Overcoming end-of-race weirdness

harrast

This is a weird thought to be having, but I'm having it, so I'm going to put it out here.  I'm doing St. George in what, 5 days?  When I finish the race (baring something crazy) I plan to drink a big glass of Endurox, give some high fives and sweaty hugs, watch the other crazy people for a while, collect my stuff, then go home and rest. My worry is that on Monday morning, my mind is going to return to training mode and wonder why I'm not hitting the bricks.  Does anyone have a good post-race ritual that says we are taking a break for a week? Just wondering.  

Bruce Thompson

For a HIM, I take one day off, maybe 2.  I'll go sit in the hot tube at my gym and do some stretching & foam rolling.  I add the workouts back in the same sequence as the race  -- SBR.  Then do an EZ swim on next day. Then an ez 1 hour bike the next day, and a 30 minute run the next day.   By then it is usually the weekend and I'm back to normal workout schedule. 

Bruce Thompson

For a HIM, I take one day off, maybe 2.  I'll go sit in the hot tube at my gym and do some stretching & foam rolling.  I add the workouts back in the same sequence as the race  -- SBR.  Then do an EZ swim on next day. Then an ez 1 hour bike the next day, and a 30 minute run the next day.   By then it is usually the weekend and I'm back to normal workout schedule. 

Bruce Thompson

For a HIM, I take one day off, maybe 2.  I'll go sit in the hot tube at my gym and do some stretching & foam rolling.  I add the workouts back in the same sequence as the race  -- SBR.  Then do an EZ swim on next day. Then an ez 1 hour bike the next day, and a 30 minute run the next day.   By then it is usually the weekend and I'm back to normal workout schedule. 

MattAaronson

I take it easier than Bruce, esp with the running. Last year:

Post-Kansas, where I went HARD:
- Mon/Tues off
- Wed swim (regular EN workout)
- Thurs bike 80' (a set of short z4 intervals then z3 remainder)
- Fri swim (1000 yd TT)
- Sat regular EN workout
- Sun run 60' with 4x mile repeats at z4/TP
Then back to normal the next week

Post-Racine, where I took it a bit easy on the run and was using the race as a kickoff to my training for Vegas 7 weeks later:
- Mon off
- Tues swim 3000 yd (regular EN workout)
- Wed 60' VO2 bike workout as scheduled, but skipped the brick run
- Thurs ran 45' with 2x mile repeats (the workout called for 3x)
- Fri as scheduled swim 2700 yd, run 45' (did as one workout back-to-back)
- Sat bike 210' (scheduled workout + 30' extra), ran 30'
- Sunday 2-hour ABP
I did my first long run as 90' on the next Tuesday...earlier in the schedule than usual but that's because I went to the EN weekend in Madison that week and did ~9 hours of biking Fri/Sat and a 90 min run on Sunday so wanted to front load workout that week.

Al Truscott

Posted By Steven Harrast on 29 Apr 2013 06:31 PM

...Does anyone have a good post-race ritual that says we are taking a break for a week? Just wondering.  

Usually, my legs have no trouble telling me "we are taking a break for a week." My plan post St George is to drive across southern and eastern Utah with my wife Sun-Wed, and walk amongst the Red Rock, Arches, and Canyons.