RECOVERY!
What is it?
When do you need it? and
How to execute recovery properly.
Recovery;
"a return to a normal state of health, mind and strength. the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost"
Recovery and its place in your training program and life is a critical component of your performance gains. The human body is designed to repair itself, training stress creates damage that with adequate recovery time the body can repair and adapt in a positive way to the stressor - this is the road to fitness gains. Recovery in the context of your training is quite simple -
go easy when it says to go easy
Bridging, supporting, optional, low stress - starting to sound familiar? - these are the training sessions that allow you to keep moving, but provide an opportunity for "active recovery" TIME (yes we need time) between the key sessions and don't place large amounts of additional stress on the body. They keep you moving, but they don't break you down. To keep rhythm in your training and not need to take time off due to fatigue, it is essential to start to really take these easier sessions easy. They are in essence your "recovery" time, when combined with adequate sleep, good nutrition and optional hydration.
BUT: there are times where life stressors and other factors mean that this is not enough and so actual time off from training is needed. It is important to know and be aware of when you are feeling this fatigue creep up on you. Taking a step back to recover with full rest is important at this stage for your body but also for your mind. Fatigue does not only affect the body functions but also our emotions and enjoyment of our wonderful sport.
There are many gadgets and supplements out there that can provide marginal gains to recovery - but at the end of the day if you don't have sessions with varying efforts and focus, and never give yourself enough time between hard sessions, don't sleep enough, not fueling your training, poor daily diet and dehydrated - then these gadgets will provide very little benefit.
We put a lot of effort and time into our BIG endurance goals, be sure to pay close attention to your own rhythm and response to training and realise that if your whole system isn't working optimally then the training can start to feel like work , you can feel fatigued, fall ill and worse case lose enjoyment in the process! #findflow #itsaprocess