I have been in build for IM and doing great on my normal weeks avg 18-20hr and feeling good, HR staying well in range, but when rest week rolls around I feel like hell. A short ride kills me even at a leisure pace. However the week before I can ride 6hr no problem. Another thing, if I take 2 days consecutive off I feel like hell. It takes me almost 3-4days to get back to pre-rest state. I know I really need this rest, but I am thinking of just bagging a rest week all together and just taking one day off every 10days or so. I felt this way training for my first Ultra-marathon last year also. I would run everyday and avg about 60-80mi weeks and feel great, but the minute I would take any time off for rest I would feel like crap for 3-4days. Any suggestions?
Don’t take rest weeks.
I know that was my obvious conclusion also, but I don’t want to burn out or fry myself to the point where it hurts me overall. Should I possible look at other activities such as trail running or MTB as an alternative during these weeks?
Nah…
I hate taking a day off, I feel really sluggish after a rest day. I can’t even imagine how you come back from a rest WEEK. Best way to rest up for a big event is a well-planned taper. Training is training, if you’re working hard, you will never feel fresh, and that is normal.
I cant stand rest weeks either so I like to sit on the trainer for 30-45 minutes below 120 HR 80-90 rpm (Lance Armstrong style) and maybe do some good (intenese) yoga right afterwards (Rodney Yee), that way I can get in 1.5 hours and feel like a did something. hate the inside part but only way to really keep HR 115-120 for a 24 year old, that is theraputic and feel like i could tear apart on day 4. Do a hard day and then the same, 5 days is a business week right ;). works well for me when i do it in the spring when eveything is still on track and my plan has not been rethought and changed 80 bazillion times.
I’m very similar. I go 3 weeks hard, 1 week down. I start to feel a bit frazzled by the end of the 3rd “on” week. I always feel alright again after my 1st good workout after the down week, and come back stronger every time. Thats the point. I’ve been told that you feel like ass since your body is rebuilding (planning on researching this winter). You need rest; sometimes you have to force yourself. If you ride the wave of good feeling, you’ll perform well, but eventually get hurt or burnt out. Keep in mind your ULTIMATE goal: IM.
Most of this serves to remind myself…
What about a normal schedule 10 days on and then 1 down day and repeat? I really want to make the most of training but hate to take the rest and feel like hell.
What about a normal schedule 10 days on and then 1 down day and repeat?
I tried a 10 day-cycle for training for a HIM this spring. I liked it. swim bike run rinse repeat 
it was desert dude approved too!
Define your rest week. What is it compared to your 18-20 hour week.
Sounds like 18-20 is too much for you.
jaretj
How do you feel right before your rest week starts?
I cut back to about 11-13hr. Easy stuff during the week. Still keeping long run Thursdays and long ride Sat.
Great. Like things have a great head of steam.
So basically you feel like you don’t need a rest week.
Try skipping your next rest week - there’s not really any physiological reason to take them.
You don’t have to alter your schedule for ever and ever and ever. Just try it once: instead of your rest week, do a normal training week, and keep note of how you feel during that week and your next three week block of normal training. Then you can either revisit the need for scheduled rest weeks, or abandon them