It’s ok to take a break, No really it is!
This week I gave pretty much my entire Tri & Running team the shock of their life’s, some called it the “dream week,” others couldn’t believe what they saw on the workout calendar. All their workouts were structured around low intensity, with a few optional workouts thrown in, heck some also got a few days extra off.
As expected there were two responses:
The typical mileage junkie response: Coach, how can you do this? Won’t this affect my big race; I am already doing fewer miles than the next person? Or Yay,coach thanks so much! This was so much needed!
As a coach I dwell a lot on sports science thanks in part due to my education, as well as mental fitness; but most importantly I also look at the human side of my trainees.Routinely with all the data that gets thrown our way (and yes it’s important), with every emerging technology; the human side gets neglected.While having conversations with trainees, I realize that we all have our life and stressors outside of them. Training is just one aspect for us especially amateurs, the family, work, financial, personal and social stressors are ones we can’t and should not ignore.Our life doesn’t depend on racing, but being angry or depressed with training can surely impact our life.
With training, family life, social life gets affected quite a bit, I will often ask trainees what was the last time they did something fun with friends, family and if they haven’t why not?You see, a lot of times we ignore these smaller pleasures of life, we take people/ family for granted. “Oh they will understand, am training,” Yes they will, but there’s no reason to use this as an excuse is it?I used to work with someone, who used to get up at 4:00 am, finishing his long workouts by 10:00 on weekends, so that he could then spend the entire weekend with his kids. But not all of us have this determination, or the opportunity to do so.
So this week, I gave majority of my team the week easy, off and made it fun.The idea of a rest week is to rejuvenate you, from the inside out.It’s almost better to go into a race under-trained, than go into one over trained a well established fact from top level to amateur athletes (me included). Similarly, it’s important to start the season with the right attitude, not a burnt down and beat up one.It’s okay to take those extra few days to sleep in, spend time with family, kids or heck eat that extra mango if you need to, we all do it, we all deserve.
So this week, if you are feeling tight in your shoulders or, a bit low or, life has you bogged down, take it as a sign to do something fun, do something that will rejuvenate you, and set yourself up for the following weeks, or rest of the season. Heck, me and my team are doing it, so why shouldn’t you?This week take care of family, but more importantly take care of you, because it all starts with a happy you!