Moving on from a bad workout

 

Ever since I started mountain biking (back in December 2021), it never feels like training. Nature feeds my soul. It's been such a fun journey and I find myself improving with every ride. We have very technical terrain where we ride - with a lot of roots, rocks, tight turns, climbs and descends - so I have been forced to learn the hard stuff very early on. But with every struggle there was motivation to continue to improve. My weakness is still cornering as I slow down a lot but it's something I'm determined to continue to work on so that it becomes a strength. 

Over the past two weeks, I've really seen my skills improve. I've been able to get up and over obstacles that I've never done before. On Tuesday, Karel took me to Paris Mountain - which has some of the hardest mountain biking trails in our area. I was very scared and intimidated riding on these trails for the first time but Karel helped me ease into it and by the end, I found myself gaining a lot of confidence. We returned on Wednesday for more of a "workout" since Tuesday was more of a skills/sessioning workout. I couldn't believe what I was able to do on Wednesday - I surprised myself (and Karel). 

On Friday evening, I went to bed feeling like a kid about to go to Disney World on Saturday. I couldn't wait to ride my mountain bike on Saturday at Dupont. 

While foam rolling in our screened porch on Friday evening, I got bite by something (perhaps a small spider) and it caused my left foot to swell. And then came the full body itches that continued for almost two hours. Finally after taking some Benadryl and Zyrtec, the reaction calmed down. 

Although I felt a bit off on Saturday morning, we continued with our plan of mountain biking for ~3 hours and following it up with a 45-minute trail run. My foot had calmed down and I was no longer itchy.

After our 50 min drive to Dupont, we started our ride by climbing the gravel road out of the Fawn Lake Parking lot. Everytime we mountain bike, the first 10-20 minutes are always the hardest for me because my heart rate shoots up and it's very uncomfortable for me. I'm not used to being anaerobic so early in a ride. When we hit the first single track, I felt off. My legs felt empty and I had no power. I was hoping I could shake it. We then decended on a new trail that I had never done before and it scared me. I felt like I couldn't breathe because my heart rate was so high from climbing and trying to get over roots and I couldn't focus. Once I got to the bottom, I was frustrated. I went from being so confident on Wednesday to feeling like I was riding a mountain bike for the first time. 

Once I calmed down, we went on riding. Karel took me up another trail that I had never done before but one he felt I could do. I hit my ankle trying to get over a big rock. I cried. I was so frustrated and dissappointed. I was not having fun. 

Karel tried his best to keep me positive but after another hour of riding, it was just not my day. I was worried I would hurt myself more by trying to ride with no energy and no confidence in my skills. I didn't like that I couldn't shake my negative mindset and how I was feeling. For the past 9 months, I have loved my MTB journey. Even when I struggle, fall or fail to do something, I'm able to do so with excitement to try again - or move on. But today was not that day. 

Eventually we decided that it was best to head back to the car after almost 2 hours of riding. I felt good with this decision because my head was just not into this ride and my body wasn't feeling it either. I felt bad that Karel had to cut his ride short as well (I told him to continue on and I would just wait for him but he was ok to stop). We ended up salvaging my bad workout with a productive 50-minute trail run off the bike - which was one of my better trail runs off the bike. 

Although I had several valid reasons for having an off day, bad workouts happen - and that's ok. 

We cannot expect our bodies to be physically primed and mentally engaged for every single workout. Life is constantly changing and we are constantly evolving. 
It's completely normal to have workouts that don't go as planned. Sometimes the body does not want to cooperate. Let it go. Learn from it. Move on. 

While I was able to easily move on, it can be hard to challenge your inner voice during and after a bad workout. You may find yourself.....

• Being extremely self-critical
• Forgetting your strengths and improvements
• Comparing yourself to others
• Using harmful words to describe yourself
• Thinking negatively, with blame and criticism
• Making radical changes or quick fixes to cope with uncomfortable emotions and feelings
• Blaming yourself instead of taking into account other factors 

Training is hard. If we assume that what doesn't come naturally and easily isn't worth doing, it's going to be hard to improve. 

But you are not your workout. 
Don't let a bad workout stop you from recognizing your strengths and abilities. 

Cesta Z Mesta Ride

I was really looking forward to our Saturday long ride. We are continuing to build up our weekly cycling mileage as we prepare for our first attempt at the 7-day Haute Route Alps from August 21st-27th. In addition to our triathlon training (Note to self: IM Lake Placid is in a month), we are putting in a lot of quality riding. Whereas two weeks ago I was on the struggle bus getting back into structured training, this past week I felt really strong and fresh. My body came around and I felt like I was recovering well from my training sessions. On Monday we did an EZ 1 hour spin, Tues was the Spinners A-group ride (3:43/69 miles - we ride to/from the group ride) and Wednesday we went mountain biking for almost 3 hours (24 miles). Thursday I had a private bike skills session with an athlete (90 minutes). In total, before Saturday I had ridden for almost 10 hours. 

On Friday evening, Karel mapped out our Saturday ride and called it Cesta Z Mesta - in Czech it means "The Road Out of Town." The planned route was 104 miles, 9,000 feet of elevation gain. Our plan was to leave at 8am. 

Well, plans changed. 
First off, Karel needed to Skype with his mom and brother in Czech to help his mom with her Visa for when she comes to stay with us in Sept-November. Nearing 9:30am, we were getting ourselves ready and it started raining. I looked at the radar and it looked like the rain would stop around 10am so we did some mobility, finished preparing our nutrition and heading out - in the drizzling rain - around 10am.

Although we were in no rush to get home, Karel thought it would be best for us to adjust some of our route so that we were not riding the entire day (and into the evening). Seeing that our miles go by really slow due to the technical and challenging nature of our terrain, we shortened the ride from 104 miles to 85 miles by omitting the entire Green River Cove loop. 

I started the ride feeling pretty good so my goal for the day was to try to sit on Karel's wheel on the climbs. For our mini yolomites ride the previous weekend, I made sure to pace myself for the long day ahead and didn't get aggressive on any of the climbs. I knew that pushing myself early on in our ride on Saturday would mean I would risk blowing myself up but I wanted to push myself for this ride. 

We wore our hydration packs for this ride to minimize stopping and to ensure we had plenty of fluids. We each had two bottles on our frame and I had 1.5 L (Karel had 2L) in our backpacks. I had INFINIT in my pack and Skratch SuperFuel in my bottles. I also brought along a Supra bar as well as fig newtons to keep myself fueled throughout the ride. It was on the cooler side when we started (and a bit misty with the rain) but it warmed up as the day went on.

The first 90 min of the ride was punchy. Once we got to the Watershed, we settled into a good rhythm for 11 miles to Mine Mountain. I was feeling strong. 

 

We enjoyed a few miles of descending down to the Saluda grade. Because the roads were slick due to the rain, I stayed a bit cautious and Karel rode away from me on the descend. I felt safe and confident on the descend but I didn't want to take any risks. 

Once we got to the Saluda grade, it was time to climb a few miles into Saluda. At this point, Karel's legs were speaking to him. He was struggling. I love the Saluda Grade climb because it's a steady grade and not steep and I can easily settle into a nice rhythm. I ended up riding away from Karel and waited for him at the top. I felt sad that he was feeling so empty but he wanted to see if he could ride off the fatigue. 

I LOVE my new USWE hydration pack! 

Because we adjusted the route, instead of doing the entire Green River Cove loop (which would add another 20 miles to our ride), Karel and I descended down the Green River Cove Switchbacks, then turned around by the tubing parking lots and rode back up. This was the first time that we had biked down the 17 tight switchbacks and I was surprised that I wasn't scared. I could tell that my bike handling skills have really improved thanks to all the group riding and mountain biking I've been doing over the past year. 

The climb was challenging but doable. There are a few kickers in between the switchbacks that really make the legs talk but otherwise, the switchbacks help to break things up. We climbed the 2 miles back up and then made a stop at the gas station to refill bottles. We had a fun and fast descend down for a few miles down the Saluda Grade to the Pearson Falls Road. I love the Saluda Grade descend as it has great flow with wide turns and it's not busy with cars to slow you down. After the descend, we climbed up Mine Mountain for ~5 miles. At this point, I knew Karel was struggling. I went ahead and would often look back and I could see Karel's head hanging low, struggling with each pedal stroke. I felt so bad for him that the only way home was to keep riding. He was totally empty. He told me that I could go ahead as he didn't want me to feel like he was slowing me down and he would eventually make his way home but I didn't want to leave him. I thought back to all the many rides where Karel was feeling so strong but he would wait for him to catch back up. I knew we needed to finish this ride together. 

We had about 8 miles of descending down the Watershed to loosen out the legs (it's not really a fast descend as you still have to work for it and pedal throughout) and then to Dividing Waters. For the rest of the ride, Karel stayed behind him and I pulled him home. He was so relieved when we finally made it back into Traveler's Rest and on to the trail. It was just after 4pm and Karel was done. 

I finished the ride feeling really strong and wanted to do our planned run off the bike. I ran for 40 minutes and finished my workout just after 5pm. It was a long day of training but a great one for me. Karel didn't run and instead, took Campy for a walk after he made himself a recovery shake. 
We finished the ride with 85 miles in 5:40 and 7500 feet of elevation gain. 

Although we both went into this ride a little fatigued from our previous training, Karel had a bad workout. It just wasn't his day. Sometimes you are the hammer and you do the pounding and sometimes you are the nail - you get pounded. Sadly, Karel was the nail. 

When a bad workout happens, it's important to reflect on the reason(s) for feeling off. Could it be nutrition, sleep, stress, fatigue, previous training sessions, weather......? Often times, we can contribute a bad workout to something specific. But then there are times when we just have off days. There's no real reason why they happen but there will be times in training and on race day when you can't deliver the effort that you hoped for - and that's ok. 

There's no reason to blame it on your body or make excuses. Sometimes the stars just don't align and you need to give yourself a break. There have been plenty of times when Karel and myself have had a bad bike workout and followed it up with a great run. But then there are times, in your gut, when you know that the run off the bike doesn't make sense. Karel made his decision not to run, didn't dwell on it or feel guilt and just moved on. 

When training is your lifestyle, there are going to be speed bumps. The peaks will almost always outnumber the valleys so never let a lousy workout question your abilities. Fail forward! 

Bouncing back from a bad workout

Most of the time, workouts put us into a good mood. We feel much better after the workout is complete, then compared to when we started.  But what if the workout doesn't go as planned and suddenly you find yourself grumpy from the workout that didn't go so well?

Seeing that we will all have a bad workout, here are a few tips to help bounce back from an "off" training day.

Nutrition
Look into your diet. Long hours without eating, not using sport nutrition products properly, dehydration, low blood sugar, overeating, undereating, consuming food too close to bed, too much fiber/fat too close to your workout, or poorly planned meals will affect your energy and how your body performs. 

Nutrient timing
Did you not time your nutrition well with your workout? Address what sport nutrition products are not working for you. What did you eat in the 2-4 hours before the workout. Generally, it is recommended to reduce fat/fiber before a workout  to help with digestion and be sure to drink water to promote digestion/absorption of nutrients before and during the workout. Many times, athletes under-fuel before/during workouts so it is important to recognize the importance of timing your nutrition with your workout.

Sleep
If there is one area in your life to blame for feeling off, it is not getting enough restful sleep. Try to create an exercise/training schedule that allows for a restful night of sleep most days a week. For many people, 7-9 hours is the magic number - which may mean going to bed earlier. 

Mobility and strength training
It's common for athletes to skimp on strength training and mobility to squeeze in more cardio. Remember, your body needs time to wake up and to get the blood flowing so it can perform to its capabilities. And a strong body is a resilient body. Factor in 15 minutes before your workout to properly warm-up and include strength training into your weekly routine at least three times per week. 

Mindset
If your mind is filled with thoughts and to-do's before you workout, try to bring yourself into a positive state of mind before working out. Many times, we allow stress, emotions and negative thoughts to take over and it's difficult to stay focused and present during the workout. 

Don't be all or nothing 
Whether you are having a hard time with motivation or struggling with fatigue, give yourself permission to adjust the workout. If you aren't feeling good by 20 minutes into the workout, just call it a day. If you planned to run and you are just too tired, just walk. If your workout called for intervals, reduce the intensity or duration. Some of the most successful race performances come after modifications with training. No training plan should be set in stone. 

Keep it fun
Remind yourself that you train because you love it and it's something that you choose to do. If you are putting too much pressure on yourself with expectations of how you think the workout should go, you may find yourself frustrated or disappointed.  Don't worry about pace, time, HR, speed, etc. Just enjoy your time with your body and mind. 

Recovery
Just because you complete a workout, this doesn't mean that you are gaining fitness. During the recovery process, adaptation takes place. This is where the true fitness gains are made. With the right mix of training stress, fatigue and recovery, the body can adapt. Recovery is everything that happens between two workouts. Give yourself an opportunity to recover in order to adapt.

Don't let a bad workout affect you mentally. Think back to all your great workouts and remember that fitness improvements are not linear.  Focus on one day at a time. It's the accumulation of workouts that allows for fitness gains - don't worry about one off day.