How much time off is too much time off?

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2008-09-03 1:31 PM

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Subject: How much time off is too much time off?
I had my "A" race August 23rd and took the week off but have had a hard time getting motivated again to maintain my fitness level and lose some additional pounds. At what point do you start to lose all the hard work you put in before the race?


2008-09-03 1:41 PM
in reply to: #1646513

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Subject: RE: How much time off is too much time off?
You can start to lose some of the aerobic base within a couple of weeks.  The real issue is finding some way to stay motivated post race (there have been several threads about this just in the past 6 months or so since I joined the site). Different things work for different people.  But for a lot of people, signing up for the next race, or at least planning which one(s) to do next helps.  I also have found that getting on the scale on a daily basis helps me to focus on one of my primary reasons for doing tri's. I also give myself "permission" to slack off for a week, but usually I find that before the week is over, I am doing short workouts because I miss the feeling of being active.
2008-09-03 1:49 PM
in reply to: #1646513

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Subject: RE: How much time off is too much time off?

I've also read that you don't lose any of your aerobic capacity or muscular endurance until two weeks, but I find that taking a couple of days off makes it difficult to get back to training.

Having a race on the calendar is a good way to stay motivated. A training partner is another excellent way to get motivated and provides a sense of accountability. I get motivation from reading about other individuals on this site or various magazines about running or cycling.

2008-09-03 2:12 PM
in reply to: #1646513

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Subject: RE: How much time off is too much time off?
keep signing up for races.  my last one is 9/21, but i am all ready trying to improve on this year's races next year.  the hardest part is staying motivated
2008-09-03 2:19 PM
in reply to: #1646513

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Subject: RE: How much time off is too much time off?

within 5-7 days of doing nothing and it will peak around 21-28 days. After that all your training adaptations are pretty much gone if you remain inactive for that long...

Staying active doing some training every day/ every other day 25-30 min should help you maintain or at least delay some of the losses.

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