General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Over-training but race 5 weeks away...... Rss Feed  
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2005-06-03 10:15 AM

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Subject: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......
I'm training for the NYC triathlon on July 10. It is my third triathlon as I only started last year. I started running 2 years ago and manged to finish (not well) the NYC and Disney marathons.

My problem now is that I think I am training to hard. I've read through many old posts on this site about HR and training intensity and it looks like I'm running/biking too hard (my swim is too poor to matter). My legs feel dead all the time. When I'm running or biking it feels like my legs give out well before my lungs do.

My weekly schedule is fairly consistent. Masters Swim MWF mornings, bike on rollers 40 minutes MW evenings, run 4-5 miles T/Th, brick on Saturday 15-20 mile bike followed by 7 mile run. Sunday off.

I used to run with a HR monitor & GPS last year but gave it up as I spent too much time looking at my watch and not enough time enjoying the run. I finally got it back out again yesterday and my HR for my 4.4 mile run was 159 at a 7:40 pace. My max HR is around 198 (tested twice last year up a long, steep hill at the end of a 3 mile loop near our house).

The good news is that my average HR is down 10bpm from last year on the same course despite running 30 seconds per mile faster. The bad news is that I do all my runs at about the same intensity and that looks to be too much.

Sorry for the long post but here is the actualy queston: What do I do now that my race is 5 weeks away? I'm leary of backing everything down this close to the race. I know I have a taper coming up and I'm hoping that might be enough to "get my legs back".

After the race I'll try and train smarter but I have to try and salvage the race this year. Thanks for your help.






2005-06-03 10:29 AM
in reply to: #167920

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Subject: RE: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......
Your training schedule doesn't sound bad and if your HR max is really 198 then 159bpm is in the ballpark for your Z2 upper limit...maybe 3-5 beats high.  The key is how you feel.  No matter what your stats say, if your legs are always tired then you are either pushing too hard, too often, or both.  First thing is to take a couple days off and then get back into  training with an adjusted schedule.  I'd suggest taking the intensity down just a bit most days.  Take one of your T/Th runs and make it an LSD run of 7-10 miles at a very relaxed pace...say 145bpm average.  Then take your other T/Th run and make it your tempo/threshold run for the week...3-5 miles at around the intensity that you have been working...about 160bpm.  Also make sure your brick runs are at an easy pace too.  You can toss in some tempo accelerations here and there for 2-3min just to change up the pace a little but shoot for 145bpm avg here also and shorten the run down to 5-6 miles. 
2005-06-03 5:03 PM
in reply to: #167920

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Subject: RE: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......

I say make this upcoming week a recovery week (drop time by 40%), go back to normal the next 2 weeks and then spend the next 2 weeks after that tapering (20% - 30% each week).  If a recovery week isn't enough, take another.

2005-06-03 5:39 PM
in reply to: #167920

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Subject: RE: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......

first of all....relax dude

5 weeks is a long long time

take the next week easy.  The last thing you want is to get injured or get sick. =p

Take the next week easy and see how things go.  EASY MEANS REALLY EASY.....take 2-3 days totally off with lots of stretching and lots of rest.

On the rest of the days,  S/B/R should be technique work or easy Z1/low Z2 efforts.  Then see how you feel the week after.

If you have been consistent thus far,  the race will not be a problem

2005-06-03 6:51 PM
in reply to: #167920

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Subject: RE: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......

I am not a coach so take this with the necessary caution. Your schedule looks good in principle and depending on the distances you intend to race it may or not be appropriate. That you are over-training does not necessarily look like it by reading your logs. At worse you are over-strectching and then again it does not look like you are.

There is however one thing I noticed about your schedule and logs: there is no variety at all, no change either on intensity or volume or both. Week after week you repeat the same workouts, despite the fact that you do some "speed" work on the bike rollers and a fartlek or another every now and then (twice if I recall).

Maybe you should start growing the volume of your training using the 10% rule (see plenty of articles here in BT on that), but falling back 25% the fourth week of each month, just as you take a day off per week.

You need variety and for instance, ride outside, both for distance and speed work, and let the trainer for specific drills such one foot spins and so on now that the weather is better.

Your logs have no bio data and no diet data either, so I can not tell if you have bene eating enough or if your RHR is off as compared to earlier readings. One good thing to help monitor possible over-training is the regular measurement of your resting HR, at wake-up time, so if it suddenly stars going up (day after day) without an apparent reason that could be a first sign. recording RHR is very advisable. Same for recovery time after exercize.

Check your diet. Are you having enough carbs? Are you drinking enough? Those could be reasons for the "tired" legs that you mentioned.

Your training HR zones seem fine to me. I am 44 with a measured run MHR of 192 (average) and I train in zones not far from yours, but when I go for effort I do so, not merely just a few beats into z3. I do not think you are to high, but a weekly long run and a weekly long ride at very low intensity should be on your cards as well, especially if you do marathons. That may be a reason why you did not do so well at those events, lack of long weekly runs and increased volume.

By the way, did you recover properly from the last mary? Those take a hard toll and sometimes people feel very slughish for a long while after one.

Keep it up and don't hurt yourself.

2005-06-04 7:57 PM
in reply to: #167920

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Subject: RE: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......
Thanks for all the great suggestions (especialy those that took the time to look through my training log).

I'm taking the collective advice of taking it down a notch this week and then mixing it up a bit the following week. This morning I did a leisurely ride and worked on spinning and a nice jog and it was refreshing to not push it so hard.

Here's to hoping the rest of the week feels this good. Thanks again for the help.


2005-06-04 11:39 PM
in reply to: #168714

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Subject: RE: Over-training but race 5 weeks away......
Sedward3 - 2005-06-04 7:57 PM
I'm taking the collective advice of taking it down a notch this week and then mixing it up a bit the following week. This morning I did a leisurely ride and worked on spinning and a nice jog and it was refreshing to not push it so hard.



I think this sums it up. You should feel refreshed and not bogged down. Don't worry about "salvaging" this race. you need to train smart all the time, not just when there is no race comign up. I'd say it is especially important NOW as opposed to after the race to tune it down a bit, shoot for refreshing rides & runs for 1-2 weeks, push it up a notch the 3rd week, and do a gradual taper 4th & 5th weeks.
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