Hitting the Wall-Then Moving Past It

Hey guys,

So the biggest thing that triathletes face during training is the overuse of their own bodies. Any one of the training techniques we use, from the swim, bike, run, or cross training techniques such as strength training or gym equipment can be easily overused without our knowledge of it. Then, the next day, we see that we have basically nothing left in the tank, and we're left asking why we feel so tired? But, as stubborn triathletes we are, we go out and continue to train that day, harder than usual, and end up even more tired. Well, I call this the Triathlete Lifestyle Wall.

The Triathlete Lifestyle Wall: This wall is just like any other wall you would face during a race or hard training event, but is geared more towards a whole triathlete's life in which they hit the wall. With training, work, friends, family, and events, the triathlete lifestyle quickly heats up and overfills as soon as the week starts. We all know how important training is though, and we work around the real world: work situations, family events, friend gatherings, and so on. However, this creates a small amount of stress once you've gotten through that hectic week; you may not feel it at the end of that week, but it builds there; slowly but surely. The next week starts, and you do it over again, and that stress starts to accumulate, little by little, until one day, you completely crash-whether it's at work, at home, or during a training session-you just have a massive bonk. You have hit the Triathlete Lifestyle Wall.

Now, I personally hit this wall at work. I kind of had an idea it was coming when I could barely get up and out of bed to ride the 17.5 miles to work, but I did. I felt good when I got there, and worked well for about 3 hours of my shift. Then, at about 4:00, it hit me, completely out of nowhere. I sat down immediately and just felt like I was going to fall asleep, right there behind the counter. Luckily, there wasn't anyone in the store at the time, so I went up to the nutrition wall and grabbed some energy chews. That's a perk of working at a triathlon store, there's always a BUNCH of caffeine filled snacks for a low price. :) But, they almost didn't help, and so I was stuck on that wall. My shift ended two hours later, and I was able to go out and ride home. Now, this was the crucial part for me: I rode home. If I had the choice or if someone had offered to give me a ride home, I would've definitely accepted it and drove home then I would've jumped into bed and sleep as much as I could. But, I had to ride those 17.5 miles home, and was absolutely dead when I got home. You know, I'll tell you that I slept pretty well that night, but when I woke up the next morning, I wasn't feeling too bad. My legs felt good, and I was ready to go out and get another day of training.

So, all in all, The Triathlete Lifestyle Wall can be climbed over. The thing is, it's a very dangerous wall to jump over. If you try to get over this wall too quickly, you can end up getting hurt because you'd go out and overuse yourself too much. It can also be jumped over too slowly, like if you were to go and take a rest week to recover, but then you would only hit this wall again a few weeks later in training. It is a very delicate matter to get over the wall, but you definitely can do it. Just be careful when you reach it, and make sure not to overdo it.

Happy training!