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!

Motivation factor

As someone who is highly motivated, races often super charge me AFTER the event. I am so ready to take on the next challenge that I go straight into the next part of my training.

Let me say there are times when my motivation misleads me into a false sense of recovery!

I want to get out there and fit in all these sessions. Sometimes it just does not work!

Eventually my body dictates the pace and I may need to take an extra break or simply reduce the miles for a short while. Remember its about your body’s pace NOT your pace!

Responsiveness

This is why I chose the word responsiveness.

Ask yourself at what level your body responds to the training:

• Is it strong or maybe a little laboured? If you feel a little laboured, then more than likely you are still recovering.
• You may be running times that compare to previous times, so have you checked your heart rate?
• Where do you live?
• No doubt in my mind, if you live at the coast, you recover well. When I lived in the UK, it amazed me how much more my body could tolerate on a regular basis.
• Altitude seems to take a little longer.

Recovery rates vary between individuals

Some athletes do not allow sufficient recovery time. Of course, Endurance races take longer to recover. I know a number of people who can compete in endurance events within short spaces of time.

This is possible when you are not “racing them”. The top marathon runners in the world seldom do more than 2-3 marathons a year in peak condition.

They may compete in a host of shorter distances races as preparation.

Again though listen to your body because the body is more vulnerable to illness and injury after long events and even more so after a series of long distance events.

Speedwork after endurance races?

Swimming is a lot more gentle on the body of all the three disciplines. Even after a half IM triathlon I seldom do any speedwork in the week after the race. Micro tears can happen which MAY lead to other injuries later on.

Consequently, I leave speed work after a long race for a period of time until I can feel that lightness and responsiveness and power in my easy runs.

I may include some surges as a “Look/See”. I do not use time as an indication. I work with the way my muscles respond to the increase in tempo. Do they respond quickly or slowly? Are they lighter or heavier?

These surges are between 30-45seconds.

Personally I begin bike speed work at the same time (same week) I re-introduce run speedwork.

While I know my body can do the bike speed sooner than the running, I find that starting the bike intervals before the run intervals affects the running power output.

I like to “synchronise” those two disciplines.

When you begin preparing for your next event, ensure you again build gradually. Personally I work with a Less is More Philosophy both in training and especially in Recovery.  Yes, it requires patience but your patience means your body will reward you at your next events.

Your nutrition is a vital key in your recovery. Eat foods that promote recovery as opposed to high acid forming foods. Explore more alkaline forming foods to ensure your body’s ph balance is healthy.

For me, with careful nurture we can take our body to new heights.

Happy training!

Glenn Macnamara glennmac66@gmail.com