Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Maybe Resting is Key

After racing many Ironmans close together and my small European extravaganza where I probably visited too many (is that possible?!) countries in a very short amount of time, I was tired. Very tired. But I also knew I wasn't done for the season.

When I returned home from Europe and knew I would not be racing in Kona, I told my coach I wanted three weeks of nothing. No training plans, no triathlon talk, nothing. Just me doing whatever I felt like whenever I wanted. And after three weeks I was going to jump back in and train to win.

I slept lots, I got of Facebook and Twitter, and just enjoyed life. After three weeks off, I got back to work. I started training (and I was slow and out of shape). I started paying more attention to recovery - eating more protein, rollering, etc.

Recovery session at SKLZ on the barrel roller.
I moved down a lane in the pool. Yes - DOWN. I'm resting more between hard efforts, and I'm swimming faster than I ever have. My training hours are lower, but the intensity is up and I'm seeing watts on the bike I have never seen before.

If my Superfrog win is any indication, maybe, just maybe - resting is key! My final race is in a week and a half and I hope to end the season with another win.