Tis the Season....to overtrain

This past Saturday's group ride went well, considering I averaged 10 watts above my Ironman PR wattage at 280 (PR 270). So, for 62 mile ride I averaged a wattage that was only 15-20 less than my Half Ironman races, when I am in peak form.

Yup, tis the season to be over-training.

I wont be riding with the group anymore. I'll say, sure I worked a few hills, and it's tempting, but for the most part I stayed behind and my high average watts were mainly with riding off the back of the group, barely keeping up.

I threw in a 30 minute TT on Sauvie Island after the first 30 minutes and was very happy with the sustained 323 watts at 65 cadence. BUT, the remainder of the ride should have been down at the bottom of Zone 2 wattage, so my average for the ride should have been mid to high zone 2, about 50 watts below my IM wattage. I will have to be stronger and next group I hook up with, I'll have to just peel off and ride on my own. Nothing against those I ride with, but should I be working so hard to hang onto the back?

This part of the year, March, is so classic to see the over training emerge. Warm days are more frequent, and we're getting outside after long winter of spinning and riding in bad weather. We are more fit than we realize, and when we finally get out there, we want...uhhh..need, to "prove" we've done our work. We've had a great off season and are in the best shape of our lives, so we have to prove it to those we ride and run with.

Yeah, it sounds ridiculous but its true for many athletes out there. Its OK to push too hard and play around. Its OK to push the limits here and there, and compete in workouts. The most important thing to remember is appropriate rest and allow yourself to recovery. I could have ridden yesterday, but I didnt. I felt "good". That doesnt matter. Objectively, I try to see myself through the eyes of another coach watching me. What would THAT coach do if his athlete road 62 miles at near half ironman race watts....hmmm...He'd likely have that athlete rest the next day at the minimum. Well, at least I know I would. In fact, I'd have my athlete take 2 days off the legs. One full day off and maybe a swim on day 2. Then resume on day 3.
So, this is what I did. I took yesterday Sunday off. Man I wanted to spin though. But, I didnt.

This is the most difficult aspect of preparing for an Ironman, Half Ironman, or Marathon. Knowing when to rest. Understanding what recovery pace is. This is one of the primary contributions a coach can make for an athlete. Look, any of us can go out and hammer workouts, especially when we are in shape. In fact, the relative speed at which we bike or run is irrelevant. Its how we feel inside. If a 10 min per mile marathon split is your Ironman pace for the past 2-3 races....maybe you shouldnt be running your 16 miler at 9 min pace. If your PR bike power is 205 for an Ironman, uhhhh, maybe you shouldnt be averaging 270 for 65 mile rides.

Jackie Joyner Kersee, 7 Olympic medals over 4 consecutive Olympics if I remember correctly, said in an interview back in 1996. Nobody thought she could come back 16 years after her Silver in 1984, then 2 Golds in 1988. The interviewer after the long jump competition asked, "Jackie, what made the difference for you, what has your new coach done"...something along those lines. Jackie replied, "he's taught me how to rest". I'll never forget hearing that as I had just set my personal marathon best at Mens Nationals that year, at the age of 32, 8 years after my first marathon, and that season logging less miles in my prep than in the prior 2 years consecutively.

Look,
I cant get into your head. I cant be there with a rope pulling you back...although I have been known to grab onto Ann's shirt from behind during her runs, and pull on it, and tell her to slow the hell down. On the other hand, when it's time to run fast such as in super threshold work, I've barked at her to push harder, harder, harder. ANYONE can go out and run or bike as hard as they can until they bonk, and feel good that they pushed themselves to the max. But I tell you what's harder...?Knowing you can push much harder but don't. Approaching your threshold without going over....Pushing hard when you're supposed to is easy, its very easy to know what "as hard as I can" feels like. However, its difficult to know what "easy" feels like, and what "recovery" feels like. If you're out there running or cycling and you have to ask yourself, "hmmm, am I going easy enough?" You probably arent, so slow down a bit more.

Learn this. Be honest with yourself. You'll succeed or you wont. Odds are, it will be your own fault. If you fail knowing you did all you could do? Keep your head up high, you gave it your best and have nothing to regret. Then, go back and make small adjustments to improve.

The final word?
Nobody cares how you train, nobody remembers that hammer fest hill ride last March when you go for that Kona slot in June, July, or August. If you train like you're going to put together a 5:10 bike split, or run a 3:20 marathon split, then bike a 5:40 and run 4 hours guess what? THAT'S what will be remembered. You'll remember your races, not your workouts.

Workout to race, dont race the workout.

-ciav