Quality Rest, or When Is Enough Enough?

Last Tuesday, I had on the agenda a workout that consisted of two intervals of 20 minutes apiece, with a 10-15 minute recovery. It was threatening rain, so I chose to do it indoors on the trainer rather than deal with the thunderstorms. After a 15 minute warmup, I started the workout and found I could barely exceed my anaerobic threshold (AT), the point at which the muscles cannot get enough oxygen to produce energy in the normal fashion, and begin to produce lactic acid (the legendary "burn" that indicates high-powered training). I know lagging heart rate to be a sign of fatigue, and yup, looking at my training log confirmed why I should have been tired. The preceding Sunday had consisted of a six-plus-hour run-bike workout, and the following day was a one-hour, twenty-nine minute running workout in which I had pushed myself above AT for a couple of miles, just to test myself. I was tired, and in a normal week I would have delayed that workout later, except that I was leaving the next morning for a four-day business trip and wouldn't be able to ride the whole time.

Essentially, I was overtrained, if only for a short time. I've learned over time as I've gotten a little wiser and a little older that overtraining is worse than undertraining (you can always rely on adrenaline to get you through some races). And it's particularly important as one ages, because the body's ability to heal itself declines with time. So I'm always gratified to see articles like this one in Triathlete magazine that talk about the dangers of overtraining. This author points out:


"This is a common problem seen in many athletes who are beginning their training. Contributing factors include a desire to see continued improvement, the sudden weight loss that occurs after a couple of months of regular exercise and a mistaken belief that skipping a day or two of training will result in a loss of previous gains. Experience and research has shown conclusively that overtraining has marked effects on physical and psychological wellbeing. Immune system depression, difficulty concentrating and sleep disturbances are all recognized complications. Furthermore, it is also well understood that recovery periods and rest are as important to a successful training program as are periods of intense exercise. Recovery allows for muscle remodeling and adaptation and allows for more prolonged and intense exercise afterwards. Important components of a successful recovery period are: adequate time, (depending on the athlete and the duration and intensity of the exercise in the period just prior), proper nutrition and rest (including sleep and entire days without exercise)."


How did my workout end? I called off the first intense interval after three minutes, recovered for about 10 minutes, and then focused on pedaling form with a series of high-cadence intervals (110 rpms and higher) and slow one-legged pedaling. It was the best way to get value out of the workout without causing any more damage.