Category: Recovery

How to recover quickly after Ultimate Tri Camp

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Recovery, Ultimate Tri Camp

How to recover quickly after Ultimate Tri Camp

I have athletes that don’t fully understand the benefit of tapering for a race. They show up on race day feeling flat and tired and wonder why they don’t get that podium or personal best.

It’s definitely a skill to be able to tune into your body and feel if you are recovered from training or not. There are so many tools these days that you can track your training and use an APP to tell you if you should train hard or you need to recover. I use Garmin, HRV, Training Peaks to help my athletes gauge their level of fatigue but there is an inner knowing as well.

I believe in just asking your body and you usually get the correct answer. But will your ego allow you to rest? That is the question. So, I say experiment with different amounts of easy/recovery days after blocks of training days and find your own sweet spot. If you need to recover in a hurry these suggestions below work great!

Other things to consider about your recovery/taper leading up to a race. Is it short course or long? Is it an A, B or C race? “A” priority races definitely require a bigger longer recovery leading into them, if you want to have that peak performance. “C” races can be trained right through.

How many days you take is individual to you and your circumstance.
As a rule, the longer the race, the longer the taper.

  • Ironman taper can be from 2-3 weeks
  • 70.3 can be 7-14 days
  • Olympic distance 5-7 days and a
  • Sprint 3-5 days.

Some athletes need more or less depending on age and experience level.

With all that being said, if you need to get recovered fast, here are my top recovery recommendations and tools.

Sleep: Did you see that article about how much sleep Roger Federer gets a day? 12 hours!

Studies show sleep is the absolute best, legal ergogenic aid out there. My minimum RX for fast recovery is 8 hours, but 9-10 would be better for 2-3 days minimum. You will feel like a kid again with tons of energy after you get this much sleep.

Do some Working IN (my definition of building energy instead of depleting it). Examples of working in are taking a restorative yoga or Tai chi class. Don’t have that much time? Take 10-20 minutes and walk barefoot or simply lay on the earth, on the grass or the sand on a beach. Get in the ocean, lake or even a pool and just float around (not training). Meditate. Practice silence and listen to nature.

Breath Work – 1, 3, 5 or 10-20 minutes of just sitting or laying and breathing. If you type in ” Breath Work” into YouTube search there are a ton of videos teaching you how to breathe to improve energy. Try one. or check out Wim Hof – The Ice Man and follow his breathing techniques on Youtube.

Ice Bath- This can be uncomfortable but works sooooo well and is so worth it. As little as 2 minutes a few times a week combined with above breath work and meditation is like magic for resetting your nervous system and actually proving effectiveness against anxiety and depression! Even a 1 minute cold shower can stimulate the nervous system in a positive way. Check out my video here-on my Wim Hof Ice Bath Experience
(I am so excited to have just taken my first Wim Hoff Breath class and will be including his breath work and ice baths at my 2020 Ultimate Tri Camp!
Check out the breath work Video Here).

Massage – Getting a deep tissue massage every, or every other week can really help your muscles stay supple and recover quickly. 
Contact Jeff Lindsay, he’s an FC favorite!
305-720-7920 / For a soothing or invigorating in-house massage.

Compression Socks – After a training session massage and an ice bath put on your compression wear for improved circulation and ultimately faster recovery.

Normatec or E Relax – or any other brand of segmented compression can improve circulation and help you recover quickly

Hyperice Hypervolt, Theragun Vibration Therapy or Marc Pro and Compex can all be helpful modalities to help your muscled recover quickly and of course there is good old fashion

Recovery Session
Our Amazing sponsor Athletix Rehab offers awesome recovery sessions that include many of the above suggestions, without you doing the work. They do it for you, while you just enjoy.
Contact Athletix Rehab Recovery if you need physical therapy or one of their other amazing services. Don’t forget to ask for your Full Circle member discount. Ph (305) 501-0231.

If you are interested in learning more about Full Circle Coaching, call/text us at 786-586-6057 today or click this link to schedule a complimentary triathlon strategy call:  http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom and much much more.

Recover Quickly

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Race Specific, Recovery, Ultimate Tri Camp

How to Recover Fast

I have athletes that don’t fully understand the benefit of tapering for a race. They show up on race day feeling flat and tired and wonder why they don’t get that podium or personal best.

It’s definitely a skill to be able to tune into your body and feel if you are recovered from training or not. There are so many tools these days that you can track your training and use an APP to tell you if you should train hard or you need to recover. I use Garmin, HRV, TrainingPeaks to help my athletes gauge their level of fatigue but there is an inner knowing as well. I believe in just asking your body and you usually get the correct answer. But will your ego allow you to rest? That is the question. So, I say experiment with different amounts of easy/ recovery days after blocks of training days and find your own sweet spot. If you need to recover in a hurry these suggestions below work great!

Other things to consider about your recovery/ taper leading up to a race. Is it short course or long? Is it an A, B or C race? “A” priority races definitely require a bigger longer recovery leading into them , IF you want to have that peak performance. “C” races can be trained right through.

How many days you take is individual to you and your circumstance.
As a rule, the longer the race the longer the taper.

Ironman taper can be from 2-3 weeks,
70.3 can be 7-14 days
Olympic distance 5-7 days and a
Sprint 3-5 days.

Some athletes need more or less depending on age and experience level.

With all that being said, if you need to get recovered fast, here are my top recovery recomendations and tools.

Sleep: Did you see that article about how much sleep Roger Federer gets a day? 12 hours!

Studies show sleep is the absolute best, legal ergogenic aid out there. My minimum RX for fast recovery is 8 hours, but 9-10 would be better for 2-3 days minimum. You will feel like a kid again with tons of energy after you get this much sleep.

Do some Working IN (my definition of building energy instead of depleting it).
Examples of working in are taking a restorative yoga or Tai chi class. Don’t have that much time? take 10-20 minutes and walk barefoot or simply lay on the earth, on the grass or the sand on a beach. Get in the ocean, lake or even a pool and just float around (not training). Meditate. Practice silence and listen to nature.

Breath Work – 1,3,5 or 10 -20 minutes of just sitting or laying and breathing. If you type in ” Breath Work” into YouTube search there a ton of videos teaching you how to breath to improve energy. Try one. or check out Wim Hof – The Ice Man and follow his breathing techniques on Youtube.

Ice Bath- This can be uncomfortable but works sooooo well and is so worth it. As little as 2 minutes a few times a week combined with above breath work and meditation is like magic for resetting your nervous system and actually proving effectiveness against anxiety and depression! Even a 1 minute cold shower can stimulate the nervous system in a positive way. Check out my video here- on my Wim Hof Ice Bath Experience
(I am so excited to have just taken my first Wim Hoff Breath class and will be including his breath work and ice baths at my 2020 Ultimate Tri Camp! Check out the Video Here )

Massage – Getting a deep tissue massage every or every other week can really help your muscles stay supple and recover quickly. 
Contact Jeff Lindsay, he’s an FC favorite!
305-720-7920 / For a soothing or invigorating in-house massage.

Compression Socks – After a training session massage and an ice bath put on your compression wear for improved circulation and ultimately faster recovery.

Normatec or E Relax – or any other brand of segmented compression can improve circulation and help you recover quickly

Hyperice Hypervolt, Theragun Vibration Therapy or Marc Pro and Compex can all be helpful modalities to help your muscled recover quickly and of course there is good old fashion

Recovery Session
Our Amazing sponsor Athletix Rehab offers awesome recovery sessions that include many of the above suggestions, without you doing the work. They do it for you, while you just enjoy.
Contact Athletix Rehab Recovery if you need physical therapy or one of their other amazing services.
Don’t forget to ask for your Full Circle member discount. Ph (305) 501-0231.

If you are interested in learning more about Full Circle Coaching, call/text us at 786-586-6057 today or click this link to schedule a complimentary triathlon strategy call:  http://www.scheduleyou.in/5ZIsVaU

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom and much much more.

Recovery vs. Activity

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Recovery

Recovery  vs. Activity

There’s no denying that the world of 2018 is one of chronic stress and pressure to achieve.
Sometimes it can be challenging to get it all done – family, friends, exercise, daily movement, work, managing a home, Triathlon – whew! That’s a lot of demand.
So, I want to invite you to get in better touch with yourself today. We all know when we make excuses and talk ourselves out of getting in a workout or preparing a healthy meal.
But sometimes it’s deeper and more intense than that. Your body is screaming at you, begging for you to care for it.
When you hear that voice and feel that exhaustion, I want you to know it’s OKAY to listen.
Here are some of the BEST self-care and recovery activities I suggest for you:
  • Writing, reading, or something creative
  • Getting in a spa or sauna
  • Walking barefoot in the grass or on the sand
  • Listening to or playing music and even dancing
  • Getting physical affection from a loved one or cuddling with your pet, child or significant other
  • Spend time with your pets
  • Take a nap
Listen closely to yourself. Are you just not in the mood to be active or
do you genuinely need recovery time?
Be 100% honest with yourself, make the right choice, and do it all guilt-free. You actually do everything better when you are refreshed rejuvenated and recovered.
I’m here to support you!
Wishing you Well,
Coach Erinne Guthrie
I invite you to link here and schedule a call with me today or,
text me at 786-586-6057 to request an appointment.
Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.

How Many Days Do You Need to Recover and Why? The Difference Between a Taper and Recovery Days

by fullcircle, posted in Bike, Blogs, Recovery, Run, Swim, Ultimate Tri Camp

How Many Days Do You Need to Recover and Why? The Difference Between a Taper and Recovery Days

Many triathletes get really excited about training and tend to train, train and train until they get injured or sick or both.  Training can get addictive especially after you start to see results.  It just feels so good when you have a hard workout and see your times getting faster. However, it is equally important to rest and recover on a regular basis.  By scheduling in planned recovery days you allow your body to absorb the training you have been doing and then get back to training and ramp it up a little more. By having recovery and taper days planned ahead of time, you won’t run into the common problem of getting sick or minor over use injuries.

A Taper week is a week or few days to reduce training volume leading up to a race.  During this taper week, you want to reduce volume to as little as 25% -75% of normal training volume depending if this is an “A” race or “C” race, or a long course or short course race (“A” race means that it is a really important race that you want to peak for and really do well.  “B” and “C” races are less important and can be used for training).

The shorter the race, the shorter the taper.  This is also athlete dependent.  Some athletes do better with longer tapers than others.  The key is to try different length tapers and see how you perform on race day.  It may take a few taper weeks leading into races to find the right recipe for you.  I’ve had athletes do great on a 2 day taper for a sprint race but need a whole week for a half Ironman® and as many as two weeks for a full Ironman®. Age is also a factor here. The older you are the more recovery time you tend to need but not always!

The 2 things to keep in mind during all tapers is to include a little intensity in the workouts and to resist the urge to do completely nothing!!!

You will actually feel worse and come back weaker if you take an entire week off and eat crappy.  Aim to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night as well!

For taper week training  get 20-45 min of movement in during the 5-6 of the 7 days leading up to the race.  Include a few pick-ups in intensity which I like to call ORPS – Over Race Pace Pick-ups to prevent your body from feeling stale and sticky.

A typical taper week might include the following:

Monday– Full day off of cardio but include 40-45 minutes of foam rolling and stretching, or some yoga and working IN and  lots of water with a pinch of sea salt in each glass along with clean eating, good protein and veggies.  Write out your race plan and send to your coach. (see other blogs to see what a race plan is). Visualize and imagine the details of your successful race daily to ensure the results you desire.

Tuesday– light 30 minute swim around 1200-1500 yards- Include some fast 25’s and 50’s with lots of rest.

Wednesday– 30-45 minute easy spin on the bike, stretch use your compression socks after and get a full body massage.

Thursday– 20-30 min run with 4 x 1-4 min at over race pace intensity with lots of recovery after each one and an easy 30-45 min spin with 4 x 1-4 min ORPS again.  Drop your bike off for tune up and maintenance.

Friday- mental and physical rest day-  finalize your race plan pack for your race etc.

Saturday– pre- race brick-  15 minute swim, 20 minute spin on bike and 15 minute run, all very easy with 1-4 min ORPS.

Sunday- Race Day; get a good warm up in pre- race, shorter races require longer warm ups.

 

A Recovery Week or Few Days – Is when you reduce volume, similar to taper week but there is no race.  It’s just a few days of rest and recovery to help your body assimilate all the training and then go back to training for another 2-3 weeks, typically ramping up the volume and intensity to get you ready for your next race in a few more weeks or months.  Again, you don’t want to be completely lazy during this time.  Doing yoga or a few days of really light intensity can make a huge difference in your mental and physical ability to handle the next training block.  Recovery days are essential and must be taken and planned for so your body doesn’t break down and dictate the recovery by getting sick with something much worse than a little cold or minor injury.

I can speak first hand of this.  I trained my way into 18 months of recovery because I went 6 months on 5 hours of sleep, while working full time, training hard- 12 hours a week, breast feeding and just plain over doing it.  It took me way too long to recover because I was not getting adequate sleep and taking those planned recovery days as often as I needed to!  I didn’t want to miss out on training hard but, I learned my lesson.  Now I have planned recovery days and will take them sooner than later if my body is telling me to.  So, do yourself a favor and take the recovery and taper week or days and watch and feel your body respond with more energy. strength and speed every time!

Please let me know if you liked this Blog and if there are any topics you’d like me to write about in the future.

Erinne Guthrie is a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing and coaching triathletes since 1997 and is currently taking a recovery year after two consecutive years racing at Long and Short Course World Championships.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim COach, Motivational Speaker, Mom and much much more.

Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching
Where Performance Meets Balance