Help! HIM Trainining has broken me
Int HIM, week 14. Today was RR ... and epic fail: Instead of 56 miles + 1hr/6 mile run, I had to bag it after 28 and 3. The coaches note said I'd not be rested and feel fatigued, but I'm beyond fatigued. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. I should have seen it coming. While I've struggling with the OS->HIM transition ever since February, I've been managing fine and executing all the workouts until this week: Monday's swim went well, but on Tuesday, I was 10 sec/100 slower and feeling really beat, so I bagged the second MS. Wed bike went fine, but on Thursday's run, I couldn't even get into z1 for the warmup, and not even into z2, let alone z3 for the intervals. So ended up doing 1:45 in z1. Friday swim/bike went well, but today, there was just nothing there. Probably didn't help that this was only my second time outside all year, and I rode on a somewhat hilly course (Columbia tri bike course for those who know it...).
So, why is this? Ive been doing all the workouts, nothing more, nothing less. I'm sleeping 7-71/2 hours/night, as always and getting naps in on Saturday/Sunday. I've noticed though that I don't wake up before my alarm in the mornings anymore. I'm eating reasonably well. Work/life has been pretty stressful, definitely contributing to mental fatigue, but that's under control now.
I keep on hearing Coach P saying how much he enjoys sending EN athletes our in the spring after having put in al the hard work over the winter and kicking peoples' a**. Well not this EN athlete. My pre-EN athlete would sooo kick my butt right now...
So here I am, 6 weeks out from race day and unable to get through a big workout. I'm frustrated (because I've worked harder than ever and the only effect is that I'm slow and exhausted); scared (this is HIM, how in God's name am I going to get through IM training later this year?); bewildered (this training approach seems to be working for everyone else, why not for me??); and overall quite down on myself. My near-term emergency plan is to crush the rest day tomorrow, do Monday's workouts, rest again on Tuesday and the take it from there. Also, I need more rest days. I tried doing every 2-3 weeks as prescribed by the training plan, but that just doesn't work for me, so I will build one in every 7-10 days - of course, almost every workout is labeled as HIGH priority, so I'm stressing about what I can afford to skip... Does anyone have any other advice?
Sorry to be rambling, but I'm lost in the EN wilderness
Comments
6 weeks out still-
So do you have one more RR??
Concentrate on eating right, hydrating, and resting up hardcore with stretching for the next couple days.
Smile
Kate, I think most of us have had a day like that at one time or another. You really need to listen to your body and take a rest. You are in great shape, from what your workouts have been until now! A few days of R&R sound right to me. I'm sure Coaches will have good ideas for you, but don't you worry because you're gonna be just fine come race day!
Your simply overtrained. You answered all your own questions. I'm gonna suggest 3 R's.
Rest.
Recover.
Regroup.
Then pay close attention to your fatigue levels based on - can you hit the workouts or not - take a less is more tact until you feel 100% again - do this thru using the workout priorities and backing off time and intensity of the work you are doing . You are definitely a stronger athlete now. Just gotta absorb it and build the far on top of fast portion without digging a hole. Lots of time, and you will nail your 2nd RR!
@Kate - x2 on what Tim and the others have said. Your body is telling you in no uncertain terms that you need a down day, followed by a couple of Easy-Shmeezy days.
Question - Did you do a transition week between the OS and HIM plan? I can't tell by your post....but if not, I am not at all surprised about today's results.
Don't beat yourself up. Follow Tim's prescription for the 3 R's and you will come back better/faster/stronger.
Promise!
The fitness is there, but so is the fatigue, both physically and mentally. Don't put any one workout (even if it is a RR) on a pedestal. I treat these situations like waves in the ocean. Sometimes the waves crash down hard on you and you feel like you can't move against their power, but other times they pick you up and carry you along. In either circumstance know that the "wave" by nature is only temporary and will recede if you stick with it long enough. Waves always come in triathlon, but they also "go".
Stick with the plan, don't throw in the towel, and you'll learn how to surf these waves with the best of 'em.
Patiently suffer...Suffer patiently.
My first thoughts are: When was the last time you had bloodwork done? Could you be anemic? You said you're eating "reasonably well," but what/when/how are you eating after your workouts? Are you getting your protein and carbs in during that optimal 30' window? Have you considered adding L-Glutamine to a recovery shake if you don't already? L-Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in the body - blood plasma levels of L-Glutamine drop significantly after a long or intense workout, and if you don't replenish your stores from an outside source, your body could end up in a catabolic state where it burns its own tissue - skeletal muscle - for fuel.
Super good advice from everyone above already! Take it easy for a few days and hang in there Kate!!!
FWIW, in all my 14 years training for triathlons, I have NEVER gone through a 12 week prep cycle for a major race in which I was able to complete all the assigned workouts. Usually, I'm forced to take 2-3 mini breaks of 48-72 hours. Sometimes (like this week), it's because I've picked up a cold; other times (like what seems to have happened to Kate) I've lost my mental mojo; and still others, there is some specific physical tweak which stops me.
Each time I go into time-out, it's terrifying - I'm convinced that I will not be ready for the race and/or it's a sign my training is not good enough to do well. But just as I'm always amazed (after 100+ tris I should know better) that I can actually run well after biking hard, I'm continually amazed at how much better I feel mentally after I go through the agony of stepping back for 48-72 hours.
In other words, this is normal - you're supposed to feel tired now, and unless you butt up against the limits of your ability to train, you won't get the highest benefit from the process. The hardest part is stepping down and being scared, but that will pass, I promise.
When should you get back on the horse? You'll know; check in with yourself every day, assuming you want to train, and just need a go ahead from command central. You'll recognize the call when it comes, but assume it'll take at least 48 hours of pure down time away from all this.
FWIW, I have just gone through the same thing.
I am doing Intermediate IM plan and on the week 12 bike test, I couldn't get out of Zone 2.
I called out to Coach P and he has worked with me over the last 4 weeks to get me back on track.
I just did RR #1 and executed like an EN Ninja.
So my advice is to reach out to Patrick in the Micro thread.
My takeaway for me is that I need much more rest!
This is all part of the journey. . .you'll bounce back, start hitting your workouts again, and be ready to bring the BOOM on race day.
Thank you all very much for the thoughtful feedback. Everything you say makes sense to me, and at least mentally, I feel better already
-- could also be the extra sleep I got this AM 
. I'll reach out to Coach P in the micro thread to get some tips on near-term triaging, but also, Jess is definitely on to something. I noticed during the OS that I couldn't get through the EN workouts without making some adjustments to my diet. I've added quite a bit of protein, but that alone doesn't seem to do the trick, and I need to do some more research. Funny, workout numbers, I get, but nutrition numbers seem sooo complicated to me...
happy Easter, all!
Listen to your body and don't be afraid to take a break. Remember our muscles get stronger during our recovery.
Kate,
A little late to this thread. The only thing I will add/emphasize is to learn from this and look back at the fatigue signs. Identifying these and take a day off earlier will hopefully lead to reducing the need to take 2 or 3 days perhaps more in the future.
Gordon