I am considering doing my second HIM this week-end, first was last week-end. Anyone done this? Give me your best recovery advice, please!
Why do people things like that ? Can’t get it.
Ouch
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I’ve done that a bunch of times. Full two recovery days after the first, and nothing but light, short and easy training until the next one.
'Course, I’ve been injured, off-and-on, since '99 so you might want to think about how often you’re gonna want to do HIMs on back-to-back weekends.
Tony
I’m assuming you mean Steelhead last week and the Legislator this week? I wouldn’t expect to turn in any kind of good time for the 2nd 1/2, in which case the race would be for fun, so then why not do the short course race instead and still have fun, but with less risk of injury and shorter recovery time?
I dunno…I was a full 20 minutes faster on the second one, the first time I did it. The weather conditions, though, couldn’t have been more different. The first one was in Muncie, Indiana, in early August and high-90’s temps, and the second one was in Marlboro, Mass., in cloudy, low-70’s temps. 'Nuff said 
Tony
'Cause I have something to prove I had a serious IT band issue at Steelhead that caused me to barely finish the ride and limp the entire run. I am mad at myself for not pushing a little harder, though. I was way over my (very reasonable) goal time and I know I can do better.
I also learned a lot at the first one. For instance, 1 bottle of gatorade and some water is NOT enough to get a person through the entire race in good working order. Whole body cramps can probably be prevented with some salt tab, etc. I think if I fix those things I will be happier with my performance. The fatigue of 2 in a row is the big unknown.
'Cause I have something to prove I had a serious IT band issue at Steelhead that caused me to barely finish the ride and limp the entire run.
Reason enough to reconsider doing another HIM this weekend. No possible way you’ve been able to recover or rehab your IT enough to race reasonably well. All you will do is put yourself out of commission for the foreseeable future.
if you had serious IT band issues in the first one, you think it’s going to be all better in a week? You will likely just make your IT band worse and greatly lengthen your recovery time. I also wouldn’t count on improving on your last time since now you’ll have more fatigue to deal with. Last season, I did three HIM’ all 4 weeks apart and thought that was barely enough time to recover and actually race each one. As far as one liquid and nutrition , at least aim for the same amount as what worked on your long training rides.
Have you considered a hyperbaric chamber?
I can second the “ouch factor”. I recently did two half IM’s, three weeks apart, with a marathon in between. In hindsight, not my brightest moment. First 1/2 in 5:40 (on virtually no bike training), marathon one week later in 3:15 (a ripping success, in my books), second 1/2 two weeks after that in 6:45 (obviously I gained no bike fitness in the three week span, compound that with marathon recovery, and you get a 4+ hour bike split).
If you had been healthy through your first half, I’d say go for it, it’s only going to hurt and be slow, but since you are basically already suffering from a significant injury (IT band), I’d say skip it.
OK, you hurt yourself in the first one, and rather than recover and heal, you want to have another go at it on not-nearly-enough recovery.
And you expect the second one to go better than the first?
Not to be rude, but you need to start thinking with the BIG head. This is a formula for disappointment and long-term injury IMHO
I did an oly a week after my last HIM.
I will be doing an OLY a week before me IM in sept.
I just go with how my body feels. After the VM, I did nothing for 3 days. I then did some exercise for 2. Then took to days off for rest, and did the OLY race.
The question seems to be what are your goals. For me, I am not doing these for “times”. I do these to meet folks with my wife at the race. To get me out of the house.
So, worst case is you may have to walk some of the race, no big deal
Go for it, just listen to your body.
Dave
I think that her body is sending a clear message with the IT Band but she is clearly not listening. We all have races we want to do and I understand wanting to go back out to take another run at it but if you don’t listen to your body you will get negative returns. You will struggle through the second race without a doubt, risk further injury, downtime from the injury possibly and what will that get you?
Sit it out and make a plan to hit another one when you are healthy and prepared.
I met a guy, a 40-44 age grouper, who ,in the summer, doesn’t train at all during the week, but just does races on the weekend, and he does pretty good. He probably does 3-4 halfs, the rest of the weekends are sprints or Oly on the weekend, all the way every weekend from freaking late May till end of september. I asked him what he did during the week and he said, hardly nothing at all, if anything.
I missed this data.
Again, if you are trying to prove something, and not listening to your body, well, you may end up not ever being able to race again.
Seems like you need to step back and ask why you do the races. If it is to break you body, well, you may not be a racer for long.
I know when I broke my shoulder last year it was a real drag. But, sure glad I finally stopped and let it heal. 12 tris this year so far and 5 more or so to go.
Dave
Sounds pretty close to what I do. Maybe only 2 to 3 hours during the week. And I have been doing tris since April, until October. Then it is to marathon season.
Dave
As clarification, after this race I am certain the IT band thing is limited to riding on hills. Not sure how to fix it, but I know that I do not have problems when I ride flat courses. The one this week-end looks to be much flatter than the last one, so that is why I think it won’t act up. Also, knowing that the ride irritated it, I have been very good about stretching, icing and NSAID’ing it this week. Also a couple of appts with the PT to work on it.
Just (DON’T) do it.
Agreed w/ those who are cautioning you about yer injury. How exactly is pushing hard in another grueling race going to make it better?
Your best recovery advice is just that - recover.
There are plenty of other races to do, assuming you don’t cripple yerself first.
I was pretty smoked after my first HIM. I didn’t even really wanna think about going hard or long for the entire first week, and well into the second week before I started feeling somewhat back to normal. I can’t even imagine trying to do a sprint that following weekend, much less another HIM.
Even if you didn’t have an injury, the odds are you would do worse at the second one, and probably cause an injury to boot. Injuries suck. Bad.
I did a HIM on Sunday and doing an Xterra this Sunday and I feel fine, but that said I don’t think that I would be able to muster the same level of output this week if I were doing a HIM because although I feel fine I know my body is still putting itself back together.
I would still say don’t do it, but if you are then I would take this week super easy. I would just do enough to stay loose and maybe get a message tomorrow or Friday and then promise yourself you will stay super tuned to your body while you race. If you run into problems or the ITB issue comes back then you need to stop.
Long term maybe consult with some of the resident bike fit gurus to see if there is a fit issue.