How to Deal with Longer Recovery Times
An older person is supposed to be wiser than an impulsive young pup. Be sure you retain that trait when it comes to your triathlon training.
After a workout, rest is how your body grows stronger. It uses the downtime to rebuild from the stresses of your training. You may feel great after a workout as the endorphins kick in, and you can't wait for the next training session. Do yourself a favor. Wait.
If you follow one hard workout with another, your body will not have a chance to rebuild damaged tissue. Eventually, it will start breaking down rather than regenerating. The bottom line will be injury. You may have to force yourself to go easy the day after an excellent workout, but common sense must rule or you will find yourself in trouble.
Are there alternatives to complete rest after a hard workout?
Yes, you can engage in “active rest” the day after a vigorous workout. A typical active rest session would be an easy bike ride or a swim at low to moderate intensity. What you don't want to do at any intensity level is to run. Even an easy run can be hard on the joints and muscles and will retard your recovery.
One of the byproducts of physical activity is lactic acid, which builds up in the muscles during vigorous exercise. When you feel a burning sensation in your calf muscles and thighs, that's lactic acid. Some of it will be removed naturally, but it can build up. An active rest session, especially an easy swim, helps remove lactic acid that has accumulated.
As you train, you will increase what is known as your lactate threshold, the point at which your body can no longer remove lactic acid on its own. The higher the threshold, the more you can work at high intensity without feeling the effects of lactic acid in your system.
A great way to conduct an active rest day is to go to a yoga class. The stretching will be great for the muscles you have been working so hard, and it also will help with lactic acid removal. Even better, the relaxing setting will do wonders for your mood and your outlook. You will leave refreshed and ready for more training.
No training schedule is inviolable. If you don't feel good before heading out the door for a run or bike ride, just skip it. If a training session starts poorly and gets worse from there, bag it. Go home, rest, and get ready for your next workout. Write it off as just one of those days.
One final caution for older athletes: be careful about choosing your training partners. If that person is considerably younger, you could find yourself straining to keep up and moving into the danger zone, where injuries lurk.
