How do you modify your workouts when life is sucking all your energy?
Typically, my training is the way I sustain myself and the energy balance is strongly positive. There are times, however, where there are inescapable events/conflicts/illnesses etc that confound our best laid plans. Times when as I get through a day the floor behind me seems finely polished from my glutes dragging across it. It seems to me fruitless in these stretches to try to maintain the intensity or quality of my training. And as I "mature", it seems recovery times are longer from either life's bodyblows or from a hard workout.
Often its a victory just to get to the pool and get wet. My response of course depends on where I am in a competition cycle. Fortunately, I'm in a flexible phase right now as I'm going to miss both long course nats and the open water season. Today, I decided to do some longer sets and completely ignored the pace clock. I focused on my stroke, and my turns, and intuitively gauged my effort level as my workout progressed. I'm happy to say that after a few 500's the expected endorphin surge was felt, and I was able to finish with some harder 300's- again without a pace clock.
What strategies are you using both in and out of the pool to endure the inevitable energy vortexes?
Parents
Former Member
I have a disorder that saps energy, it also causes connective tissues to become stiff and it destroys fast twitch muscle fibers as well. Combine that with 'age' and my life is much like you describe yours. When it is time to go swim laps I make a decision as to whether or not I actually have enough energy left for the swim and the rest of the day. Needless to say, I'm not interested in competiting and am never in a training for competition cycle. I look at swimming as an important part of keeping myself flexible and strong... so to hell with speed, I just enjoy the longest swim I can manage, focusing on technique and the sensual pleasure of the water.
I have a disorder that saps energy, it also causes connective tissues to become stiff and it destroys fast twitch muscle fibers as well. Combine that with 'age' and my life is much like you describe yours. When it is time to go swim laps I make a decision as to whether or not I actually have enough energy left for the swim and the rest of the day. Needless to say, I'm not interested in competiting and am never in a training for competition cycle. I look at swimming as an important part of keeping myself flexible and strong... so to hell with speed, I just enjoy the longest swim I can manage, focusing on technique and the sensual pleasure of the water.
