recovery

[sean]

looking for any advice anyone has.
i`ve raced 2 ironmans and 2 half`s in 10 weeks and have 10 weeks until ironman arizona.i stopped the last ironman after the bike as my performance was well below standard.i took 7 days off after the last race and then tried an easy 30 min swim a 30 min bike and the next day a 30 min run. all were poor with my hr elevated for my workload. i then took 3 more days off and did an easy 3:45 min bike- however this is a route that usually takes me just over 3 hrs for the same effort. i`m taking one more week off and then will have 9 weeks until arizona.
here is the problem- if i`m not recovered by the end of the week do i start training slow and easy and hope for recovery or take more time off? how few weeks can i train for arizona and still produce a sub 10 hr effort? i can`t train well currently and can`t race well if i`m not recovered or not sufficiently trained. any ideas how to proceed?

[Andrew]

I would like to say I have some definitive answers, but the truth is we would have to wait and see how it goes. I believe your post-race fatigue, that has now been building all summer, is a result of true cardiac fatigue, though we have no way of proving this, until we get access to a Physioflow, and start some of our own research with regards to the affect of Ironman and endurance races on the cardiac system.

Remember, that the structures you have developed over the past 4 years of training will not "disappear" over a few weeks of rest. So, form my perspective, the focus should be on doing  training that allows for full recovery of the system that needs recovery (cardiac) while doing some other things to maintain the structures you have developed over the past few years (neuro, musculo-skeletal etc.).

On the bright side, this means NOT pushing your cardiovascular system eith by working at a high intensity, or for a long period of time, but does allow you to enjoy working on some ideas that you have previously not had time to include in your program (respiratory training, coordination, strength).

I think the rest at this point is essential, havign been through the same challenges this summer following a good performance in New Zealand. It is hard to let the recovery take place when there is an important event on the horizon, but also the only thing that will allow your body to perform to its potential.

Those are my thoughts...not a true answer, but just some ideas.

So you CAN train well....you just need to train with your brain, rather than your heart.

Here are three specific training sessions that you can try.

1) Spiro/Bike Coordination - alternate 5 minutes of Spiro with 3 minutes on the bike. Set up your equipment so you can stay on the bike the whole time. Set your wattage on the computrainer at 150 watts or lower. Ensure your heart rate does not climb above LBP-20 during the cycle portion. On the Spiro, work at 25 BPM with the largest bag you can while sitting on the bike...preferably in aero position if you can coordinate that. After 5 minutes, stop the Spiro and start 3 minutes of cadence at 105 RPM. At the end of three minutes, continue the high cadence until failure only if your HR remains below LBP-20. Repeat this set until your resp system shows fatigue (the VE for the 5 minutes begins to drop) or you cna no longer control 105RPM for the full 3 minutes. Each time you try this session, you can increase cadence to 110, 120 an so on for more of a challenge.

2) Slow cadence cycle set...10 x 45 seconds at 40-50 RPM at the highest wattage you can sustain, with one minute rest after each interval. This may begin to push your HR up by the end of the set, and if it does, decrease the time to 30 seconds. As your cardiac system recovers over the next few weeks, you can extend this session to 20 x 1 minute. Watch for the highest HR you reach, and how quickly it recovers in the minute of rest.

3) Swimming...the perfect time to work on drills. Don't do anything to push the pace, just enjoy the feeling of floating and getting more efficient at very slow speeds. You can switch up the drill and work on some easy kicking drills that focus on body position. Once you are a bit more recovered, then you can add the Turtle paddles work at high cadence for short sets, and alternate with the Sprio-Tiger as you did in Set #1 on the bike.

I hope these three ideas can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and help you maintain your confidence as you allow some rest for your body to meet its potential in Arizona!!!

[Andrew]

And one other idea after doing some research into cardiac dynamics using the physioflow. You may be able to maintain some of the cardiac benefits from prior training by simply walking at moderate speeds. This would explain some of the results we have demonstrated in the past after having some sessions of long walks with family before big events. It allows excellent recovery of all systems, while still maintaining the important factor of End Diastolic Volume, which is essential for cardiac output. Walking might in some cases actually provide more stimulus to maintaining EDV than slow jogging...so throw on the shoes, and enjoy a long leisurely walk with Juliann...