Recovery Monitoring Tips, Tools and Tricks Thread

Coach Patrick

This is a work in progress, so please add in the resources YOU have used to track fatigue and other metrics...I will add them in as we go along!!!

I get a lot of questions from folks about what is RestWise and why on earth should I also track recovery. I have a Powermeter, I have  GPS device, a smartphone...can't I just leave the other part of my life alone??? 

The answer is YES if you aren't seeking to be your best.

Because the "other" part of your life is 95% of your time (spent NOT training). What you do here absolutely 100% affects your ability to train to your potential. Some of you work at a desk, others commute long hours, some are unemployed -- if you all do the same plan with the same starting FTP and vDOT you'll end up in different places based on how you RECOVER. 

Remember it's not how much work you can do, but how much work you can absorb. 

Writing plans is fun, executing them is something else. Any joker can slap swim / bike / run together, but few can do so in such a way as to help create conditions for optimal fitness and race preparedness. 

As you get more experienced, you get better at managing your fatigue / body. This is achieved usually by messing it up several times, losing a few months of training and maybe blowing a few races. Technology can give you data that, if you pay attention, could help you be your best. 

Side Note: Tracking your fatigue is also the logic behind the extended warm up sessions for the bike and run with the "set" zone three time to measure HR (video here). 

RestWise

• What: A pulse oximiter for AM HR and then a smartphone survey that yields a "score," Takes 10-14 days to set a solid baseline.
• Review: http://www.patrickjohnmccrann.com/blog/resource/the-importance-of-rest-and-restwise
• EN Partner: www.restwise.com (use code "en10" to save 10%) .

I have used this and enjoy it's depth despite the "subjective" feel of answering the daily questions. It has predicted several training breakdowns and gives me an honest understanding of where my "fitness" or "resilience" is at vs the training load I am injecting. 

Omega Wave

• What: An HR strap that measures your ECG to tell you how hard you should / shouldn't train...recommends "tests" to improve the specificity of your training zones.  
• Web: http://omegawave.com/

Zeo (Sleep Tracker)

Anyone have info for me?

[Deleted User]

I used to use the Zeo sleep tracker, and it's a great device. Unfortunately the company shut down, so they're not making any more units any more.

new2703

Was just looking at rest wise. Looking for a more accurate way to determine rest/ recovery.

cgres123

Interesting P, I use up about 7 hrs sleep a night less on a longer training day and then, while working and on my lunch, I read and the time is POWER NAP time as reading will put me out.

When I wake up in the AM and feel like I ran into a wall I'll go back to sleep and take a day off training. I have the time to sleep in as I plan my workouts for the AM.

Robert Sabo

I tried the restwise trial before/after IMLP camp and when the number gets low what do you do? Take day off? recovery wko? 2-3 days easy? Do the absolute number mean something or just anything less then ~70 means ?ease up?

Rumpole

I know it's not data driven, but for me it's really helpful to track mood. I ask myself: am I being a d...k? If I'm impatient, cranky, unduly snarky, etc--what's my training load like? If it feels high, back off. Exercise usually relaxes me. And when I have tracked it using just a 1-10 scale, I've noticed a correlation that dovetails nicely with the PMC. If mood improves, recovery follows. High tech, no. Effective, yes.
YMMV.

Scott Alexander

I am fortunate that I get to work from home on Tue, Wed and Fri (Tue is "unofficial", so SHHH!!), so I nap like it's my job!

I wish I knew more about the PMC Charts on WKO+ to tell me when to dial it back, because I don't do so well on that aspect.

new2703

Great topic and one I think is not addressed enough. As triathletes we know all to well how to work hard and push ourselves. Its the recovery/rest that we suck at

Peter Wick

I don't know if it has been mentioned before but all youse tech-happy ENers should know that our smart phones, tablets, computers and yes (ever so sadly), our flat screen HD TVs could be wrecking our sleep patterns. It's the way they are lit, particularly the LED screens. They shine light that is full spectrum light. That's fine for the day time but not at night. We evolved along with an eveing sky that is predominantly yellow/orange/reddish as we close out our day. That light sends signals to our pineal gland and it sets in motion components of our circadian rhythms. The hormone melatonin is one of those components and when you shine a full spectrum light source right in your face before going to bed your brain is getting a signal that it's actually 10 AM instead of 10 PM. Sure, you can still fall asleep but your brain may not be set up for sleeping like it should be. Some people experience disrupted dreaming, poor progression through the sleep cycles (usually short changing you on the deeper, more restful and restorative stages) and waking in the morning feeling pretty blah instead of ready to get going with the day.

I mean who the hell needs that when we're already training and doing stuff that has us waking up at 5 AM or even earlier?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-08/news/ct-met-night-light-sleep-20120708_1_blue-light-bright-light-steven-lockley

An app that I use is called f.lux http://justgetflux.com/research.html The app is on this URL http://justgetflux.com/

I just wish it was available for DROID phones.

david ware

I tried Restwise but found that it was too subjective. I need more objective data to work with. If that could be incorporated Restwise woiuld be great. I also used Zeo and found it good, but as mentioned above they went out of business. (Used their data to enter into Restwise.)

Have been reading about and following Omegawave and find that fascinating. Would love to give it a try. Wondering if we can get a team discount?

Coach Patrick

@Whoever, when the number gets low in Restwise, yes you take a day off (short term) but then you need to address what got you here (long term). Was it bad sleep? Too much training? Lack of a day off?

I just pre-ordered a "beddit" unit for sleep tracking...will see how that looks as well....I am a victim of the LED screen issue...no computer after 9pm or I am screwed...

Peter Wick

Patrick, try that f.lux app. I noticed a difference almost right away. Another possibility is using those amber safety glasses at night. Uh, yeah... Let me now how that works out for ya.

Robert Sabo

@Chris. That question "Am I being a d**k? For me usually means I need more sleep not always do I need a day off. I understand that early signs of needing a day off can be decreased quality of sleep. So I guess the absolute Restwise number is a warning. Then a breakdown of the quantity vs quality of sleep needs to be done. Obviously if skipping an early or late workout will allow more time for sleep then skip it.

Dave Tallo

Patrick -

Great topic.  Every one of these apps, gizmos or techniques are probably effective for the same reason: they force the athlete to be mindful of the rest they are getting (or not).    Now ... I loved my Zeo (he is missed), and I thought it was awesome to get a sleep score every night, but I think the more important thing that came from its use, as applied to recovery, was the regular attention I started to pay to this training element.  Through the act of measurement of my sleep, I started to change the sleep I was measuring.  Rich describes something like this very well in the body composition / diet tracker thread: the moment you start to enter (and account for the calories contained in) the food that's coming in your body is the moment you start to become a much more critical consumer, and start to make choices influenced by your inputs.   

It will be hypocritical of me to get all luddite here because I'll probably sign on for a recovery tracker at some time, but I would suspect that an athlete would achieve the same results - following the thinking above - by creating a spreadsheet with column to track daily subjective scores on a 1 -10 scale for mood and fatigue, and a 5 min resting heart rate measured on waking.   

Keith Wick

Posted By Peter Wick on 08 Aug 2013 02:21 PM
I don't know if it has been mentioned before but all youse tech-happy ENers should know that our smart phones, tablets, computers and yes (ever so sadly), our flat screen HD TVs could be wrecking our sleep patterns. It's the way they are lit, particularly the LED screens. They shine light that is full spectrum light. That's fine for the day time but not at night. We evolved along with an eveing sky that is predominantly yellow/orange/reddish as we close out our day. That light sends signals to our pineal gland and it sets in motion components of our circadian rhythms. The hormone melatonin is one of those components and when you shine a full spectrum light source right in your face before going to bed your brain is getting a signal that it's actually 10 AM instead of 10 PM. Sure, you can still fall asleep but your brain may not be set up for sleeping like it should be. Some people experience disrupted dreaming, poor progression through the sleep cycles (usually short changing you on the deeper, more restful and restorative stages) and waking in the morning feeling pretty blah instead of ready to get going with the day.

I mean who the hell needs that when we're already training and doing stuff that has us waking up at 5 AM or even earlier?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-08/news/ct-met-night-light-sleep-20120708_1_blue-light-bright-light-steven-lockley

An app that I use is called f.lux http://justgetflux.com/research.html The app is on this URL http://justgetflux.com/

I just wish it was available for DROID phones.

So I should watch my old, basic TV in the basement before bed rather than my LED.....got it, check. No bullshit research is going to keep me from my HBO specials, Ink Master or The DeadliestbCatch,

Peter Wick

I'm with you, Keith. Just use those amber safety glasses. Here ya go.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OBZ64M/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sexy!

david ware

@Patrick: Any chance someone in Admin could talk to Omegawave. I am going to give it a try, think there may be others and would like to save a few pennies if possible... Thanks.

Robert Sabo

http://lavamagazine.com/omegawave/
article on one week experience for what it's worth.