Downward spiral..

Dec 9, 20 1:01

Post #1 of 38 (4895 views)

So a month or so ago I got sick and took a week off training. Once over the illness (but still not training) I noticed a few things.

I had energy, energy for my kids, energy for my wife and energy for my work. I had focus.

I could actually be bothered doing things around the house and garden. I could go out and enjoy a few social drinks over dinner.

I could stay awake to a reasonable time and actually provide company for my wife.

Trying to get back into the training and as soon as it starts to get difficult or hurt I find myself stopping, struggling with the motivation to push through the pain.

The more I quit the less I train and the more I spiral down and away from wanting to do triathlon any more.

TLDR stopped training and found I'm enjoying having a life and struggling to find a reason to get back into hard training.

I know in time the fire in the belly will return, what suggestions do you have to handle this in the meantime. Suck it up or enjoy the time off?

Last edited by: dunno: Dec 9, 20 1:36

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 2:04

Post #2 of 38 (4827 views)

Enjoy the time off and remember: perfectionism is the death of joy.

Do exercise that you enjoy in the meantime.

FYI: Exercise intensities and volumes required for fitness maintenance are MUCH lower than those require for fitness improvement. Intensity and volume requirements for maintenance of roughly 90% of best-ever fitness are laughably low. So if you stay even remotely in touch with occasional exercise, you'll effectively leave the door open to your past fitness, if ever the fire in the belly does strike again. I have used this in my favor substantially in the past. (See my Strava training log!)

Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Re: Downward spiral.. [DrAlexHarrison] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 4:04

Post #3 of 38 (4759 views)

DrAlexHarrison wrote:

Enjoy the time off and remember: perfectionism is the death of joy.....

Yes, I tend towards perfectionism, but over the years I've managed to contain it so that now it is only fully expressed in small pockets of my life. I'll be keeping it that way. You can't just crush these things but you can control them to some extent.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 4:52

Post #4 of 38 (4699 views)

I frequent this forum a lot, but that doesn't mean I take the sport terribly seriously. I do what I enjoy and what fits into the rest of my life. I'd love to take it more seriously and see how good I could be, but that's never going to happen. I'm not willing to make the sacrifices required regarding my relationships, and enjoyment of life. My family are infinitely more important than triathlon, and always will be. So is my health, and training for health and training for performance are not the same thing!

Your thread title and post seem to suggest you see the reduction of training as something of a failing even though you recognise the benefits you've reaped? Maybe I'm interpreting that wrong? Either way, the failing would be to miss the opportunity to re-evaluate things. You're giving it some thought, so I would think this is a positive thing in your life. Right?
It might be a "downward spiral" in your athleticism, but if it's a surge in your enjoyment of life, then you're winning. Don't we all do what we do for our own happiness, and the good of those around us? If you can achieve that without having to be a triathlon obsessive, that's a victory!
I put more meaning in my sporting achievements before I had kids. When I became a dad, as happy as I was with everything else going on in my life, I was frustrated that I'd lost all of my free time, a good chunk of which had previously been allocated to training. It took quite a while for me to stop worrying that I was hardly training, and accept that I couldn't have everything and what I had was better. I could still try and squeeze in a little more than the handful of hours a week I now do, but it would cost me time with my family and would put my partner under more pressure. It wouldn't make me happier either. It would just make me faster - and frankly, that's not actually important!

From time to time I see threads here discussing strategies for fitting training into family and work life. I find those discussions rather sad. When I read the comments about going to bed ridiculously early to fit in a 4am training session before getting the kids out to school and leaving for work. About a carefully scheduled life to ensure nothing is missed. The irony is that as a result you miss out on freedom. I know plenty of you will claim you've scheduled for that. I don't believe you!

Resist the urge to value unimportant things. Don't look for reasons to justify them at the expense of the stuff that matters.

Value your time and your relationships first. They are what will make most of our lives worthwhile and that's also where you can usually improve other people's lives too.

ETA: We're all figuring it out as we go along, and the above is my current perception. Please don't take it as anything more.

Last edited by: Ai_1: Dec 9, 20 4:55

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 5:08

Post #5 of 38 (4666 views)

dunno wrote:

TLDR stopped training and found I'm enjoying having a life and struggling to find a reason to get back into hard training.

I know in time the fire in the belly will return, what suggestions do you have to handle this in the meantime. Suck it up or enjoy the time off?

As someone who's been in the game a long time, as an athlete & as a coach enjoy the time, don't suck it up.

Look every single one of us has to give up the ghost sooner or later. It's ok to step off the train and then step back on later. I've seen athletes stop racing and come back 2 years later recharged and as excited as ever, if not more excited. I've seen athletes step off & never return to racing and have just as fulfilling lives as before.

Smell the roses, enjoy sleeping in, take the time to rest & recharge most of all don't fret about it

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Re: Downward spiral.. [desert dude] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 6:06

Post #6 of 38 (4587 views)

May we assume that you were training a fair amount and taking it very seriously? If so, then perhaps you already have your answer, and that answer fits with what previous posters have said here.

Instead of thinking of it as a downward spiral, think of it as unwinding. Perhaps you have been wound too tight for too long, and it is time to release some tension. I have never pursued the sport with the same rigorous, systemic approach that some/many here do. I came late to triathlon (but not to sports), and I just came out of a 7-year phase of no competitions. Of course, I picked 2020 to start again—oh well.

But during that time l didn’t stop being active. I would run, bicycle, hike several times a week, whenever it fit my schedule and I felt like it. I enjoyed being outdoors, and I had plenty of time for the other things in life (and I still do).

The reason why I didn’t completely stop was that I simply felt better and healthier just being active but not training. Attitude has a lot to do with it.

In fact, despite now putting in 8-12 hours per week, I still don’t train very often. Instead, I consider myself an active individual. Moreover, this activity is what gives me the energy to do the things you are talking about (spend time with family and friends, improved attitude towards work and colleagues, etc). In other words, in addition to feeling better, I have more energy to pursue activities that aren’t centered around athletics. Without it, I was worse off.

So, when the time comes, you will almost certainly feel the “need” to become active again. Not to mention the older I get, the more important an active lifestyle becomes.

Ciao

Re: Downward spiral.. [Flemish Arrow] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 6:58

Post #7 of 38 (4521 views)

I think it’s about finding balance too. If the sport isn’t adding value, it may be hard to stay motivated.
I drink, eat about wherever I want within reason, enjoy social activities and still train. I just looked today and I averaged 11 hours a week for the last 6 months and still strung together a solid performance at Daytona.

You can’t force it though. That will ruin it.

USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 8:26

Post #8 of 38 (4412 views)

You got sick? With what? Could you have been sick with Covid-19?

Maybe it's paranoid on my part, but I've read enough about long-term effects even in those only slightly symptomatic that routine "detraining" seems a bit more sinister these days.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 8:37

Post #9 of 38 (4379 views)

dunno wrote:

So a month or so ago I got sick and took a week off training. Once over the illness (but still not training) I noticed a few things.

I had energy, energy for my kids, energy for my wife and energy for my work. I had focus.

I could actually be bothered doing things around the house and garden. I could go out and enjoy a few social drinks over dinner.

I could stay awake to a reasonable time and actually provide company for my wife.

Trying to get back into the training and as soon as it starts to get difficult or hurt I find myself stopping, struggling with the motivation to push through the pain.

The more I quit the less I train and the more I spiral down and away from wanting to do triathlon any more.

TLDR stopped training and found I'm enjoying having a life and struggling to find a reason to get back into hard training.

I know in time the fire in the belly will return, what suggestions do you have to handle this in the meantime. Suck it up or enjoy the time off?

I dunno where you live, but I get this feeling every Winter but I live pretty far north where its dark at 4PM. As soon as the days get longer I naturally get more energy for training. Its nice having lazy winter mornings with the family instead of getting up early to get some training in.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 9:54

Post #10 of 38 (4313 views)

What are you training for? Long course stuff? That level of commitment became drudgery for me.

Maybe focus on sprint distance? I found more life balance there, enough fitness to be relevant at oly distance, and could pull off a vainglorious 70.3 for fun but nowhere near a podium.

It’s a better place, at least from my experience.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 10:10

Post #11 of 38 (4275 views)

It may be worth saying outright: it sounds a lot like you were overtrained.

Re: Downward spiral.. [Ai_1] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 10:56

Post #12 of 38 (4211 views)

Ai_1 wrote:

I frequent this forum a lot, but that doesn't mean I take the sport terribly seriously. I do what I enjoy and what fits into the rest of my life. I'd love to take it more seriously and see how good I could be, but that's never going to happen. I'm not willing to make the sacrifices required regarding my relationships, and enjoyment of life. My family are infinitely more important than triathlon, and always will be. So is my health, and training for health and training for performance are not the same thing!

Your thread title and post seem to suggest you see the reduction of training as something of a failing even though you recognise the benefits you've reaped? Maybe I'm interpreting that wrong? Either way, the failing would be to miss the opportunity to re-evaluate things. You're giving it some thought, so I would think this is a positive thing in your life. Right?
It might be a "downward spiral" in your athleticism, but if it's a surge in your enjoyment of life, then you're winning. Don't we all do what we do for our own happiness, and the good of those around us? If you can achieve that without having to be a triathlon obsessive, that's a victory!
I put more meaning in my sporting achievements before I had kids. When I became a dad, as happy as I was with everything else going on in my life, I was frustrated that I'd lost all of my free time, a good chunk of which had previously been allocated to training. It took quite a while for me to stop worrying that I was hardly training, and accept that I couldn't have everything and what I had was better. I could still try and squeeze in a little more than the handful of hours a week I now do, but it would cost me time with my family and would put my partner under more pressure. It wouldn't make me happier either. It would just make me faster - and frankly, that's not actually important!

From time to time I see threads here discussing strategies for fitting training into family and work life. I find those discussions rather sad. When I read the comments about going to bed ridiculously early to fit in a 4am training session before getting the kids out to school and leaving for work. About a carefully scheduled life to ensure nothing is missed. The irony is that as a result you miss out on freedom. I know plenty of you will claim you've scheduled for that. I don't believe you!

Resist the urge to value unimportant things. Don't look for reasons to justify them at the expense of the stuff that matters.

Value your time and your relationships first. They are what will make most of our lives worthwhile and that's also where you can usually improve other people's lives too.

ETA: We're all figuring it out as we go along, and the above is my current perception. Please don't take it as anything more.

this is a phenomenal post

Are YOU in the Zone?
http://www.discomfortzone.com

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 11:08

Post #13 of 38 (4174 views)

I've had similar experiences over a lifetime of endurance sports. At a younger age, I pushed-pushed-pushed through it-- all with swim-bike-run. Absolutely 100% self-discipline, and it took MONTHS for any kind of fire to return... but it DID return.

In older years, I've found ways to mix things up a little bit... keep enough s-b-r that when you do return, you will be ready to ramp up the training. Don't do NOTHING but be consistent and intersperse other enjoyable or beneficial workouts from any arena.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 12:22

Post #14 of 38 (4071 views)

“ When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”

Herophilus

Workout for your physical and mental health. To feel good about yourself and your life. You don’t have to do races. But, SBR are great ways to train for life.

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Re: Downward spiral.. [mcoughlin] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 16:09

Post #15 of 38 (3905 views)

Why thank you :)

Re: Downward spiral.. [plant_based] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 16:25

Post #16 of 38 (3884 views)

plant_based wrote:

“ When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.”

Herophilus

Workout for your physical and mental health. To feel good about yourself and your life. You don’t have to do races. But, SBR are great ways to train for life.

As per my previous post. I don't believe training for health and training for performance are the same thing.
Life is a great way to live your life. After years of doing triathlon, doing more is unlikely to be a good way to learn something new. Doing new things teaches you new things too you know.
It seems to me he's saying his mental and physical health is currently better than when he was training heavily. Why would you tell him to work out for physical and mental health when it sounds like that was standing in the way of those things? You only need to work out a lot to feel good about yourself and your life if you invest that importance in it. It's not inherent or necessary. In fact I'd go so far as to say that a lot of us use it, or have used it as a crutch when things weren't so good, and when life became better, it lost importance. When we're weak, depressed or tired we have a greater need to stoke our egos and invest great import in small victories. That's not a condemnation of sport, far from it. It can be enjoyable, healthy, stabilising, and a very useful catalyst for other things. But it can also be damaging in my opinion. More is not inherently better.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 17:05

Post #17 of 38 (3833 views)

Life is choice. If you don't want to do tri, do something else. There is no tri police that will come to your house, and handcuff you to your bike, if you quit. I bet there are more ex triathletes, than there are triathletes. And I bet a lot of them are very happy and don't miss it. Some of them come back, some don't, and nobody really cares. With or without tri, just do life the best you can.

Athlinks / Strava

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 17:21

Post #18 of 38 (3804 views)

Perhaps it is time for you to move on over to the Lavender Room... (-;

I've been where you are at, and let it play out. Now I train for fitness, enjoy my kids and family, and squeeze in some low key competition here and there when it suits me and some recent good training. No long term goals per se, just be at that 80%+ window of fitness, where a good solid week puts you over the top to do something above average. Above average can be thrilling under the right circumstances...

Re: Downward spiral.. [jstonebarger] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 18:20

Post #19 of 38 (3716 views)

jstonebarger wrote:

You got sick? With what? Could you have been sick with Covid-19?

Maybe it's paranoid on my part, but I've read enough about long-term effects even in those only slightly symptomatic that routine "detraining" seems a bit more sinister these days.

A few years ago I got what at the time seemed like a flu from hell. Was coughing really badly. Chugging cough syrup every few hours to keep from going crazy from throat discomfort and cough. Lost sense of smell and taste. This went on for about 2 weeks.

When I finally got better I found myself demotivated and fatigued for a year. A whole year. Trouble sleeping, always tired.... It sucked. It was probably a virus in the Covid family. A different strain.

Last edited by: Dilbert: Dec 9, 20 18:20

Re: Downward spiral.. [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 18:32

Post #20 of 38 (3698 views)

Thanks everyone, some very valuable suggestions so far.

Covid had crossed my mind, perhaps I should get a check just to be safe, I certainly don't feel anywhere as strong as I was previously, spent a whole weekend just sleeping when I eventually felt 'off'. Overtraining had also crossed my mind but I'm only averaging about 10 hours a week so nothing crazy..?

Interesting re just enjoying it-you are right. We do this for enjoyment so should keep that in mind. Very few of us will ever be up the front so if we only come 450th instead of 400th does it really matter..

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 20:04

Post #21 of 38 (3606 views)

I get in these ruts every once in awhile

Let your body guide you - rest up and come back when you’re ready

Training should be fun, and when the time is right, it’ll be fun again.

Think deep down what’s important to you...

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 9, 20 21:00

Post #22 of 38 (3561 views)

Lots of great thoughts on here already.

To add to the idea of keep active, maybe try to find more social opportunities. I have a 1 hour conversational pace run with teammates on Thursdays. That motivates me to get out the door in my current offseason “do what I want” period. If you can balance training with others with your local COVID protocols, that might help you stay active, even if the workouts aren’t 100 percent perfect for your needs.

Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

Re: Downward spiral.. [Dilbert] [ In reply to ]

Dec 10, 20 6:35

Post #23 of 38 (3432 views)

Dilbert wrote:

....It was probably a virus in the Covid family. A different strain.

Like the common cold...?

COVID-19 is a new strain in the human population, but most of us have been suffering from less severe corona viruses a few times a year all our lives. Maybe that's what you meant but seemed you were suggesting something more mysterious or sinister?

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 10, 20 6:44

Post #24 of 38 (3418 views)

dunno wrote:

TLDR stopped training and found I'm enjoying having a life

This ^^^^ is your answer. Happy always wins.

Re: Downward spiral.. [dunno] [ In reply to ]

Dec 10, 20 7:06

Post #25 of 38 (3393 views)

dunno wrote:

I know in time the fire in the belly will return

That's all you really need to know. And if it never does, that's cool too as long as you're healthy and happy.

I didn't race a tri outdoors this year for the first time since '82. Although I'm sure I'll be excited when I do one again, I'm still enjoying life "just" running an hour a day.

Last edited by: Mark Lemmon: Dec 10, 20 10:44

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