Just had a sprint race on Sunday and ever since I feel like crap. I have been putting in some 20+ hour weeks and ~15 hours the week prior to the race. I tried to swimming today and monday and only managed to swim 1,000m and 1,600m. I can’t breath and get a huge head ache. My allergies are really bothering me and during my race I had stomach cramps and had to walk during some of the run. I also feel non-motivated and discouraged because of my inablility to have a quality workout. I have decided to take the rest of the day off to try and rest.
Am I over trianed, burnt out, or possibly getting sick. I would appreciate any feedback. This is my first year in the sport of triathlon.
I’m in the same boat… I wouldn’t worry about it. I have the same kind of thing going on. I just finished an off-road duathlon on Sunday and the weather was awful. Starting yesterday, I have a bit of a head cold coming on. A couple of notes:
try to get an extra hour of sleep tonight
ease back into training… I have a group ride tomorrow but if i’m feeling like crap, I’ll pull the plug. Coming back too hard too soon will only prolong the symptoms.
Fluids and soup! When we exert ourselves, we do so at the expense of our immune systems. So it is probably just a cold coming on.
Now if days turn into weeks, then I would see a Dr. But feeling like a warm bucket of dog vomit is not uncommon in the week after a race. I can’t remember the article, but there was one on Xtri.com where a guy post Ironman couldn’t even get through a shower during the week after his race without ending up on the floor in the fetal position. So consider yourself lucky
You are overtrained, burned out, and maybe getting sick. grin
Try taking two or three days off, not just the rest of today. When you put in a lot of big weeks you will need some breaks to let your training sink in.
Remember - you don’t get fast by working hard. You get fast by working hard and then giving the body the chance to recover and adapt.
It is also very common to feel like shit after a really intense race. Just the intensity of the breathing can leave your throat and lungs raw for a day or two.