Can You Be Over-Prepared?

If you train months ahead of a race, will you be over-prepared?

It takes about 16-20 weeks to adequately train for an Ironman triathlon, at least to complete it in decent time. There is a down side to this – and it is plausible – can you over-do the preparation? One danger of training is the period leading to a race. Many athletes have gotten sick before the race (even Chrissy Wellington had a touch of the flu before the race at Kona this year). Perhaps, self-imposed high expectations may lead to this mindset of training just a little more, for it wouldn’t hurt. Or would it?

The recursive pattern of ‘I may not have trained enough’ to reach your goals may be a debilitating one. Instead of building to your peak, you squander it away recklessly because of emotional distractions. Before you can adequately recover before the next training session, you blow the whole lot by depleting your limited resources.

Be aware of your energy. How do you manage it? How do you control anxiety, doubt and worries? How do you harness your energy – emotional, physical and mental – to give you the advantage you seek on race day? Anabolism follows catabolism. Build up after you break down.

Similarly, how do you stay in peak performance for a business presentation? Can you be over-prepared? Do you rehearse until everyone goes home? Do you tweak your script until you give it a salient facelift? Perhaps, under-training is a shade safer than being over-trained?