Battered.... and losing the mojo
Hi Folks
Need some assistance. I'm going thru a tough patch with the increased volume on the wk 15 of HIM (intermediate) plan. I just watched Coach Ps webcast on adding volume - as usual Coach's comments were spot on regarding fatigue. I have been tracking and monitoring my health etc Water intake is still the same, sleep is down about an hr per night (normally in bed for 10, up at 7) .
Symptoms: HR is generally in correct zone, but there is nothing in the legs. e.g. long run Z2 / Z3 run - 1hr @ Z2. Hit pace, HR @ mid to top of Z2. Couldn't get near my Z3 run pace. Same on the bike (still on the turbo trainer)2hr ride, legs are dead, really hard to hit power targets after an hour.... HR nicely in the zone
I'm rolling and wearing recovery tights after each session.
Any advice on what I should do ? Have a "recovery" week?
Comments
Thanks guys. Good comments about the sleep!
The good news is that I'm still doing the longer sessions (e.g. 2hrs run etc) - but what I find I end up doing is the main sets only, taking longer rests between the intervals so that I can "reset"my mind / recover before the next interval. e.g. the weekend long bike ride was scheduled as 3hrs with MS1-4. I did MS 1-3 (upto 2 hrs on the turbo trainer) and shortened MS4 (the Z2/3 endurance stuff)
During the Outseason and the Get Faster there were dedicated forums with what everyone was doing (so i could compare my suffering and feelings) - Since moving into the HIM plan my EN team support has gone missing as
Graham:
For whatever it's worth: I'm with you right now. I've got a HIM on May 18th and have occasionally lost the Mojo.
I'm trying to focus only on "today" and "right now" and knowing that I can't worry about the workouts or sleep that I missed, that I can't worry about how I'll feel tomorrow or next week when I have that tough workout. I can only focus on the now and the present and then do everything I can to make it the best by resting when I can, eating the best I can, and not worrying about the things I can't control. I'm also mentally filing away this exhaustion for race day so that when it starts to hurt, I will tell myself that my racing self owes my training self for all this work.
I did a RR Run on Friday that was brutally difficult. The course I ran was substantially hillier than anything I will race: 11.4 miles with 1078 feet of elevation gain, at 77 degrees. I suffered a bit, but I finished up with a lot of confidence. I know you've got some training days like that. Hold tight to those days and you'll find the mojo.
Good luck out there. Keep us posted on how you're coming along.
Matt
Its a hard balance between just gritting it and getting it done, and giving yourself permission to take some rest. You have to know yourself, and how hard you work. BUT to keep it in perspective: A day or two off is not going set back your training any, and might actually provide you the recovery you may need to keep going forward. If your mojo is flagging, it likely means your fatigued, which is a good thing, but you need to be careful with it. The name of the game is consistency not hammering it. Do what you need to do to keep your head in the game, and stay consistent.
When I get to this stage, I've learned to ease up on my workload for a week's workouts: prioritizing the High Priority workouts, dropping completely the Low Priority wkos and playing it by ear on the mediums based on how I feel. I'll almost always make sure to take 1-2 days off in this week completely. I found I usually cycle 2-3 wks doing all wko's and then taking an easy week as above.
In the press to build fitness and endurance we tend to forget that rest and recovery is equally as important as training load, and we tend to emphasize the former much more over the latter. Instead they should be well balanced.
I do what Rian does. I start dropping the shorter runs during the weeks. That usually gives you Mon and fri where you are only swimming. I've found that my body needs those recovery days. When I swim I use a pull buoy so I'm not using my legs at all. There are some days where my 45 min run becomes a 20 min run just to loosen my legs up. Its definitely a tightrope walk though and I tend err on the side of a little more rest.
The recovery tights have helped me a lot also, so keep using them.
Chris - I suggest putting this question in the Power and Pace section of the Forums, to get a broader response.
FWIW, here's my brief take on this…Because CTL looks back at least 42 days in its calculations, it will be different for everyone, depending on what they have been doing prior to starting the HIM plan. A better number to track at this stage of IM and HIM training, IMO, is the TSB, training stress balance, which is basically the chronic minus the acute training load. I;ve found over the past 7+ years I;ve been tracking in WKO, that I do best at maintaining my ability to keep up with the workload, if I keep that TSB between about minus 24 and minus 12. I may at time go into the minus 30s for a day or so; but if I get below minus 40, of sure, I have to take a day or two off or real easy to get recovered. When I'm going above (closer to zero) minus 12 for more than a day, it means I might be taking things too easy.
Again, though, each person's range for the TSB might be different. In addition to the numbers, its imperative to be aware of sleep, nutrition, mood, weight, etc. to avoid over-training. That brings up the effect of the steepness of the CTL curve. If your CTL has been rapidly rising, you may not be able to handle as deep a TSB going forward at this stage of HIM training as you would if you have been cruising along at a more steady training pace for the past 3-6 months.
My sympathies. I'm now in your boat. Less than 2 weeks before American Zofignen and my right knee now hurts, big time. I have to shut it down and try to heal and not freak out.