JUNK MILES

It’s the Law

20 Feb 2012 6 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in General BS Tags: fatigue, overcompensation, overload, pace, recovery

I love coming off a recovery week.

It’s not that I feel all that spry and energetic, but it’s a chance to see what the body is truly capable of doing.

I always write a reduced volume week into my plan because I know, based on past experience, I need it to prevent injury. During the week itself I always tend to doubt its true validity….despite the science behind it.

But being the good girl that I am, I follow the rules of training and do what I’m suppose to do…

Which is not much more than sitting around wondering why I feel worse recovering than actually grinding my body down to the ground each day…

I tend to be achy, MORE fatigued, and generally feel “off”.

Wisdom prevails…

All part of the repair and adaptation process.

After weeks of challenging the body by continually increasing the stress it’s been asked to absorb, it’s now in recovery mode. Each and every tendon, ligament, muscle, and nerve bundle is gradually adapting and rebuilding a solid foundation. In principal, the body will also be able to continue to progress and perform without risk of injury or illness.

I does something else kinnda important too…

This recovery and adaptation not only returns the body to its previous level of fitness, but it will actually take it a step further to an increased level.

In this case, overcompensation is a GOOD thing!!

The overload causes the fatigue, then recovery and adaptation allow the body to overcompensate, and go on to attain a higher level of fitness.

Yesterday was my 1st workout coming off my recovery week. It was a long 50+ mile riding session. I completed it without any doubt or reservations plaguing my muscles or psyche. I can promise, without last weeks recovery, I wouldn’t have been able to do it with the same amount of physical stamina and/or the same mental outlook. Today I feel as fresh as I did yesterday. A good sign that the body is ready and willing to handle the increased load once again.

THIS is when you really notice the benefit of rest!!

So the next time you try to cheat your way out of a recovery week by sneaking in a few extra miles or picking up the pace think about the “law”.….

and don’t be tempted to break it!

You’ll be thankful, as you start the next block of training and can really FEEL your progress.

Train Happy, My Friends!