With most triathletes deep into spring training, the one recurrent theme that comes up in conversations is Fatigue. Everyone is tired! In most cases, fatigue for an endurance athlete is your friend. It is a sign that your training loads have been big enough to create overload that, given the right recovery, should result in a bump fitness. However, there are times when the fatigue an athlete experiences is anything but good news.
I always say we go through a number of phases of fatigue as we train towards a big race.
- Initially we don’t train enough to create any real fatigue. Here training is fun and relaxed, but we simply don’t push hard, or long enough to overly stress the body. Sometimes we can get a little sore if we try something new.
- As we get keen and lengthen our sessions, we notice some fatigue kicking in especially at the end of a longer session (swim, bike or run). However, we typically are not training frequently enough, and we have plenty of recovery, so we typically back up fine.
- When training loads increase (frequency, duration, intensity of training) cumulative fatigue becomes an issue. This is the phase where I usually complain to Verity about having glandular fever as I am just tired all the time, while another laker who will remain anonymous complains to his wife that he has cancer and needs to get checked out during this phase.
- Then we start to adapt. Here we find we can cope with more and more load before fatigue becomes a factor. This is a vital part of the training cycle. Over time we find we can cope with a lot more work before we notice fatigue affecting our form. After the past month of solid Saturday rides this has certainly been the case with the A’s. We can now conquer more summits with less fatigue and back up better the next day than the week before. This is what I refer to as getting fit enough to train. This is the time we need to build more recovery into a training plan.
- Then we bust through this phase, and we move into what I call PB time where we just feel good. Even though fatigue is still present, we still pump out PBs with almost every session.
- The final stage is what I call the Superman/women phase where we just feel awesome. This is usually during the peaking and taper in the lead up to a race. Here fatigue is minimal, times are better than ever, and the body and mind is primed to race.
To make the most of your training experience it is vital you are aware of what good and bad fatigue is-
- Fatigue caused by a long run, in most cases is good fatigue.
- Fatigue created by low iron levels, due to an unbalanced diet or health issues is bad fatigue.
- Fatigue create by the accumulation of training load is good fatigue.
- Fatigue caused by a lack of sleep is bad fatigue.
- Fatigue from a race is good well earnt fatigue.
- Fatigue caused by excess life stress and burnout is bad fatigue.
- Fatigue that knocks us down for an 8 count, but one where we bounce back after a day off is good fatigue.
- Fatigue that knocks us to the canvas where we struggle to move fluently when we train, that not even 1,2,3, or 4 or more days of light activity can fix is bad fatigue
- Fatigue caused by a specific low carb session is potentially good fatigue.
- Fatigue caused from not eating enough carbohydrate before, during and after your key sessions is bad fatigue.
- Fatigue caused from training in the heat is good fatigue.
- Fatigue caused by not paying attention to hydration, before, during and after training is bad fatigue.
- Fatigue caused by spending hours testing out your TT position is good fatigue.
- Fatigue caused by a poor bike set up is bad fatigue.
- Fatigue caused from a hard swim set is good fatigue.
- Fatigue caused by thrashing around in the pool with poor technique is bad fatigue.
So, if you are experiencing fatigue, then dig a little deeper. What are the potential causes? How well do you bounce back after a break? Are there things that we can change or is it just your body adjusting? Listening to your body is one of the smartest skills a triathlete you can learn. Fatigue is your body/brain telling you something, how you interpret it is the challenge.
When it comes to injuries, fatigue is one of the biggest risk factors there is.So next time you are faced with that “Have too” session but you are feeling tired you do have options. I always say the only “have to” in training is recovery. Don’t be a slave your plan and make sure you make smart calls. The training mix is always something that should be adapted depending on fatigue levels.
Happy training and please feel free to contact me if you have any triathlon training, coaching and racing related thoughts or questions.
Nigel