterfly. Besides which, one of my fellow thesis-writing friends and I decided it would be fun to cut my hair as a break from writing and editing. So I also got a haircut (instead of sleeping). I guess I have accomplished something, and I'm proud of said accomplishment. My coach was just telling me the other day that, as an amateur athlete, I have to recognize that my training is not life-and-death; if something comes up and I have to back off for a few days, I have the freedom to do that.

But I have wrapped up my thesis. Today, I went to the Huntington Library to meet with my reader and go over my work, page by page. It took five hours, and he made several recommendations, which I might still try to implement before leaving for Wildflower tomorrow morning. Fortunately, I'm not racing (couldn't justify the entry fee), but I will be there to volunteer and cheer on my fellow triathletes.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Food
Breakfast: Banana (90)
Morning: Accelerade (100)
Lunch: Enchiladas (430)
Afternoon: Apple with peanut butter (365)
Dinner: Hamburger with all-wheat bun, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, ketchup and mustard; a couple handfuls of chips, ice cream, and chocolate cake (I'm guessing around 1000)
Evening: Grapes (100)
Total: 2085

Training
1 hour spinning class
Total: 2420

Summary
I'm cutting back on my training this week. It's a mixed blessing. I'm always afraid that if I cut back, I won't want to get back into it. I miss the chance to relax and enjoy a workout. I don't burn as many calories, which makes me a little paranoid. But I am using the extra free time to work on my senior thesis, and this will all be over in two weeks, so I guess I can hold myself back from training like a crazy person for that long.