By Leslee Jaquette
Running was my addiction of choice for nearly two decades. Over the years I ran in several marathons, halfathons and many 10Ks every year. It was the most satisfying way for me to get my “ya-yas” out.
In addition, when my sons were little I went swimming twice a week at o-dark thirty with an equally hyper young mom and neighbor. It was hard to get up but it was worth it. Besides, it was pretty easy. Our husbands could get the kids up for school but we would be home to push them all out the door.
Eventually, when triathalons came into existence, I was ready. I was beginning to experience some malaise with running and finding it increasingly difficult to the time. I still loved to swim and now I just added some cycling. I bought a cute, little Bianci and I was off to the races.
So, I was lucky. I fell into cross-training quite naturally. And as it ends up, that’s doubly lucky so not to perpetrate overuse injuries or over-training fatigue.
An article by Rachel Bachman in the “Wall Street Journal” last September looked at the why some training days go great and others don’t. After interviewing longtime track and field coach Peter Thompson of Eugene, Ore., she concluded over-training was one of the major culprits.
“Training doesn’t make you fitter. It’s the recovery and adaptation for training that makes you fitter,” says Thompson.
Here are some tips for making your exercise effort more consistent:
- Get a good night’s sleep.
- Stay hydrated.
- Replinish liquids if you consume alcohol.
- Vary your workouts.
- Eat energy snacks before big workout.
- Pace your workouts – don’t overtrain!
