It has been a great summer so far. I was able to take a nice break to “WORK IN” a little at Green Turtle Abaco, Bahamas. I had big plans of getting 8 hours of sleep a night, running, open water swimming and yoga every day!!! Well… not so much!
The entire family got really sick, my plans went out the window and I eventually got sick as well. So, I had to accept the situation and adjust. I still got my meditation, yoga and some great free diving in between the diarrhea, vomiting and coughing! But as you know, when this happens I lost some of my fitness. When I got back to work and training I was not in the same physical shape as when I had left.
I could have picked back up doing my intervals, speed work and volume where I left off, but I have learned my lesson from previous experience. Jumping back into training would have resulted in a pulled hamstring, tweaked back or other minor injury that could have been prevented. I have dealt with this time and again with my athletes as well. When you have taken time off from your consistent weekly schedule of training, you cannot just jump back in where you left off. Sometimes athletes aren’t even aware that they have missed some key workouts but by keeping track of your weekly volume on a training interface like I use with my athletes on Training Peaks, you can keep track of your consistent or lack of consistent training. When you do come back from taking some time off there needs to be a progression from a lower level of fitness to catch you back up to where you were before. It won’t take as long as you might think. Many times, I have tried and seen my athletes try to unsuccessfully jump back in, only to get injured and then need to take even more time off.
DON’T LET THIS BE YOU! It is a frustrating situation and completely preventable without having to deal with a major setback. So I recommend more frequent, shorter workouts at a lower intensity, drill work and some consistent sport specific strength training to get you back up to speed. Take the time you need to build your volume and intensity back to where you were before the sporadic training started. This is a proven method I have used with myself and my athletes to get their fitness back and prevent injury in the long run. Feel free to post comments and feedback!
Train Safe and Smart!
Wishing You Well,
Coach Erinne
