Feeling flat week before race?

Could be many things, and probably a combination of things. I don't
think you have given us enough info to help.

Good info to have in talking about this would be;
sleep patterns, hours and quality
training patterns, did you taper before any races?
eating patterns, are your nutritional needs being met currently with all
things considered
work patterns

Seems like a lot of info to share, and it might be worth consulting a
certified trainer/coach to help you one to one.

TriRod
USAT Certified Level I coach

cwhitmore said:

Last year I competed in my first triathlon and was feeling flat the week
before so I took the last week off. (worked out good for me)
This year, I did twice the distance (olympic), and started feeling flat two
weeks before so I did a few easy workouts two weeks from the event and then
took the last week off. This year it didn't work, I felt exhausted before
the race even started. Needless to say I had a long day and was disappointed
in my times.
Any suggestions?
Carlton.

cwhitmore said:

Last year I competed in my first triathlon and was feeling flat the week
before so I took the last week off. (worked out good for me)
This year, I did twice the distance (olympic), and started feeling flat two
weeks before so I did a few easy workouts two weeks from the event and then
took the last week off. This year it didn't work, I felt exhausted before
the race even started. Needless to say I had a long day and was disappointed
in my times.
Any suggestions?
Carlton.

Maybe I can help.

Make sure that you are eating, sleeping, and hydrating enough and that
they are all good quality.

Sometimes eating something simple like a bowl of cereal and drinking a
sports drink a half hour before a workout will help me fight the fatigue
and eating a gel right before my workout while I change can really help.
Extra fruit and a potato a day can really help me as well.

Even a nap can really make a difference. On heavy work out weeks I can
require 10 hours of sleep to recover. I didn't know this at first and
tried to get by on 7-8 and really suffered in all aspects of my life.

If I have not had adequate rest or fuel to train with I can really
suffer and need extra long recovery weeks or more recovery runs in a
regular scheduled training week.

Taper, and incorporate recovery runs/rides (much lower heart rate allows
for healing and this seems to kick start my own lower periods when I
feel fatigued).

Incorporate periodization, for instance my schedule works well when I
work out 9 hours the first week 11 hours the second, 13 the third, and
up to 15 hours on the fourth week and then I have a recovery week where
I only do half hour runs and much fewer hours. After the recovery week I
would then re-start at 9 hours of training per week. Sometimes I may
need a recovery week sooner if the drills were different and harder than
I was expecting on my body (for instance I may need a few recovery runs
or a week of recovery at week 2).

Incorporating different types of drills for each 4 week rotation.
For instance below and above lactate threshold training, skill
improvement, long runs, short runs. I tend to work on 4 drills in
swimming and then change to a different set of 4 drills the next month.
This really helps with the boredom through out the month as well as each
week.

If these ideas don't help, maybe see your doctor or a nutritionist or
hire a coach.

Good luck.

Great advice. Like you I thought getting 7-8 hours of sleep was enough. I
think rest is my main problem right now.

"Triathlete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:cCOne.1548965$8l.1521844@pd7tw1no...

Quoted message said:

cwhitmore said:

Last year I competed in my first triathlon and was feeling flat the week
before so I took the last week off. (worked out good for me)
This year, I did twice the distance (olympic), and started feeling flat
two weeks before so I did a few easy workouts two weeks from the event
and then took the last week off. This year it didn't work, I felt
exhausted before the race even started. Needless to say I had a long day
and was disappointed in my times.
Any suggestions?
Carlton.

Maybe I can help.

Make sure that you are eating, sleeping, and hydrating enough and that
they are all good quality.

Sometimes eating something simple like a bowl of cereal and drinking a
sports drink a half hour before a workout will help me fight the fatigue
and eating a gel right before my workout while I change can really help.
Extra fruit and a potato a day can really help me as well.

Even a nap can really make a difference. On heavy work out weeks I can
require 10 hours of sleep to recover. I didn't know this at first and
tried to get by on 7-8 and really suffered in all aspects of my life.

If I have not had adequate rest or fuel to train with I can really suffer
and need extra long recovery weeks or more recovery runs in a regular
scheduled training week.

Taper, and incorporate recovery runs/rides (much lower heart rate allows
for healing and this seems to kick start my own lower periods when I feel
fatigued).

Incorporate periodization, for instance my schedule works well when I work
out 9 hours the first week 11 hours the second, 13 the third, and up to 15
hours on the fourth week and then I have a recovery week where I only do
half hour runs and much fewer hours. After the recovery week I would then
re-start at 9 hours of training per week. Sometimes I may need a recovery
week sooner if the drills were different and harder than I was expecting
on my body (for instance I may need a few recovery runs or a week of
recovery at week 2).

Incorporating different types of drills for each 4 week rotation.
For instance below and above lactate threshold training, skill
improvement, long runs, short runs. I tend to work on 4 drills in swimming
and then change to a different set of 4 drills the next month. This really
helps with the boredom through out the month as well as each week.

If these ideas don't help, maybe see your doctor or a nutritionist or hire
a coach.

Good luck.

For what it's worth sleep is my biggest problem now as well. I have
several things fighting me. First is personal history. What I mean by
this is that I'm used to staying up late to work on projects and going
to work early. When I was self-training it was not a problem because I
was never maxing myself out. Now that I have a coach that sleep
pattern just does not work.

To add to the complexity I have major allergies. I am stuck between
taking Allegra-D at night which keeps me up - or taking the sleep which
means that I am more susceptible to sinus infections (three this year
already).

Last weekend I had my first race of the season - great swim, nice bike,
crashed on the run. Coincidently I had problem sleeping on Thursday
and Saturday nights prior to the race.

Lack of sleep will zap your energy with no doubt.

-CF

Hi CF
I too have a problem with staying up too late at night, and like you
this does not work well with my training.

I have a suggestion about your allergies: Do you change your pillows
very often? Pillows can become moldy or have dust and pollen and other
allergens build up in them and make you sick.

Other than that, try changing your sheets more often and use detergent
that doesn't have any perfumes or other allergens.

Good luck.

ChronoFish said:

For what it's worth sleep is my biggest problem now as well. I have
several things fighting me. First is personal history. What I mean by
this is that I'm used to staying up late to work on projects and going
to work early. When I was self-training it was not a problem because I
was never maxing myself out. Now that I have a coach that sleep
pattern just does not work.

To add to the complexity I have major allergies. I am stuck between
taking Allegra-D at night which keeps me up - or taking the sleep which
means that I am more susceptible to sinus infections (three this year
already).

Last weekend I had my first race of the season - great swim, nice bike,
crashed on the run. Coincidently I had problem sleeping on Thursday
and Saturday nights prior to the race.

Lack of sleep will zap your energy with no doubt.

-CF

cwhitmore said:

Great advice. Like you I thought getting 7-8 hours of sleep was enough. I
think rest is my main problem right now.

Go get some rest!
Getting the proper amount of sleep is important but not as easy as it
should be.

It should be pointed out that sleep has been pr oven to have no effect
on aerobic to slightly anaerobic performance up to two nights out (in
other words two bad nights of sleep the day before /and/ two days before
an event). That being said, recovery from regular training does not
apply to this theory, but it would seem that racing does ;-)

-Andrew
Boulder, CO

ChronoFish said:

For what it's worth sleep is my biggest problem now as well. I have
several things fighting me. First is personal history. What I mean by
this is that I'm used to staying up late to work on projects and going
to work early. When I was self-training it was not a problem because I
was never maxing myself out. Now that I have a coach that sleep
pattern just does not work.

To add to the complexity I have major allergies. I am stuck between
taking Allegra-D at night which keeps me up - or taking the sleep which
means that I am more susceptible to sinus infections (three this year
already).

Last weekend I had my first race of the season - great swim, nice bike,
crashed on the run. Coincidently I had problem sleeping on Thursday
and Saturday nights prior to the race.

Lack of sleep will zap your energy with no doubt.

-CF

"ChronoFish" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1118173909.268654.196900
@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

For what it's worth sleep is my biggest problem now as well. I have
several things fighting me. First is personal history. What I mean by
this is that I'm used to staying up late to work on projects and going
to work early. When I was self-training it was not a problem because I
was never maxing myself out. Now that I have a coach that sleep
pattern just does not work.

To add to the complexity I have major allergies. I am stuck between
taking Allegra-D at night which keeps me up - or taking the sleep which
means that I am more susceptible to sinus infections (three this year
already).

Last weekend I had my first race of the season - great swim, nice bike,
crashed on the run. Coincidently I had problem sleeping on Thursday
and Saturday nights prior to the race.

Lack of sleep will zap your energy with no doubt.

-CF

Ever try Flonase or Rhinocort (not sure about the spelling). They both
put a very low dose of steriods directly into your sinuses. The idea is
that you get the allergy benefits of steriods without the systemic side
effects. I've used Flonase for the last few years with great success. The
only problem is that it doesn't provide immediate releif. You have to use
it fairly consistently. If I get out of the habit and then have an
allergy flare-up, it take about 2-3 days to fully take effect.

"Tom Henderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"ChronoFish" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1118173909.268654.196900
@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com:

Quoted message said:

For what it's worth sleep is my biggest problem now as well. I have
several things fighting me. First is personal history. What I mean by
this is that I'm used to staying up late to work on projects and going
to work early. When I was self-training it was not a problem because I
was never maxing myself out. Now that I have a coach that sleep
pattern just does not work.

To add to the complexity I have major allergies. I am stuck between
taking Allegra-D at night which keeps me up - or taking the sleep which
means that I am more susceptible to sinus infections (three this year
already).

Last weekend I had my first race of the season - great swim, nice bike,
crashed on the run. Coincidently I had problem sleeping on Thursday
and Saturday nights prior to the race.

Lack of sleep will zap your energy with no doubt.

-CF

Ever try Flonase or Rhinocort (not sure about the spelling). They both
put a very low dose of steriods directly into your sinuses. The idea is
that you get the allergy benefits of steriods without the systemic side
effects. I've used Flonase for the last few years with great success. The
only problem is that it doesn't provide immediate releif. You have to use
it fairly consistently. If I get out of the habit and then have an
allergy flare-up, it take about 2-3 days to fully take effect.

I had the same problem with insomnia caused by allergy medication.
These items work by blocking the allergen receptor sites in the nasal
cavities. The biggest benefit is that there are no adverse side effects
that are associated with other drugs (insomnia or drowsiness). To repeat
what was said above... You will get some benefit right away, but you
have to take these every day for a couple of days to get full effect.
Generally 2 sprays per nostril every 12 hours.

---The Mad Jesuit

Andrew,

I can see how this would be a hard thing to "prove". I've had many
races where the sleep is less than desirable and my results were not
directly related to the sleep.

However when you're having consistant problems with sleep, and three
nights out you get 3 hours of sleep and the night before you get
disturbed (in/out) sleep, for me personnaly it has an impact. While I
don't have "proof", I do have data that shows a trend in my sleep vs
desire vs length of quality in workout.

Hi Tom,

I actually use Rhinocort.

Last night I had the perfect pre-sleep combo. Had a solid 1:15 minute
workout (swim speed work) that finished at about 6:30pm. Got home
around 7:30 and wound down with some light house work. Ate a great
dinner in great weather outside on porch. Had another nice workout
with my wife (if you know what I mean) and took the allergy meds that I
thought would not hamper my sleep (Allegra - not Allegra-D, Advair,
Rhinocort), and fell right to sleep by 9:30.

Slept like a log until ...... 1:30am --- UUGH! The mind was up and
ready to go - the body was not. It was at least 2:30 before I fell
asleep again - and this time it was anything but solid.

This has been my trend. Sometimes something wakes me up, othertimes
like last night I just wake up.

My next step was to actually to drop the Rhinocort to see if that helps
me sleep. But I fear as I drop my meds I get closer to a sinus
infection.

I suppose that it could be overtraining - but I somehow doubt this....
I'm pretty comfortable forgoing a workout when I'm feeling weak and
have been erring on the side of caution.

Frustration.....
-CF

ChronoFish said:

Andrew,

I can see how this would be a hard thing to "prove". I've had many
races where the sleep is less than desirable and my results were not
directly related to the sleep.

However when you're having consistant problems with sleep, and three
nights out you get 3 hours of sleep and the night before you get
disturbed (in/out) sleep, for me personnaly it has an impact. While I
don't have "proof", I do have data that shows a trend in my sleep vs
desire vs length of quality in workout.

Ah! You said three nights out. And I believe this study said that
moderate loss of sleep would not affect the performance. I think if even
two nights out you get zero rem sleep for two nights, you'd be in trouble.

-Andrew
Boulder, CO