Lately, between work,stressing out over trying to get financing on a business deal and training I have just been exhausted. My work-out pace-times have dropped off and my "race-pace" sets are either agonizing or just disappointing. This is from a peak about a month ago when I was swimming seconds faster than my projected race pace on all my 50s,75s, and 100s
So what's the solution? Bumble on through the rough spot and hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel? Stop training for a week or more and recover? Switch training to something else altogether? Or maybe pick the pace up and punish my old bones into obeying the master plan?
In an earlier thread started by JayHawk, she posted news of a study that concludes part of what may be ailing you. Here's the abstract for the study:
J Appl Physiol 106: 857-864, 2009. First published January 8, 2009; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.91324.2008 Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans
Samuele M. Marcora, Walter Staiano, and Victoria Manning School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom
Submitted 4 October 2008 ; accepted in final form 5 January 2009
Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. Although the impact of mental fatigue on cognitive and skilled performance is well known, its effect on physical performance has not been thoroughly investigated. In this randomized crossover study, 16 subjects cycled to exhaustion at 80% of their peak power output after 90 min of a demanding cognitive task (mental fatigue) or 90 min of watching emotionally neutral documentaries (control). After experimental treatment, a mood questionnaire revealed a state of mental fatigue (P = 0.005) that significantly reduced time to exhaustion (640 ± 316 s) compared with the control condition (754 ± 339 s) (P = 0.003). This negative effect was not mediated by cardiorespiratory and musculoenergetic factors as physiological responses to intense exercise remained largely unaffected. Self-reported success and intrinsic motivation related to the physical task were also unaffected by prior cognitive activity. However, mentally fatigued subjects rated perception of effort during exercise to be significantly higher compared with the control condition (P = 0.007). As ratings of perceived exertion increased similarly over time in both conditions (P 't really figure out what, if anything other than weakness of my character, is causing it.
Then it sort of goes away for a while.
Then it comes back.
I think all the advice here is excellent, but the best and hardest to apply is just accepting this is how it is to be human.
In an earlier thread started by JayHawk, she posted news of a study that concludes part of what may be ailing you. Here's the abstract for the study:
J Appl Physiol 106: 857-864, 2009. First published January 8, 2009; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.91324.2008 Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans
Samuele M. Marcora, Walter Staiano, and Victoria Manning School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom
Submitted 4 October 2008 ; accepted in final form 5 January 2009
Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. Although the impact of mental fatigue on cognitive and skilled performance is well known, its effect on physical performance has not been thoroughly investigated. In this randomized crossover study, 16 subjects cycled to exhaustion at 80% of their peak power output after 90 min of a demanding cognitive task (mental fatigue) or 90 min of watching emotionally neutral documentaries (control). After experimental treatment, a mood questionnaire revealed a state of mental fatigue (P = 0.005) that significantly reduced time to exhaustion (640 ± 316 s) compared with the control condition (754 ± 339 s) (P = 0.003). This negative effect was not mediated by cardiorespiratory and musculoenergetic factors as physiological responses to intense exercise remained largely unaffected. Self-reported success and intrinsic motivation related to the physical task were also unaffected by prior cognitive activity. However, mentally fatigued subjects rated perception of effort during exercise to be significantly higher compared with the control condition (P = 0.007). As ratings of perceived exertion increased similarly over time in both conditions (P 't really figure out what, if anything other than weakness of my character, is causing it.
Then it sort of goes away for a while.
Then it comes back.
I think all the advice here is excellent, but the best and hardest to apply is just accepting this is how it is to be human.
