TRIATHLON TRAINING REST and triathlon training, weight training routines

I recall when I made my decision to run my very first marathon back in the late 70's and I had no running experience. I didn't have a clue about dieting or how to set up a training program. Resting was something that never really crossed my mind.

All I knew was that I'd better run lots because a marathon was a long way. So, I ran pretty well everyday. One year I ran every day except for Xmas day. Talk about over-training.

I was afraid to take days off, because I felt I would lose the conditioning I had gained. However, I would have days when I ran less.

My theory back then was that there was no point in even putting my running shoes on for a run of less than five miles. So, that was the shortest my runs would be. About 45-50 minutes. My longest went up to 4 or 5 hours.

Unfortunately, I carried this line of reasoning over into my first decade of being a triathlete and proper triathlon training rest was never a consideration in the early days.

It finally dawned on me that I had to take it easier and triathlon training rest finally became an integral part of my Ironman triathlon training.

TRAINING PLAN MISTAKES

So I did what most triathletes do now. I tried to set up a training program that would allow for rest days. For instance, I would take every Monday and Thursday off and train the other five days. I did that for years.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that this method is flawed as well. When you think about it, how much sense does it make to have preset rest days? In actuality, triathlon training rest days should be flexible and would best be scheduled as a guideline.

What if you have a long bike ride scheduled for Sunday and you feel like crap? Well you probably do what I did. You do the workout anyway because it's scheduled. What if on Monday you feel great? Well, you probably do what I did and take the day off because its scheduled.

It finally dawned on me that scheduling rest days is a flawed concept. It makes more sense to me now to take a triathon training rest day when you need it, not when its scheduled. So I tried it one year in the build up for Ironman number 9 or 10.

REST WHEN YOUR BODY NEEDS IT

This is how it worked.

I still wrote out a basic training schedule to make sure I balanced the three events. I even left blank days. But if I got to that blank day where no training was scheduled and felt great, I would just do an unplanned workout.

Sometimes I would train 12 or more days in a row. Sometimes I would train just 2 days and feel tired, so I would take a day off. I just went with how I felt and took my triathlon training rest when I thought it was needed.

If I went out for a run and went half a mile and knew it was going to be a struggle, I turned around and walked home and took a rest day. In prior years, I would have forced myself to do the run because it was scheduled.

When you think about it, how much good would you really get from that run? Probably not much, and if ever you are going to get injured, it will most likely be one of those times that you should have just turned around and called it a day.

If I felt like I needed it, I would sometimes take an entire weekend off and do nothing associated with Triathlon training.

That first year of trying this, I probably took more rest days than I ever had in previous years. It seemed like I was always training when I felt really good. And I was.

REST MORE AND COMPETE BETTER

On race day I didn't know what to expect. It just blew me away. I set personal bests in all three events and it was my fastest Ironman ever. Not just that.

I felt really good doing it. It led me to believe that most of the early years, I was probably going into the race tired and not paying attention to proper triathlon training rest.

Like I had left my best bike ride and run somewhere out on the training course on many occasions.

WEIGHT TRAINING ROUTINES

If you are doing weight training, then rest days do have to be structured for those workouts. You should always have a rebuilding day in between weight workouts. You don't want to be lifting weights 5 days in a row.

If you are working to a structured training plan with preset rest days, I would give this some serious thought. Especially if you are pushing yourself through some workouts and taking a day off when you feel great.

Ultimately you want to be at your very best on race day, and a training year without properly timed rest can prevent you from giving your best effort. Train and rest smart and you will be rewarded when the gun goes off.

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