Finding time to train can be a challenge for anyone. Finding time to train for an endurance sport is another ballgame, altogether! Endurance training, as it implies, requires more time – time under tension specifically, meaning you are exposing your body to environmental stress for a sustained period of time.
Let’s be clear, training can be extremely healthy for an individual. However, training is still received by the body as a stressor and as such needs respective recovery. Recovery can come in many forms, be it muscle work, nutrition, and/or sleep and time off (rest days).
Unfortunately, intensive muscle work often comes at an added expense and does not always fit into one’s budget. Nutrition, sleep, and time off, on the other hand, are all elements within an athlete’s control and should be utilized for optimal recovery and peak performance.
Quality nutrition post-workout will assist in an athlete’s immediate recovery window and prevent any catabolic effects. Sleep and time off, meanwhile, will allow the body the necessary time to repair damage (albeit ‘good’) done during training sessions.
So if you’re thinking about skipping a scheduled rest day in order to squeeze in one more interval run or ride up a steep grade – pump the brakes. Differentiating yourself from other competitors involves maximizing each and every training session you have – not simply logging more training sessions. Training hard AND smart, means allowing for optimal recovery so that you can attack your next session with even greater intensity.
Fitness, remember, is gained over time, not in the final hour.
