incosistant workouts
i did the Nov OS, am now in the advanced HIM program, with 2 IM's in the fall...my workouts are all over the place..sundays long ride and run was great...wednesday's bike could not get to zone 4 ever, although RPE seemed maxed out..todays long run 2hrs..easy..who knows what tomorrows workout will bring?? is it months of high intensity work, 55 yrs old, that is bringing the variance? Anyone else having these issues? This is my 1st year with EN training and i recognize the intensity of each workout is more than i have done in the past, so that may have something to do with it...would be interested in what other my age are encountering.
Thanks!
Brian
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Comments
Brian - Cumulative fatigue over the weeks and months of a training plan will affect everyone, regardless of age. But I think with each passing year, the margin for error in managing recovery issues becomes smaller, so we will appear to need more recovery, when actually what we need is more attention to the details of recovery. Here are some examples of what I mean:
• Sleep. Ineffective, interrupted, inconsistent sleep can play havoc with recovery. Waking up due to increasing bladder/prostate issues, partner snoring, worries over the vissicitudes of life, hormonal induced hot flashes (men get them too, starting in their 50s) all make our sleep less effective, so we need to both keep to a consistent schedule and utilize naps to an increasing degree.
• Recovery within workouts. We should take all the time we need between intervals in those hard FTP and TP or IP intervals, to make sure we can hit the paces/power required. A longer, slower warm up will also help.
• Nutrition. Replacing the fuel (carbs) used during a hard or long work is essential, within the first two hours afterwards. As well as keeping to a good diet at all other times. (I used to love Fritos - no more, sadly, for me.)
• Sufficient time between workouts. Trying to do two hard workouts within 24 or even 48 hours of each other may push one over the top. During the12 week HIM or IM specific plan, I rarely do back to back weekend rides, and try to avoid putting run and bike intervals on consecutive days. This is less of an issue in the OS, when two recovery days are built in to the plan each week.
In the end, your well-honed sense of what our body tells you should rule. If you need a rest, take it. If you feel too guilty taking a total day off, just do an easy swim or fool around in the weight room.
Anyway, that's what I've learned in the 7 years since I turned 55!
Brian x2 what Al said.
I am 59 years young and I joined EN in December.
I went a bit mad. I did 8 weeks of Intermediate OS, followed by a B Race HIM with just 4 weeks long course training. I then took three full days off, then jumped into a big bike week.
Then trouble hit! Way too much enthusiasm. I couldn't sleep, couldn't hit TP running or even FTP intervals. So I just stood down for 5 days. I started to feel better on day 3 but wanted to make sure I was ready to work before starting to train again. I then jumped into intermediate HIM for 6 weeks and did a 16 min PR.
My take on all this is the same advice Al is giving. My focus now is if I can't hit a session's targets, I just bag the session and go hard on recovery — try and stay off my feet, early to bed and make sure I am fueled properly. In other words, the scheduled sessions are (IMO) just suggestions. If I can do them, then that's fine. If not, I am probably pushing too hard, so I need to manage the recovery a bit better.
During racing season I always have pre-session fuel, make sure I am hydrated and fueled during the session, and always put my feet up afterwards and have a recovery drink with carbs and protein.
BTW, I think EN rocks — with the coaches and WSM providing wise guidance, together with the support of all the other EN peeps, this has to be the best endurance training community ever!
Cheers
Peter
Brian
Seeing Tom's reply reminded me of the other tweek I do — on the longer bike stuff, I do the intervals as scheduled, and then ABP for all the other time.
As Coach Rich says about the OS, if you feel you want to go longer, you should go harder!
Cheers
Peter