Every morning my legs feel somewhat “tired” or “sore” or “stiff” - I’m not sure exactly how to explain it, but I definitely feel something, right when I get out of bed. Usually I stretch a bit and walk around and they start to feel fine. Is this somewhat normal, or am I not recovering properly?
I always feel like this while I am training, but I’m trying to be more cognizant of my recovery…
I think as triathletes we live in a state of constant slight “soreness”. However, it sounds like you might not be recovering enough. What are your easy days or days off like during the week?
Try stretching every night before going to bed. It seems to make the difference for me.
I have mostly been cycling this summer, with minimal running and only swimming enough to maintain.
I don’t really have a set ride schedule. I try to recover in the early part of the week with time off or active recovery (~1 - 1.25hrs). Ride 1 hour threshold ride on Wed or Thurs. or a 1.5 hour all out group ride. Active recovery thurs or fri, long ride on saturday (3 hrs, constant HR/effort/speed), 2-2.5 hr tempo\hard group ride on sunday.
I’m usually around 10 hours of riding per week including my warm-up/cool-down time. I rarely ride 7 days a week, and it is usually around 5. I run 2 - 3 times a week for no more than 2 miles and do this on days off from cycling or on the easy days, and always go easy on the runs.
It makes a difference in performance or getting rid of the feeling? The feeling doesn’t really bug me. I’m trying to ascertain if everyone feels a little dead-legged right when they wake up in the morning and it is a part of life, or if I am not getting proper recovery. I’m just trying to be in tune with my body and read the signals it is sending me.
So, does the strecthing improve your recovery?
jackattack, how do you compete in races with such a small amount of running?
My thoughts on recovery are this: (beware, this is coming from a guy who only managed to finish his first IM and not have a great time, but did so with no injury and no days off due to soreness)
If I am tired, I sleep. If I am hungry, I eat. If I am sore, I stretch. If my body tells me to slow down, I slow down. The body is a great indicator of what to do to it if you listen to it.
My opinion is that if you feel you are overtrained you most likely are.
<<So, does the strecthing improve your recovery?>>
Stretching and good hydration to carry waste products out of the tissues!
Brett
No tris this summer. I’m trying to figure out why I get shin splints and how to get rid of them - that’s why I haven’t been running much.
Hydrate. Stretch. Massage. Repeat.
Every morning I get up and walk down the stairs. When I start the coffee and walk back upstairs, if my legs are aching I know i haven’t recovered.
Walking up the stairs, that’s my “recovery” test.
Also from February to about May, I’m piling on the milage at a rate that my hamstrings and shins are always sore to the touch.
Perhaps you need to look into dietary options as well.
-SD
Can you quantify “aching”? On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the feeling you have walking up stairs after a substaintial break from training, and 5 being completely smoked, where is your recovery break point?
I’d say most days I’m about a 2 or a 3. I’m usually a 4 after a very hard group ride, and I’ve rarely been a 5.
Next question, what is your protocal when you have deemed yourself not fully recovered? Complete day off and repeat test in the morning, easy ride, repeat test in the morning, etc.
I’d say I’m a 3 after a hard day. A hard day comes at the end of a hard week. That will consist ususally of a road race or crit on Sunday, a rest day Monday, Speed work on Tuesday (motorpace, big group ride 100K in <3 hours, or interval training on a rolling 1Km circut) Wednesday I race on the velodrome, Thursday I ususally do a 75km circut race in Canada, Friday night I race a Madison series back at the track and Saturday I race either a road race, crit, TT or more races/training at the track.
My ride/race schedule gets interupted occasionally from work/kids/family stuff and those forced days off are my recovery days. My only “5” day came after running my first and only marathon, I was unable to walk at all.
After doing this for a few years. I’ve realized that my recovery can be accomplished without stopping my riding altogether, rather I lighten up the load a bit, be sure to eat lots of recovery food/fuel. Long soaks in a hot tub and plenty of rest will allow me to continue to ride until the discomfort subsides. The stairs test came about as an observation, it wasn’t a planned excersize to determine fatigue, but I’ve found it to be accurate.
On the overload and recovery cycle, you really need to be sure you are doing both. Overloading should be excruciating without causing injury, and recovery should be a complete refueling, having the legs to ride at your limit again to repeat the cycle. If you hard days are not hard enough and your easy days aren’t light enough your training won’t be effective. But you should really only take others workouts as a guideline. Everyone is different and that may be the value in having a good coach (which I don’t).
-SD
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1 being the feeling you have walking up stairs after a substaintial break from training, and 5 being completely smoked, where is your recovery break point? I’d say most days I’m about a 2 or a 3. I’m usually a 4 after a very hard group ride, and I’ve rarely been a 5. Next question, what is your protocal when you have deemed yourself not fully recovered? Complete day off and repeat test in the morning, easy ride, repeat test in the morning, etc.
Depends. I know that usually after a day of heavy running or cycling, my legs are stiff in the morning. For example, Wednesday, I did a hard track workout 8 x 800’s 4 x 400’s and then some striders. I was strung out and beat all day and into the night. When I woke up the next day, not only were y legs sore, but I was tired all around. And yes, my legs seemed extra sore and tight.
I am taking off today becasue I stil feel thatI did not revcover properly from that hard track session. Legs did not feel as tired and sore this morning. My plan is to take off today and resume tomorrow normal training tomorrow.
same as the rest of me - tired and old. What’s normal at age 30 counts as miraculous at 45…
I used to worry about this too, but now I just let it go. I use the standard metrics - HR at waking, RPE during training, weekly TTs on a known route - to get a measure of how I’m doing, and adjust training/rest accordingly.
My legs are only really tired after my long run. I would say about a 4, but I stink as a runner. Most days I would say a 2, even after a long ride (5 hrs). Think I’m going to start riding with a group again to push the bike some more.
I give myself an easy day or rest day after key workouts. After running I will normally swim or some bike technique work on the next day.
jaretj