Rest and Recovery, February 17, 2020
Recovery is so important to give yourself a physical, mental and emotional rest. It is also a great time to pay some attention to those around you rather than yourself and/or your training partners.
The way your IRONMAN race recovery pans out depends on a number of factors, but certainly experience in the sport, how much damage the race did to your muscles and how long your build up has been going should all be taken into consideration. Here are some of my experiences, and what I have I seen with some of my athletes.
Time Heals All
You have just finished an Ironman. Your body is likely to be deficient in sleep from months of early mornings and probably late nights. Your muscles ache and body parts are probably chafed. Your Cortisol levels are through the roof and you are depleted in important micro-nutrients. Your significant others don't know you, however your dog probably still does as that's your favoured jogging partner. Why would you want to go out and increase these negative factors?
One thing I find happens is I like to sleep, not necessarily during the day, which is a good thing as I have work to do, but I sleep heavy at night, and really struggle to get up in the morning. While this is happening I respect the fact that my body is screaming outfor some 'me' time. If you neglect these signs you'll be on a slippery slope to Adrenal Fatigue and other serious ailments. Do yourself and your partner a favour, don't set the alarm for 5:00am, in fact don't set it at all, have a sleep in and enjoy it. If you are having trouble sleeping and are waking often through the night then that is also a sure sign that you are far from fully recovered. When I find myself waking up naturally and closer to the usual time I would awaken for training then I know I am ready to start introducing some training again.
I also find that often I come down with a sore throat, a sniffly nose and maybe a cold sore, another sign that training has placed me on the edge and my immune system has been struggling for a long time. If you find this too rather than training eat a good piece of steak and a pile of salad, you'll be better for it.
Clear the training and racing diary
Another thing I recommend is not to plan any training session or event in the weeks after a key race. You want to know that there is nothing nagging at you to get up and gettraining.For someone having just completed their first IRONMAN I would recommend keeping things unstructured and VERY VERY light for 2-3 weeks after the race, and only looking at consistent training when all factors have been addressed - sleep patterns, body weight normalized, even have some blood tests to see if you remain depleted in any areas. If you carry any muscle damage or inflammation through to your next training cycle you are likely to be more susceptible to injury.
Post IRONMAN Recovery Strategy
This will give you some idea as to what you can do in the weeks after your race
- 1-2 Weeks Post race - Maximise the recovery. Perform some very light aerobic training. Work on skills and technique. Be kind and gentle to your body...you've been mean enough for the months prior.
- 3-4 Weeks Post race - Resume some quality training. Avoid going for long workouts. Keep focusing on skills and bring some speed into your training.
- 5-10 Weeks Post race - You can schedule a few short course races. These are fun and help develop your skills further and work on your speed development.
- >10 Weeks Post race - Resume and IRONMAN focused training plan, if that's your next goal event. Look to bring your performance to that next level and benefit from the adequate rest you've had.
Your next peak races are still a long way off and don't forget this. The temptation to get stuck intotraining too soon, whether it's because you are buzzing about the next season, or are scared of losing your fitness, can feel quite overcoming. But please, give yourself that initial full rest to give you body the recovery that it needs and take the stress off your coach (trust me, your coach knows if you have been lying about your lack of exercise). You need patience and trust in your body’s ability to heal itself given the time to do it right.
Do something different
You've spent a long long time turning yourself into an IRONMAN machine! That's a huge effort in itself let alone what you have acheived on erace day in getting to the finish line. So do you really want to see your wetsuit, bike or running shoes again? Probably not, I tend to not want to look at those items for a while.
Certainly don't stop all activity, but try something different. Play a round of Golf, try Stand Up Paddling, go for an over-night hike, do some kayaking, go Mountain Biking...something that is removed from the monotony of Swim/Bike/Run.
Tend to the injuries
Many of you would have been carrying a bit of a niggle into the race, it's not ideal but quite common and unavoidable in some cases. With this added downtime now you have the opportunity to do some proper therapy on these injuries and make yourself rock solid and resistant to injuries in future.
Build a list
After the month or so of rest you no doubt will be thinking of the next thing to do. So get planning. Is there a race you'd love to do? Is there a piece of equipment you've been wanting to get for your bike? Do you want to help your spouse to their IRONMAN goal?
Well start building that list and discover the steps you need to take to get your there. It might require a bit of budgeting and negotiating with significant others, but there's no better motivation than a freshly rested athlete brimming with confidence and keenness
