When Exhaustion Sets In

For the past few days I have been abnormally tired. I enjoy sleeping in but I have trained myself to  wake up early to get in workouts. I go to bed early and even take frequent naps if I am really tired. Lately though I am to the point where all I want to do is sleep. My body is fighting back.

Today was supposed to be my last hard workout before Sunday's triathlon. It was also supposed to be my last day before my rest week starts. I woke up this morning sore and even more tired than normal. Almost instantly I decided it was better to start my rest week one day early than dig myself into an even deeper hole.

I do think some of this is due to my lupus. Every once in awhile I get tired to the point where I just need to sleep pretty much all day long to catch up. But I regularly get between 8-9 hours of sleep a night so it's not like I am really sleep deprived.

Ever since my first triathlon in July I have really upped both the duration and intensity of my workouts. I started doing two-a-days at least three times a week, with normally at least two days on bricks or other forms of combined workouts. I started adding in weekly long runs and track workouts, and changed my bike focus from long and easy to short and intense.

It really comes as no surprise that I am so tired. My body has been working really hard and deserves some time off. But I don't want to completely stop training since I am running a marathon in 11 weeks. Instead of panicking that my training was going to be ruined I tried to make a rest/recovery plan to get be back to normal.

Extra rest day
My planned rest day was on Saturday but I am taking today off as well. I want to feel refreshed on Sunday and ready to race, not super tired and sluggish. I will be using my extra time to start packing for school and take care of some things that have been put on the back-burner lately.

Super easy workouts
I don't want to take the next few days completely off but I will be keeping my workouts as easy as possible. I want to keep my muscles loose and fresh and ready to race. Not is not the time to try to build fitness. All of the work is done.

Eating the right foods
I started taking a multivitamin back in May but that is not enough to give the body all the micronutrients that it needs. Being a vegetarian I do struggle to get enough protein so that is going to be a focus over these next few days. Primarily though I am going to cut out junk food and try to eat as naturally as possible. My body feels the best after eating natural, wholesome foods.

Stretch, foam roll, compress
Yesterday I got my first pair of compression socks in the mail that I have been living in since I got them. My lower legs feel so much better than normal after track workouts and I credit that to running in the socks. My legs in general are really tight and sore so stretching and foam rolling and becoming a part of my daily routine. I am going to be taking full advantage of tomorrow yoga class as well.

Anything I missed?

Doing the Little Things Right

Ever since I was about ten years old I have always been told by my swim coaches to "do the little things right." This saying always drove me crazy but lately it has been my personal mantra. I have been super swamped with schoolwork this week and haven't had much to do anything other then sleep, eat, train, and study. Normally when I am this busy my nutrition suffers along with all of the other things that enable my body to train the way it should. Since my first triathlon is a week and a half away I am being extra careful to take care of my body though.

Eating clean.
I have a tendency to just grab whatever is the quickest and easiest, which in turn is often not the healthiest. This past week though I have been making an effort to eat lots of fruits and veggies and monitor my intake of macronutrients. I have also been making sure I am not eating too many calories. In just this past week I have lost 2-3 pounds and I feel much better. I just feel healthier.

Drinking lots of water.
I rarely drink as much water as I should be. Due to a medical condition I have I am often cold and do not want to drink anything that will make me even colder. And because I am infrequently hot I am infrequently thirsty. I have been drinking a large glass of water before every meal and often have another glass with my meal in order to ensure that I am properly hydrated.

Compression.
With coming home from college and packing all of my stuff up I forgot that I had a pair of compression sleeves. I busted them out after Tuesday's run and could feel a huge difference after I took them off. I recently read a great article about recovery methods and when to use them. The article said compression gear is best worn immediately after a hard workout so that is what I did.

Ice.
After a hard track workout on Wednesday I took the plunge (pun intended) and suffered through my first ice bath. I only submerged my calves and shins so it was a wimpy ice bath but it still did the trick. There was a serious reduction of swelling and my legs felt invigorated afterwards.

Sleep.
I am not one of those people who can survive on only a few hours of sleep. I rarely get less than eight hours a night and most nights I am getting 9-10 hours. This may not work for everyone but lots of sleep has helped keep me rested both physically and mentally. And naps are an even better way to recover between two-a-days.

Yoga.
I started going to yoga last week and already I have seen a huge improvement in my flexibility. The looming tightness in my legs after running is no longer there and my IT bands feel better than ever. My legs feel lighter too. I'm not sure how this relates but every time after I leave yoga the heavy feeling in my legs is gone.