Ridiculously long recovery time after racing - Please Help!!!

Just a guess but.....maybe you are not taking enough real recovery time after the race, jumping back into training too fast so now you are dealing with both fatigue from the race AND new fatigue from training.  People vary in how long it takes them to recover and even with the same individual at a similar fitness level, it varies from race to race. I've been distance running for 30+ years--I should know. I've had marathons where I felt fine and even ran PR's a week later; others where I didn't feel up to hard training for over a month. With Olys, anything between 3-4 days and 2-3 weeks. I find it tends to take longer with age (but not always), if I raced particularly hard, if conditions were very tough, or if I had to endure a long drive or flight soon after the race. If your job is physically strenuous, or there are other life stresses going on, then that can delay recovery too. You need to stop comparing yourself with friends and just listen to your body. Just rest or do fun, easy things until you feel good doing an easy bike or run. Then start back to the harder stuff. Immediately after the race, I've found it aids recovery if you can rehydrate/refuel as soon as possible, and maybe do an easy swim. Some people swear by massage or ice baths but personally haven't found either to be particularly useful--the former really depends on the quality of the massage; just get too cold with the latter. Hope some of this is useful.

Thanks for your reply Hot Runner. It is much appreciated.

The people I train with have been doing this for longer than I and have also been riding for much longer and over longer distances than I. SO what you say makes sense. I guess I just figured it would not take this long to recover. After that last Oly I did not refuel properly until about 2 hours after then had a 3 hour drive home. Not great recovery.

It is just so frustrating as the will is there! I just want to get going again. Do you lose fitness while recovering? Also, is it weird that I feel worse in the 2nd week after than the immediate week following an event? Or does this go too what you suggested with the race fatigue, coupled with training fatigue? I guess it is confusin also as I am fairly new to this level of training and I don't know if I am being a wuss or not. Then again, I went for a run this morning, 8km, a run I usually do with my eyes closed, I had to walk after 3 kms. I just couldn't get my legs going. They just felt disgusting and I wanted to lie down and sleep right there.

I am just trying to get enough sleep at the moment and eat really well. Fingers crossed I don't get too many more days of this.

Thanks again so much for your post,

Cass

My guess is that your recovery was hurt by not refueling earlier and esp. by the drive. I also find those things a challenge. Almost all my races are in extreme heat so I often finish nauseous, to say the least. And most races involve an international flight. Even if you can't eat a meal, some fruit and nuts, and/or a smoothie, can help until you have the time and appetite to eat more. My tri buddies and I are probably infamous on the SE Asia race scene as finish-line banana pilferers, and I always put some nuts and energy bars in my transiton bag for after the race.

For tris, I try to get back into whatever water I swam in--here it's the ocean, and salt water seems to particularly aid recovery. But a pool will do. If you can't swim again, an easy spin on the bike (maybe riding home from a local race, or back to the hotel) can also be very helpful. As for getting back to training, I start first with a day or two either completely off or with only easy swimming (not a workout). Then gradually get back to harder swims and easy biking, easy running, then harder biking and running, in that order. I don't progress to the next step unless I feel good on the previous one. Same after an illness or other break in training. In my experience, if you want to lie down and sleep during a workout, you really need a break.  Either that or you haven't fueled adequately (or need coffee?)

I don't think you lose fitness with a proper recovery. Occasionally I've had major races close together and done very little training between them, just recovery and taper stuff, for 1-3 weeks, and it's worked fine. You do have to have a good base to do that, though. Regardless, if you need recovery, then you have to take it, even if you lose some fitness in the short term. Otherwise you leave yourself vulnerable to illness or injury, which is going to cause a much more serious loss of training and fitness.

As Hotrunner has said, the best thing is to listen to your body.  It will tell you when its ready to go again.  In the mean time, continue to eat right, try to get sleep, and do active recovery things like easy swims and bikes, get messages.

Everyone is different.  Some take longer than others.  You seem on the longer end of things, as am I.  It is what it is.  Best to accept that and go with it.