11/16/07
Training Today - How Far Are We Going?
Feeling a little over-extended these days?
Category: Recovery
Posted by: ryan
Another four years have come and gone, and another Olympic year is upon us. It’s once again time for the world’s best athletes to come together for competition, camaraderie, and to put on a world class exhibition of the finest athletic talent on the planet.
Personally, I love the Olympics. I love the stories, the hype, and the mystique. But above all, I love the spirit of the athletes who come to compete regardless of million dollar contracts or deep prize purses. Endorsements aside, the athletes at the Olympic Games challenge themselves to represent their country and show the world their pride, determination, and their love for competing at their sport.
As we pause to admire these incredible performances, we would be wise to check in on our own reasons for training, and to evaluate the sacrifices we make against the benefits we reap.
It’s no secret that the athletes who end up standing atop the podium at the Games (or any others who qualify to compete) have been committed to their sport and themselves for countless years. They have had to sacrifice a great deal and make difficult decisions about their levels of commitment throughout their careers for the reward of a trip to see the Parthenon. On this topic there is little debate.
For the most part, though, training and competing has been the sole focus in the lives of these athletes. Their job has been to be the best at what they compete in. This is the reason they are able to recover from what most of us would consider to be a week’s worth of training, not a daily routine. They can show up relaxed for every workout knowing that putting in their best effort is their focus on a given day.
For most of us, the dream of an Olympic medal will most likely remain a dream, and successfully juggling family life, a career, and other community commitments can blur the focus of our efforts during a workout.
Remember to keep your training in perspective. If you are finding that trying to squeeze in a workout is becoming more of a stress generator than a stress reliever, then it is time to re-evaluate your schedule. A work out should be a relaxing experience that is enjoyed instead of a chore. Sure, it’s going to be hard work, but you should have a smile on your face at the beginning and the end.
Signs of over-training are important to recognize, especially during periods when stresses in other areas of life are increasing. Being chronically injured, abnormally fatigued throughout the day, having difficulty sleeping, and waking in the middle of the night and being unable to return to sleep can all be signs that physical and emotional/mental stresses are reaching undesirable levels. If you use a heart rate monitor, unusually high or low heart rate readings that do not correspond with your perceived level of exertion could be a sign of over-training, or if your heart rate is seeming to not be as responsive to changes in effort levels throughout a workout.
Furthermore, consider that your signs of over-training may not be generated from the actual physical training you are performing. Picture your life’s stresses as a stove with many small burners. Now, place a pot of water on the stove top large enough to cover all of the burners. These small burners represent the stresses in your life – training, relationships, family, children, parents, and so on. The point is, they all contribute in some way to the temperature of the water in the pot. If all of the burners are moderately hot, then an increase of a few degrees on one of these burners may cause the water to boil over.
This boiling over process is analogous to over-training, and until you can identify which burners are on too high a setting you will continue to experience the symptoms of over-training. Realize, too, that it may not be possible to turn down a red hot burner for quite some time. The remedy for this situation is to turn a few other burners down to as close to off as you can get away with. “Un-boil” the water, and you’ll find the stove to be a more balanced place for life’s cooking.
Are you pushing too hard? Are your workouts causing stress instead of relieving it? Do you need to scale back your training schedule to deal with other life issues more thoroughly? If you are answering yes to one of these questions, take a break and revisit the reasons and motivations behind your training plan.
Find the spirit in your workouts, and you’ll have found your own small piece of Olympic gold.