The Power of Purposeful Rest

Hui Koon reported on how he found naps before training benefitted him immeasurably. I tend to agree with this approach, since I sleep less before my training workshops. David Greenfield, Master Bike Fitter of Elite Bicycles agrees with me that sleep makes a great deal of difference in training performance. I function adequately with six hours of shut-eye, and best with nine hours. Albert Einstein used to subsist best on at least 11 hours of sleep – it must be because of prime numbers and the massive amount of thinking he did whilst awake.

Training is a destructive (catabolic) activity; we damage muscles fibres and other soft tissues in the process of exercising. It is during rest that our body recovers and recuperates – this is the anabolic (build) stage. Training prepares us to meet race day conditions, and sleep allows our body to recover completely so that we can repeat the process of the grind. Fail to meet our recovery requirements, and we flirt with fatigue and exhaustion; this can stall your training efforts significantly.

This morning, a group of 13 swimmers gathered at Tanjung Beach. Led by Matt, we did 4-5 sets of swim-run bricks. A brick is a back-to-back, combination of two activities done with little rest between. We swam a lap of about 350m followed by a short shoreline jog. This session was to prime the group for the Singapore Biathlon that occurs on 12 February. Bricks can be demanding on the body despite it mild, short appearance. Time for my Big Nap (one nap followed by another) now! My Duathlon beckons me. I start at 11.15am. Since it is the weekend, get some well-earned rest, too!

To the riders at Desaru tomorrow, ride safely!

Another 42K – Sounds Like An Eddie Murphy Sequel!

How long should you rest for your next long race?

It has been tossed around for a while that a 42.195K marathon can tax your body for a whole month. Can you imagine how long an Ironman triathlon can sap your physical resources? Anecdotal evidence suggests three months before another similar race. Be that as it may, we need to rest and recover in order to resume our training regime after our A-race.

The 48-72 hours after a race can be the most physically crippling. Termed ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ (DOMS), finishers of this killer-of-a-run (ask legendary Greek messenger Pheidippides in the Battle of Marathon) can be seen walking sideways down stairs, or walking with straight knees. Every eccentric (meaning muscles stretching under tension) action jolts bolts of pain up one’s legs, and incapacitates us. It may look funny but it is not, I assure you. Thankfully, after last weekend’s Ironman triathlon I walked reasonably well on the first and second – it used to be a whole lot worst!

To ensure full recovery (accelerated recovery is still inconclusive), we can:

1)    Do active recovery a day after the vent: cycle on a bicycle for about 30-45 minutes.

2)    Walk or stand in cold water (less than 20 degrees Celcius, or as in water mixed with ice-cube). The cold reduces inflammation of the damaged muscles; known affectionately as cold baths, in the physiotherapeutic sense.

3)    Use compression attire to enhance lactic acid removal: wear full, or half-tights (example: Skins, 2XU) especially when you sleep.

4)    Avoid running for at least three days after a major event. When you do any ride or swim, keep the distance short and intensity light. The main idea is to flush waste products out of those sore muscles.

5)    Load up on food and nutrients: water, carbohydrates, and natural foods (for protein, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals).

6)    Stretch, assisted massage and self-massage are useful. Trigger Point Therapy, deep tissue massage and lymphatic draining help - in heaps.

7)    Lean your feet against a wall to allow waste products to drain back to your heart/liver for metabolism. This approach was popular with Lance Armstrong and Greg Lemonde as a post-race recuperative method.

8)    Sleep is the ultimate anabolic steroid: sleep at least 7-8 hours a night to allow your tissues to fully restore and repair itself.
*****
I walked a fair bit over the last few days; some of which was on the beach. My calves took a workout. This evening, I did 30 minutes of running in a small pool, and 15 minutes of swimming (combination of front crawl and breast stroke). After a hearty dinner, my legs feel better now.