Let's Talk Overtraining

The big "O".

 

Get your mind out of the gutter.  I mean "Overtraining".  First, I am writing it as one word.  I'm not sure it is, but I am too lazy to look it up.  So, one word it will be to me.

 

I've been thinking and promising these thoughts for a while.  A real world example has prompted me to actually write it down.  Or, in this case type it down.

 

Second, a brief review.  We train so that our body will adapt.  Some train to just make it without dying.  Other train to make it in less time than it took last week, last year, last decade.  Adaption is our goal.  By training we stress our bodies, expect them to repair themselves, and then expect them to get better.  Here is the formula (Forgive the engineer/scientist thing it will not last long):

 

Training=Stress

Repair=Recovery (Active or Inactive)

Result=Faster or Stronger

 

Training + Repair = Result

 

Simple substitution yields:

 

Training + Recovery = Faster or Training + Recovery = Stronger

 

Without going into a bunch of Gaussian Elimination, I will tell you what that silliness yields.

 

We all know what training is.  And, we probably all know how to do.

 

We all also know what our desired result(s) are.

 

That leaves us with recovery.  I would actually argue that both training and results are a function (fancy calculus term here) of recovery.  Thus:

 

Results f(Recovery)

 

Training f(Recovery)

 

Note two things are linked to recovery.  IT IS NOT Recovery f(Training, Results).

 

The amount of recovery needed will depend to the volume and intensity of training.  But, it will also depend on what you are trying to get out of your training (results).

 

Enough talking in math circles.

 

You can train all you want.  Or, you can try to.  At some point you have to allow your body the time and ability to heal itself in order for it to adapt.

 

What does that mean?  It means all your workouts can't be at warp speed.  It means that you can't do three-a-day workouts for six months straight.  Without recovery, be it moderate/slow paced workouts or complete rest, you will very quickly see results flushed down the toilet.

 

What do I do?  I make sure my workout plan involves some active recovery, and I make sure that my plan included one complete off day a week.  I do at least one swim, bike, and run workout a week at about 60% effort.  That means a nice swim for the sake of swimming, a bike ride where I suck wheel most of the time, and a jog.  Side note: while jogging I look for dead bodies.  It always seems that joggers find dead bodies all the time and I log enough miles that I should find one soon.

 

What is/are the sign/s of overtraining?  Google it yourself. 

 

Here is what I have seen recently.  When Ben started "Tri Training" again he added all kinds of stress to his happy training routine.  He started running and even started some swimming.  I'm not Ben (He is much younger than I), but I would call that added stress.  When you go from just riding your little bike to being a triathlete, you are upping the ante as they (I still don't know who "they" are) say.  What he didn't do was add recovery at the same time.  He really added a lot of running and swimming.  But, like I noted, he is younger than I and knows his own body. 

 

How do I know?  Well, we went for an easy Sunday morning ride.  We don't usually ride on Sundays.  But, I had taken off to attend some family chores (see below post)on Saturday, so 60 miles of no work fit in both our schedules.  To fast forward, Ben had a bad day on his bicycle.  He had more issues than I could pay attention to.  Granted, I have a short attention span.  But, he did not have fun.  I actually thought he was practicing for marriage or something.  I'm not sure how many days in a row he worked out previously.  I was coming off a complete day off, so I was fresh as a daisy.  Or the sweaty male equivalent of a daisy.  I was tootling on my bike and Ben was working way harder than he should have been.  What Ben found was the point at which his body could no longer repair itself from the training that he had been putting it through.  Ben, very quickly, figured out that he overtrained himself.

 

Now, everyone's limit will be different.  There is diet, sleep, life stress equations all that to add to the above equations (Gaussian elimination is really necessary).  Once you've been there you will not quickly forget it.  I try to, but sometimes fail at, being 5% undertrained rather than 1% overtrained.  Sometime training is too fun to stop.

 

Your mileage may vary.

There is More to Life than Triathlon

Yes.  Believe it or not.

 

Now, I'm just as OCD about my tri training and participation as most others.  I think it is important to have as plan, stick to it, and be constant in your training.  But, let's face it, most of our chances of going pro as slim.  Triathlon is a great way to get, and keep, one's body healthy.  It is a great group of people to hang out with.  And, it is just plain old fun.

 

But, there is a point of diminishing returns.  What I am talking about here is both over training and about negatively impacting one's non-triathlon life.  The second, of course, assumes that you have a life.  If you don't, that sucks for you.  Get one, you'll like one.

 

First, to the second.  With Ironman Wisconsin around the corner, I have witnesses a lot of triathletes not talking about tapers, runs, or bike rides.  They are talking about how their families are all looking forward to when, "Ironman is over."  Now, I don't know what their family dynamics are like, but I can speak to mine.

 

I would like to do Ironman.  At least one, but I know myself and one would probably start a trend.  My wife knows this too.  I've sat down with the numbers and with my training schedule.  For me, personally, to do an Ironman would require about an extra eight (8) hours of training a week.  Side note: When I say "do" an Ironman I speak to maximizing my personal performance at one.  I would not like to "just do one to finish it".  That is not to say that just finishing an Ironman is not an accomplishment.  I just feel that if I am going to do that volume of training, I want to maximize whatever my performance would be at that race distance.  Back to the story:  So, I need about eight more hours a week for about three months.  For Ironman Wisconsin, that would mean for the months of June, July, and August I would have to keep my training schedule about the same as it is now during the week, but would have to add Saturday and Sunday training.  See, right now, I only train for two hours on Saturday.  I do a kind of long run and a short swim on Saturday and Sunday is my off day.  I think for Ironman I would need Saturday for a long bike and medium run and would have to add a long run on Sunday.  I would make Monday an off day, but still.  Now, what does that have to do with the subject?  In order for me to change my training as such, I would seriously impact my family's schedule.  And, I would make seeing Daddy on the weekend more difficult.  Believe me, Julie and I have discussed this at length.  She understands that I want to do Ironman.  And, I understand what function I play in our family unit.  Together, right now, I remain content to race one Half Iron distance and a bunch of sprints.  Maybe next year I'll do a couple or three halfs (not halves).  We'll see.

 

So, to the second point from above, I have a lot of fun training for and racing triathlons.  But, I have a lot of fun being a husband and father.  I do what I can to prioritize and get in my tri training done.  But, through much negotiation with Julie and some actual understanding, I know that husband and father are better life titles than triathlete.  Some of the guys I've recently overheard talking along with what they are saying about their families, have lead me to think that either one, some, or all of the following may have taken place in their lives:

 

1.  They did not really understand how much training is necessary to do an IM.

2.  They did not express how much training is necessary to do an IM to their family.

3.  Their family did not really understand how much training is necessary to do an IM.

4.  There was not a family discussion about doing an IM.

5.  Real life priorities were not kept during IM training.

 

I can definitely see how any or all of those above could happen.  A couple of those are holes that could just keep getting deeper if you let them.

 

In the end, as non-professional athletes, what are those fifteen minutes off your Ironman time worth?  If you want to go to Hawaii, I'll bet just about any travel agent will book the flights for you.  Heck, what is that silly piece of tin with an attached ribbon from your local tri worth?  What are they worth when you weigh them against your life outside of triathlon?

 

As for over training.  I'll touch on that in an upcoming post.  I have to admit that I am just tired of typing right now.

 

See ya.