Monday no workout. Tuesday no workout. Instead both days included minimal sleep and stress overload. Wednesday night I tried to get back on track with some 10 and 20 minute FT intervals after a looong warm up (30 minutes). The first 10:00 FT was fine and dandy. Then recovery, then into a 20:00 FT.. but it wasn't in me. I ended up doing about 5-6 minutes before I decided to just spin it out for the rest of the hour. Last night was a different story:
20:00 WU
5:00 FT
5:00 RI
3:00 FT+10%
3:00 RI
Repeat 3 more times
10:00 RI
5:00 FT
5:00 CD
Explanation? Work was halfway enjoyable for a change, wife is coming around from her cold, and some other tidbits of good news managed to give me wings. It is pretty scary how factors outside of training and preparation can affect form. In fact it got me to thinking- is it possible that anti-depressant pills such as Prozac and others can enhance an athlete's performance? Let's face it-it's harder to focus on intense training and harder to perform in a race when you are under depression, stress and anxiety. It would not astonish me to discover that this is an idea which is already being abused.
America's #1 Balance Bike Destination
America's #1 Balance Bike Destination
3 comments:
Drugs are not the answer, especially that kind. It's all a marketing machine. Notice how the pharma industry is about the only one not looking for a bailout? They're already living off the 3rd party payer system, so they're quietly whistling in the background hoping nobody notices them.
Work stress has to go into your TSS. At least you had the sense to stop. And it sounds like you were just blocked too, and did enough to open you up for the next day.
If I did timed intervals like that, I'd be depressed too, and probably quit the sport. Good for you though.
Thanks. I guess..
I'm a multi-tasker too- I read for almost the entire warm-up and during the 10 minute recovery too. I'm working on finishing the Level 3 Coaching Manual so I can take the online exam and then pay money every year to prove that I have a good short term memory, I mean, to prove that I passed the exam.
Thinking back upon last June after I returned from Turkey- there were many a day when I came home from work to an empty house, completely wasted and depressed and drained emotionally from losing my dad, and then there were a handful of such days when I took a 1/2 glass of red wine about 1/2 hour before going out and thrashing myself on the bike. Not proud. I did it and I admit it was not too bright.
It's not that I needed a buzz in order to want to train, I just needed a buzz, period, and planned to train no matter what. It was lubricant for my seized up mind. Lest we forget, I work in an environment where people survive by throwing others under the bus.. or think of it as a game of dodge ball, as in the Ben Stiller movie.
You make a good point. For we amateurs, training, and even racing should only create physical stress, not mental stress. It's easier said than done, as you HAVE to give a shit in order to train well and race well, especially in a team setting. But if training and racing are contributing to your stressload rather than helping it, that's something you have to work on. If I'm cooked from life, I just go out and ride. I may go 10 mph for the first 45 minutes. If I feel better after a while then maybe I'll do some work. If I don't, well, at least I went out and spun for 45 minutes. Try again tomorrow. But I NEVER beat myself up for not doing a planned workout, ever. It's not that important. I have been doing it long enough to have confidence that I won't lose my way. So have you.
Post a Comment