Being Tired and Pushing Through
Vegan Triathlete
http://vegantriathlete.com
http://vegantriathlete.com/2017/01/being-tired-and-pushing-through/
2017 Ironman CDA, recovery
Crystal Clarke
Comfort zones are for suckers.
This week I pushed myself a bit harder than I’m used to. Not a lot, but a little. On Saturday I spent 90 minutes doing a bike workout on the trainer and I was dripping with sweat, my legs were burning and I had to use my fan. It’s been a while since I’ve done that. Realizing that I need some sort of structured workout has been a really great realization for me for indoor biking. I used to think that I’ll just put on a tv show and go. All that did, though, was make me hate the show and I didn’t really push myself. Trance music, scenery and a structured workout have made a huge difference! It’s actually kind of fun! I never thought I’d say that. I guess even “veteran” triathletes can learn new things about themselves.
On Sunday I went for my swim and was surprised at how my muscles would not cooperate! I got water up my nose several times and I had a very hard time pushing myself to do my workout. It was a mental and physical struggle. My realization was that my body was tired and this is what it’s like to really train. It also made me think about how important recovery is! I probably didn’t recover properly after the bike workout the day before. (By the way, water up the nose is AWFUL!!!!)
So am I supposed to recover? I know the answers to this, but I forget from time to time. This list is a reminder for myself and perhaps helpful for others:
This next week has a little blip in it as I have to travel for work for 2 days. While it is recommended that a Rest Day be completely restful, sometimes it is just a day that you don’t sweat a lot. That’s what one of these days will be. Such is life.
Comfort zones are for suckers.
This week I pushed myself a bit harder than I’m used to. Not a lot, but a little. On Saturday I spent 90 minutes doing a bike workout on the trainer and I was dripping with sweat, my legs were burning and I had to use my fan. It’s been a while since I’ve done that. Realizing that I need some sort of structured workout has been a really great realization for me for indoor biking. I used to think that I’ll just put on a tv show and go. All that did, though, was make me hate the show and I didn’t really push myself. Trance music, scenery and a structured workout have made a huge difference! It’s actually kind of fun! I never thought I’d say that. I guess even “veteran” triathletes can learn new things about themselves.
On Sunday I went for my swim and was surprised at how my muscles would not cooperate! I got water up my nose several times and I had a very hard time pushing myself to do my workout. It was a mental and physical struggle. My realization was that my body was tired and this is what it’s like to really train. It also made me think about how important recovery is! I probably didn’t recover properly after the bike workout the day before. (By the way, water up the nose is AWFUL!!!!)
So am I supposed to recover? I know the answers to this, but I forget from time to time. This list is a reminder for myself and perhaps helpful for others:
- Spacing out workouts so that I’m not tired for the next one.
- Eating good nutrition right after the workout: peanut butter, bananas (I seriously eat so many bananas!) and smoothies
- Stretching!!!!! Or rolling or walking.
- Ice baths suck, but they are good for long workout recovery. But they are so terrible. I should have had an ice bath last night. It’s hard to do in the cold, cold winter.
- Remember this: Don’t recover to train, train to recover!
This next week has a little blip in it as I have to travel for work for 2 days. While it is recommended that a Rest Day be completely restful, sometimes it is just a day that you don’t sweat a lot. That’s what one of these days will be. Such is life.