The Mental Aspects Of Recovery

Just read a great article on the Competitor website.  It was titled: Mental Aspects Of Recovery and was written by Melanie McQuaid .  Anyone who knows who Ms. McQuaid is knows that she very well might know her stuff.

This is a great article.  It hits on all the key points that are critical to resting, recovery, and periodization during any serious training program.

What caught my eye, however, was point #2: "Do I feel like doing this?"  This could also be phrased: "How do I feel?"  I mean, I can't count the number of times that, upon waking up at 400a, I'll feel just fine physically.   But I sure have a hard time convincing myself that I want to ride for 2 1/2 hours before work.  Mentally, we need to be strong to overcome the desire to sleep in.  More importantly, we need to be able to distinguish between 'wanting' to sleep in vs 'needing' to sleep in.

As a coach, it's critical to always be checking in on how our athletes feel - both mentally and physically.  Feeling tired physically; being agitated or irritable, or being overly negative about a performance or recent training session, are all potential signs that an athlete could be fatigued and in need of additional rest.

During the USAT Coaching Clinic, I found that one of the questions that all of the presenters / coaches ask their elite athletes throughout a training cycle is "How do you feel?"  Not only are they looking for input regarding their physical well-being, but they're assessing the mental state and attitude of their athlete as well.

I don't think we focus on rest and recovery enough in training.  A common trap that athletes can fall into is basing workouts on "how many miles / hours did I train?"  We should be focusing on quality workouts, with good intensity and periodization.  This will allow our bodies to rest, and recover adequately while at the same time allowing our bodies to efficiently acclimate to all the hard work that we've done.  You have to incorporate adequate rest into your training plan in order for all the hard work to pay off.

Check out the article here.  It's good food for thought.

Serious Workouts Return

I had my first significant / serious workout since my accident today.  I headed to the gym around 7:00a and hit the pool.  I'd been getting to the pool somewhat regularly to do some nominal swimming - but it was more part of physical therapy and targeted at getting more flexibility back in my ankle.  Likewise, I'd been on the bike trainer here at home for short stretches of time - again with the goal of getting some range of motion and strength back. 

Today I decided that I needed to get things back in form.  I'm feeling pretty good in regards to my rehab, so today was the first day of me "getting back at it".  From this point forward, all swims and bike trainer sessions will take on a new level of intensity.  My goal is to be ready for some sort of racing come the fall.

Today's swim workout:

400y warm up. 
2 x (1 x 50, 1 x 100, 1 x 50) stroke drills on :15 rest
4 x 100 pull (pull buoy and paddles) on the 1:40
1 x 50 easy
4 x 100 pull (pull buoy) on the 1:40
3 x 200 on 3:15
200 cool down

2,400 yards - :45 minutes.  Nothing too crazy today in regards to intensity or distance.  I felt a little tight towards the end of the 200's, but was pretty pleased overall.  Flip turns still require me to push off with only my right leg, but I'm able to kick with equal force on both legs.  Very exciting indeed!

Upon arriving home, I revisited my long-lost friend the training calendar.  I immediately removed all the workouts I was "supposed to do" in preparation for a half iron triathlon in September.  These were replaced with new swimming and cycling workouts.  And in regards to my cycling workouts, based on my last physical therapy session it's very likely that I'll be outside riding in a couple of weeks which will make me very happy.  At that point I'll be able to crank up the intensity another notch.

Hopefully everyone is having a good holiday today.  And hopefully you all got in a workout before the chocolate bunnies come into play.

Weekly boredom update and fave posts

I haven't trained heavily this week - save for physical therapy.  I did swim....and I did get some time on the bike trainer.  Alas, this *#@*&$# ankle is still not letting me get outside and run and jump and play.  So, I've been reading about other peoples training and, well....while I don't like being injured, at least I'm reading more!

Okay, enough of the smarmy feel-good stuff.  I'm crawling out of my skin.  I'm beyond impatient and NEED to be out running.  Swimming is great.  The bike trainer is great.  But I'm not 100%, and I won't be until my ankle is back to normal.  Obvious, I know, but I had to get it out there.  I'm going stir crazy and I'm man enough to admit it.  So aside from drinking more beer, I'm beginning to become angst-filled.  Sort of like week 2 or 3 of a taper.

So, aside from reading a bit more and drinking more beer than usual, I thought I'd cover a couple quick items:

First - I was looking at my site analytics, and was very curious about one of the Google search entries that led someone to my blog:

"Triathlons and the wealthy"

What the heck did I write that caused that search to cause a hit on my site?  No idea.  Moving on.

Second - I wanted to share a couple of the good posts I've stumbled on in the last week or so.

Self-Talking Our Bodies Into Submission
The Endurance Athlete's Scrapbook

You might have noticed, however, that both posts are from Susan Lacke.  Yep, that's right.....I have a blog crush on Susan.  I do.  Can't deny it.  My wife approves (actually, I think my wife has a blog crush on Susan as well.  Hmmm, competition).

Susan is cool.  She's funny.  If she lived closer (and I don't really know where she lives to be honest) I'd be inviting her and her family over for dinner.

Read her stuff.

Progress

So, do I just hand in my chip?

My ankle is feeling better, thank you very much.  I'm not in the big black walking boot anymore - I'm in a much sleeker, and aerodynamic brace now. 

Which one would you rather wear?

The great thing is I can wear a regular shoe with this new brace.  It makes getting around on crutches much easier.  My Orthopedist did say that I'll need to wear this brace for 6 more weeks.  But, the crutches can go away as soon as I'm strong enough to walk comfortably without them.  This made me "Mr. Happy Guy" last Friday.  Great news as far as I'm concerned.  Six weeks post ankle surgery and I could be off crutches within another month.  Maybe.

The timing of this news was good.  A couple friends from the usual morning running crew  dropped me a line to check in and see how things were going with my rehab.  This was great info to have as I provided updates.  So, with all this on my mind, my first thoughts over the weekend were: "When do I think I can race next?"

Suffice it to say that the North Face Endurance Challenge 1/2 Marathon in May is out.  So is the triathlon in June I was targeting.  That one bums me out as I had a top 10 finish / 1st in AG podium last year.  I was really looking forward to getting on that course again. 

I'm also not going to be able to do the Stamford Olympic triathlon this June as well.  I had some redemption on my mind after I received a time penalty at this race last year which bumped me from an age-group podium finish.  No redemption this year, apparently. 

So now we're into July and August.  I'm registered for two races during these two months and I'm pretty sure that, while I may be able to jog with some nominal level of discomfort, I won't be able to run with any great intensity.  Same goes with the Toughman Half Iron triathlon in September.  I just don't know what I'll be able to muster on the run.

This isn't to say that I couldn't do the swim, the bike, and then just jog easy through the run.  I could.  But that would suck, in my opinion.  I have enough Type-A / OCD triathlete in me to know that if I was having a great race and then jogged the run I'd be a mental wreck.

What's a person to do?  Hence my opening question.  Should I do the swim and the bike and then turn in my timing chip?  Could I do that?  I mean, of course I can.  But the question is, should I?

I say "should I" as I'm a bit conflicted.  Not all these races have an Aquabike category.  And for those that don't, what impact will I have on other athletes?  If I were to pass someone on the bike course - and they see that I'm in their age group and, as I would, attempt to reel me back in - this person is going to burn a bunch of extra energy.  More to the point, they're going to burn energy chasing down someone who was never going to be a factor in their race.  I'm sure I could sit here and dream up all the reasons that I have a valid plan in the works.  Heck, I can justify almost anything if you give me enough time.

I want to race as soon as possible.  Dare I say I NEED to race!  I'm going absolutely stir-crazy not being able to get outside and run or ride.  Swimming is great.  But 15 minute sessions on the bike trainer are getting old.  I know that as soon as I'm able to ramp things up, I'm going to want to race as soon as possible.

So, again, what's a person to do?  I need input here folks.  If there's no Aquabike category at a race, do I pull a DNS (did not start) and volunteer?  Or do I do what I can and turn in my chip once I get to T2?

USAT Coaching Clinic Recap

I was in Baltimore last weekend for my USAT coaching clinic.  What an experience.  There was just tons of info and it was really inspiring to listen to all the presenters.  Most of them are coaching athletes, elite and otherwise, and to hear about their approach to coaching was really educational.  This weekend really solidified my desire to coach.  I know deep down that I can do something here that benefits athletes of all levels.

The good stuff:

• Anything that was covered by Bob Seebohar and Justin Trolle.  I know that sounds hokey, but I'm serious.  The day and a half that these two alone spent with the group was simply amazing.

• Building a proper training plan

• Great content from all the Level III coaches, and hearing how they train their athletes and build their workouts.

• Great ideas all around on how to improve transition times and mental prep.

• The discussions on nutrition were amazing.  I could have spent hours on this alone.

The "me being critical" stuff:

• The swimming presentation left a little to be desired.  Now, most of the other participants thought the lecture was very good, and that there was a lot of good information shared.  I'm being overly critical as I have a swimming background, and there was just nothing new that I hadn't heard before.  I thought it was a little light in content.

• Wait, no SWAG?!

The "are you kidding me?" stuff:

• The apparent lack of basic knowledge of triathlon fundamentals shown by a few of the participants.

• Individuals, who are currently coaching athletes, showing a lack of understanding of how specific workouts impact a training session. 

• Future colleagues dozing off and simply not paying attention.  Obviously, these individuals won't endure the test of time, as athletes will eventually see their shortcomings.

As I said earlier, there were two presenters that really stand out in my mind:  Bob Seebohar and Justin Trolle.  These guys gave, in my opinion, the best lectures and presentations.  These two individuals are an absolute wealth of knowledge.  They're coaching elite and national team athletes and they were nothing but inspiring.  This isn't to say that the other coaches and presenters weren't up to snuff - far from it.  But Bob and Justin were just tremendous.

In the end, it was very exciting to gain a new understanding of applying some theories, training techniques, and more importantly the building of a proper annual training plan.  I was embarrassed at how poorly I'd built my own previous 1/2 Iron training plans after seeing what Bob and Justin put together on a regular basis for their athletes.  Moving forward, while more complicated, my training will be taking on a whole new format.

More to the point, this clinic made me think again about how some coaches put together a plan for you with next to no pertinent information.  Based on what I heard, saw, and digested, there is simply no way you can build  a customized training plan - with periodization and proper fitness testing - without spending a significant amount of time with the athlete in question.  Having someone fill out a web form just isn't going to give you the information required.

And where I thought I was doing proper step-back weeks, and getting the rest I needed - wrong again.  Where I was sure that my plans had all the quality workouts cooked in without overdoing it on quantity....hmmmm, not exactly. 

Next up, CPR certification, and the USAT test for certification.  Then, a business plan!