Knowing when you've recovered from racing

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Thursday, 20 May 2010 00:00

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Respond to Recovery

by Glenn Macnamara

Last time I wrote about ensuring we are adequately recovered after major races.

How do you KNOW if you have recovered properly?

As a triathlete, I find the three sports have different rates of recovery.

Swimming is by far the quickest to recover, followed by cycling and then running.

I mentioned that heavy leg feeling in running.

That sensation can be experienced in cycling too.

In swimming, it's more felt in your shoulders and arms.

In general, I look for a “light” feeling to gauge whether I am recovered properly.

Let's add : Light and responsiveness to the equation.

I definitely notice my run and bike times are quicker on my easier training days. This is a positive sign that I am on the recovery road!

An extension of the improved times is to do a short quality session. This workout tells you if you are ready to handle a bigger workload and whether your body is willing to go faster again. If your body responds slowly and with a general heaviness then it is way better to keep the miles down!