Today was to be Day 4 of ETW but it was called off on the basis of my body being completely broken down from the sheer volume. Now some people may try to quote Nietzsche's, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Personally I perfer WWE's The Rock, "I'll hire a trainer when I can no longer kick my own ass."
Thats what its all about really. I wanted my Epic Training Weekend, and really the whole week to be one giant ass kicking. One last big push before I start dropping volume and increasing intensity for Florida Ironman. I and thanks to Mistress and my training partners delievered.
Saturdays iron swim was perfect, could not have had a better relationship with the water. On the way to the bike ride there was a fatality accident on the freeway that stopped traffic for thirty minutes. I wasn't mad about being stuck in traffic and being late because really, in the bigger sense my ride didn't matter as much as that.
We started late and decided to cut the ride short from 70 miles to 62 (metric century). Beat the hell out of the course until the last 15 miles. At that point I really just wanted to fall alseep on the bike, my eyes were tired, they kept dropping on me and thats when I saw the other side of epic training.
From Tuesday to Saturday my workouts were high volume, mentally focused beat downs. I was thousand short in calories each night complaining to Mistress that I couldn't possibly put more food in my system. I drank almost two gallons of water a day in training and recovery and still had constant cotton mouth. The whole week I played the fine line between too much fluid in my stomach (cramping) and dehydration (dry mouth). I was losinng 6-10 pounds in training then putting 3-5 back before the next workout. I couldn't keep the hydration and nutritional needs up to the same level of training for six straight days, this after a huge build week before that. I couldn't recover fast enough between workout sessions.
On Saturday my body simply said, "Enough" you have done enough. The lack of nutrition day after day, being constantly behind in sleep and hydration and then of course the training itself showed me what I needed to know about myself.
Today I am in full recovery mode. I went down to watch the underground tri the team put on. I am eating everything I can. I am resting my poor worn out legs. My body is fried inside and out. I have chaffing along my neck and armpits and crotch. I have flaming red sunburns on my legs and face. I have sunburns on my back along my tri jersey outline. I have a blistering sunburn on my lower back, along the belt line, where my jersey isn't long enough when I'm areo. I have blackened toe nails and blood bruises on my hips from the water belt digging in. My muscle fiber is strong enough to get me around but put me under tension like climbing stairs or carrying something and they fatigue in a minute. God I love this stuff.
The flip side of epic training is the amazing importance needed to insure hydration, nutrition and recovery. Its not enough to just plan gonzo workouts to see how much load you can handle. Losing a day is not a failure to me when it showed me I still have what it takes to push myself through an extreme periodization phase.
The flip side is also listening to your body. There is no shame, no begrudement, no worries. My training partners, whom I couldn't have done this without, all look at this weeks training as a perfect peak for me. And I agree. Plus, there is something very satisfying about being at our underground triathlon this morning and someone asking, "Why aren't you out there?" and someone else saying, "Because he swam 4 miles, rode 125 miles and ran 30 miles in the last five days. He GETS a day off. He EARNED it."
I did earn it. Tomorrow calls for a massage and stretch session by a therepist, then a low volume recovery week leading to the Timex Olympic Tri next weekend here in town.
Loving every minute of it.
Thats what its all about really. I wanted my Epic Training Weekend, and really the whole week to be one giant ass kicking. One last big push before I start dropping volume and increasing intensity for Florida Ironman. I and thanks to Mistress and my training partners delievered.
Saturdays iron swim was perfect, could not have had a better relationship with the water. On the way to the bike ride there was a fatality accident on the freeway that stopped traffic for thirty minutes. I wasn't mad about being stuck in traffic and being late because really, in the bigger sense my ride didn't matter as much as that.
We started late and decided to cut the ride short from 70 miles to 62 (metric century). Beat the hell out of the course until the last 15 miles. At that point I really just wanted to fall alseep on the bike, my eyes were tired, they kept dropping on me and thats when I saw the other side of epic training.
From Tuesday to Saturday my workouts were high volume, mentally focused beat downs. I was thousand short in calories each night complaining to Mistress that I couldn't possibly put more food in my system. I drank almost two gallons of water a day in training and recovery and still had constant cotton mouth. The whole week I played the fine line between too much fluid in my stomach (cramping) and dehydration (dry mouth). I was losinng 6-10 pounds in training then putting 3-5 back before the next workout. I couldn't keep the hydration and nutritional needs up to the same level of training for six straight days, this after a huge build week before that. I couldn't recover fast enough between workout sessions.
On Saturday my body simply said, "Enough" you have done enough. The lack of nutrition day after day, being constantly behind in sleep and hydration and then of course the training itself showed me what I needed to know about myself.
Today I am in full recovery mode. I went down to watch the underground tri the team put on. I am eating everything I can. I am resting my poor worn out legs. My body is fried inside and out. I have chaffing along my neck and armpits and crotch. I have flaming red sunburns on my legs and face. I have sunburns on my back along my tri jersey outline. I have a blistering sunburn on my lower back, along the belt line, where my jersey isn't long enough when I'm areo. I have blackened toe nails and blood bruises on my hips from the water belt digging in. My muscle fiber is strong enough to get me around but put me under tension like climbing stairs or carrying something and they fatigue in a minute. God I love this stuff.
The flip side of epic training is the amazing importance needed to insure hydration, nutrition and recovery. Its not enough to just plan gonzo workouts to see how much load you can handle. Losing a day is not a failure to me when it showed me I still have what it takes to push myself through an extreme periodization phase.
The flip side is also listening to your body. There is no shame, no begrudement, no worries. My training partners, whom I couldn't have done this without, all look at this weeks training as a perfect peak for me. And I agree. Plus, there is something very satisfying about being at our underground triathlon this morning and someone asking, "Why aren't you out there?" and someone else saying, "Because he swam 4 miles, rode 125 miles and ran 30 miles in the last five days. He GETS a day off. He EARNED it."
I did earn it. Tomorrow calls for a massage and stretch session by a therepist, then a low volume recovery week leading to the Timex Olympic Tri next weekend here in town.
Loving every minute of it.
7 comments:
Sounds grueling! Good job on your epic weekend! WRT hydration, just remember you'll be in FL, not AZ! Humidity, you know. You'll sweat like a pig (even if it's a cool day), and the sweat won't evaporate very well, especially on the run. Be sure you know your body's needs very well!
i'd have to say the ETW was a complete success...
load and recover... say it 3 times!
p.s. the Timex Oly? what, are you there for recon, or to infiltrate and confuse the enemy?
Dude, was there ever any shame in taking a day off? Oh, and when you're hungry, eat! I know how much you love eating. Do it. Nice work on the monster week and nice job recognizing your bodies limits. Now, go eat!
Keep your body with proper fuel and lots of rest is what i find help me the most in my focus week.
Those weeks are love/hate relationship. Body start to hate training but the more I am in it, my life is becmoing more focus and all life's minor niusances...become irrelavnt.
I thought my weekend was tough! Nice job big man! I laughed when you were talking about the stairs and your legs fatiging. I love this stuff as well. Take it easy and have a good massage. It isn't one of those Far East spas is it?
HA HA
gee, you make it sound like so much...fun!
Awesome! Now go get some bloody sleep already!
gee, you make it sound like so much...fun!
Awesome! Now go get some bloody sleep already!
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