Putting the Components Together

Putting together an effective training program and utilising the right components is all part of an athlete training to perform in their discipline of choice

Putting the Components Together

In the article, Ingredients an athlete requires for peak performance, we listed the components considered important to achieve peak performance. In this article we shall look at applying three of those components in a little more depth.

The Power of Sleep

Deep sleep is needed to achieve full recovery from your day’s training and what life throws at you. Currently, MrsDuck (my wife, who trains on the time-to-run 10k programs), sleeps with her heart rate monitor on (watch takes readings from the wrist, there is no chest belt), to monitor her sleep patterns.

Using your heart rate monitor to monitor your sleep patterns is well worth considering, if you are trying to get on top of a bout of fatigue and lethargy. You would also be able to monitor your morning pulse, to see how you should approach the forthcoming day’s training. A lack of deep sleep and a higher than normal waking pulse, is a sure sign that the fatigue you feeling currently warrants an easy day or even a day off.

Rest and Recovery – R & R

The thing with rest and recovery, is you don’t lose the training you have done, if the body simply requires further assistance in absorbing the workload. If you not absorbing the workload, all the athlete is doing is adding to the possibility of over-training.

More is lost due to an unplanned rest and recovery, due to injury or illness. That is why a planned rest and recovery is of more value, than an enforced period of rest which is out of your control.

Sometimes during rest and recovery, the athlete often finds it difficult to relax and find fun things to do. But those who are interested in online entertainment can enjoy a nice time on the couch with a phone in their hands.

Utilising your heart rate monitor

Whereas I am not a great fan of using a heart rate monitor when racing, I am a massive fan of using a Heart Rate Monitor to assist your training, and the HRMs do that, and do it well. Whether monitoring your sleep patterns or checking your waking pulse, to providing training zones for your easy runs, long runs and tempo runs, the technology can log all your data in a better way that the good old log books.

Intervals play a major part in having an effective training program and the HRM provides the data to see whether you are indeed achieving the correct training according to scientific parameters.

Nutrition for energy and recovery

Nutrition is vital for your training, as well as for recovery. Not only should your nutrition provide energy for your training, it should also provide assistance in your recovery from your training sessions.

Working with a nutritionist or compiling a sensible diet that provides both energy and sustenance for recovery should be a high priority in seeking to achieve peak performance.

Enjoy your training and racing, and make sure that you have all the components under control.