About this time every year I get emails from athletes complaining about the heat and being tired all the time. So I thought I would blog about how I coach my clients to fresh while training for long course events in the heat.
Athletes that are training for late summer and fall long races are just now starting to add more duration to their training, and with it getting hot now, they can never start early enough to avoid the heat. As with anything everyone needs to experiment with what is going to work for them, and during training is the time to do it. The important thing to think about when training for triathlons is you have three events to prepare for so typically triathletes are more fatigued than cyclist or runners.
The two best ways I have found to recover from long workouts and get ready for the next one are proper rest and good eating. These athletes do not have the luxury of thinking of one workout at a time, they need to be thinking of the next day, week, month and season. This is why they have recovery days, and weeks built into their plans. The good eating is just as important, without the proper fuels the body will not be able to perform for very long.
I encourage my athletes to eat good most of the time, leaving room for mouth entertainment. The key times for good eating are the night before, morning of and right after long workouts or races. I suggest they try cool foods for the mornings, and the fuel that works for them during the workouts. Early in the season I suggest they carry more fuel than they need until they dial in what works for them. In most cases athletes scramble in the last weeks before a race to find how to carry enough calories with them, because they bought stuff at long stops on training rides.
Perhaps the most important part is the recovery, this can last from 1 hour to 2 days depending on the duration of the training. Right after a workout or race is the time to get some good recovery products in the body. There are many on the market now, and good old fashion fruit will go a long way. Then getting off your feet is important, sitting on the beach in the heat will only server to dehydrate a already dry body. Cooling in the water is a much better way to enjoy the summer fun. After you recover it is time to start fueling for your next workout, hopefully thinking in this way will help you to choose the right foods to eat, most of the time.
One last thought, just because some people are eating potato chips and cookies at a rest stop does not mean that you should. Yes they provide the calories needed and will get you through a tight spot. The key is, what are those other people training for? Can they be sore and tired for the next few days? Can you afford to?
Something to think about.
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