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By Coach Yan Busset
As a triathlete, it's often challenging to decide whether to push through a tough training session or take a rest day. The fear of missing out (FOMO) on crucial training can lead to overtraining, injuries, and burnout. To help you train smarter and stay injury-free, I recommend a combination of methods, including a practical rule that I'll detail later on: the 20-Minute Rule.
Tracking Recovery Values:
To ensure you're absorbing your training workload, track your recovery using three key metrics:
Rest Heart Rate or HRV: Monitor daily.
Sleeping Hours: Focus on weekly averages rather than daily fluctuations.
Body Weight: Keep an eye on trends, avoiding rapid changes.
Regularly tracking recovery metrics helps identify trends and correlations. For example, if you get a flu or have a nagging injury, these could be correlated to your immune system going down or too much fatigue. By collecting data over weeks, you can see if factors like lack of sleep or high stress levels are impacting your heart rate variability. This makes it easier to adapt the training load and decide if you should take a rest day.
Perceived Effort Over Data?
While tools like TrainingPeaks offer valuable data, I emphasize the importance of perceived effort and how you feel during sessions. Rate each session immediately after completing it to gauge your training assimilation. This practice helps you and your coach make more informed decisions.
Mental Health and Flexibility
FOMO can lead to unhealthy training obsessions. It's crucial to maintain mental flexibility and not view your training plan under a microscope. Missing a session is okay. Look at the bigger picture; skipping a session today can prevent compromising your training for days or weeks. Embrace flexibility in your training to maintain both physical and mental health.
I recall from my competitive days being on a team training camp with a really high training workload. One of the last training sessions was a run. It was really warm, and I was probably a bit dehydrated. I didn't feel my best, but I didn't want to show any weakness, so I decided to carry on. I didn't feel good from the get-go, and it kept getting worse. Toward the end of the session, even though it was just an endurance run, I twisted my ankle badly on a sidewalk. leading to many days off training an one DNS on race day.
I had a predisposition for really flexible ankles, making them prone to getting torn, but I didn't see that one coming. Later on, I understood that my fatigue level and dehydration were damaging my proprioception reflexes. This experience taught me a lesson the hard way. If I had followed the following rule, I would have probably avoided getting injured:
Practical Takeaway: The 20-Minute Rule
Sometimes, you're unsure if you're ready to train. The 20-Minute Rule helps you decide:
Start the Session: If you're feeling unsure, give it a go.
Assess After 5-10 Minutes: In 90% of cases, you'll feel better within the first 5-10 minutes. If so, continue your session.
Assess After 20 Minutes: If after 20 minutes you still feel bad, stop the session and call it a day. Continuing could lead to poor form, poor technique, overtraining, or potential lead to injury. This rule provides an objective framework, reducing the subjectivity and anxiety around missing a session. It's better to skip a session and rest than to risk long-term setbacks.
By implementing these methods, including the practical 20-Minute Rule, you can make smarter training decisions. Tracking recovery metrics and focusing on perceived effort help ensure you're training effectively while avoiding burnout and injury. Remember, it's better to rest when needed than to push through and risk setbacks. Stay flexible and keep the big picture in mind to achieve your goals.
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