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Need some recovery/mojo help

hodag91hodag91
in General Training Discussions
Hi team,
As some of you might have read in the race/training report forum that I did a big volume week last weekend.  It was the most I have ever done by far and now I am afraid that I might have dug a hole too deep to get out of before st George. I took Monday and Tuesday off, 30 easy run on wed. Tried an FTP ride on Thursday but could only get out 2x2min and 28min of easy riding. Swam for the first time in two weeks and it was shockingly not bad; my road rashes didn't even hurt in the water. I tried to do the Thursday long run today but it wa not happening. I barely held on to the easy +20' pace for 30min and when I tried to kick into HMP I was running slower then MP and it felt like zone 11! I gave up on the run after one lap because I wasn't sure if I was helping or hurting my self (and my left knee started to get achy). I am planning on the normal 4.5 hour Saturday ride tomorrow, but am not sure if that is a good idea or not. I know most people did their race rehearsal last weekend. I am planning my next Saturday. Anyway, It would be great to get some advice on recovery, where I should go from here or anything about life you might want to share. 
Thanks in advance.
Wei
Ps I hope I don't sound like I am in panic mode. I mean I am a little bit but I just thin that there are only leas then 3 weeks of good training left and I would like to make the moat of it other then trying to recover from the giant hole I dug for myself image

Comments

  • Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak

    Wei,

    I have no experience with big weeks so these comments are probably not even work 0.02..., but here goes. 

    Remember that not only are you recovering from a big week but the crash as well.  Your body may not react as optimally as you would like because of the two together.  Personally I'd take a couple more days off as trainnig yourself further in to a hole won't help.  Come back to some swimming and a cycling.  Don't kick it off with a run, even an easy run is much harder on the body than the swim or bike.  Guage your fitness off a bike when you come back and don't throw in too much FTP time.

    I'd definitely not do the 4.5 hour bike ride seeing as on thursday you could only hold 2X2 and 28' of easy riding. 

    Gordon

     

  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    If you aren't feeling it, another day of rest is NOT going to hurt you. It may be exactly what you need. Your body needs time to absorb all that hard work. I'd say do a shorter ride tomorrow and play with some short FTP intervals to see how they feel- but don't go crazy- maybe 2 hours of riding tops. Then put up your legs, eat, and recover. If you don't see a response from R&P here on Monday, hop on the Mon night coach chat to ask them for help.
  • Linda PatchLinda Patch

    Hi Wei!

    This is where the "self-coaching" part kicks in. Following the plan to the letter does not create any magic, and can be counter-productive if you're over cooked. I myself learned the hard way that this training is NOT linear. Just because you think you should be feeling a certain way three weeks out from taper doesn't mean that's the reality you face. Trust me, I know.

    Ask yourself--how is digging a deeper hole going to work for you? Do you think it will improve your fitness, or perhaps continue a downward trend? If you can't do the work right now, then that tells you everything you need to know. You need more rest, you need to let yourself ABSORB what you've done before moving on. The last thing you want is to show up at the line tired and still a bit drained.

    This is when you have to let the plans go, listen to your body, take the recovery, stand down hard NOW, then pick it up again when you're ready. It may be another half week or so. Big deal. Also, don't be afraid to take a longer than 2 week taper if you need it. That has helped a number of people here fine tune the last part of the training--ie showing up on race day scintillatingly ready, rather than a bit dull around the edges.

    In the end, if you're smart now, I truly know you'll be ready on race day. Hanging tough about rest is really hard to do. We know, have been there, and have shared your frustration and concern at one time or another.

    ~LP

     

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    My best IM race ever came after taking 10 days off, (then 7 days of taper + race) b/c of a car accident. You are tired because you DID WORK...recovering from doing work is NOT DOING WORK. image

    P
  • hodag91hodag91
    Thank you so much everyone!
    In the back of my head and in secret I was thinking I should not go on the 4.5 hours ride tomorrow; but I didn't really want to think about that too much. It is really nice to be able to count on teammates to tell you the truth and and make sure you are going in the right direction. I might swim a little tomorrow and if I am feeling fantastic I might get in a short ride like Nemo suggested, but my number one priority is to bounce back from this and dominate the race rehearsal this coming Saturday; and according to Patrick "NOT DOING WORK" is the way to go.

    Linda, thanks for the break down by the way. I think I knew what the right thing to do is, but I am still thinking that maybe I can push through this and I only have 3 weeks of real training left... and so on. This real rest thing and let go of the plan is really really hard...

    Wei
    PS Gordon, thanks for reminding me about recovering from the crash. I have been pretending that it never happened since about 2 days after the crash; which is probably not very smart...
  • hodag91hodag91
    Just a quick update: I ended up taking the day pretty much off. I tried to get in a swim; but the pool I normally swim in is not open on Sundays so I went to the Germantown Aquatics which was also closed due to swim meet. Took that as a sign from god saying I should take another day off image
  • Steven FordSteven Ford

    Keep us posted on how you feel.

     

    Good Luck

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