The purpose of training is to stress the body to cause an adaptation response. This is what is referred to as the overload principle. The important part to understand here is that your body does not gain fitness while training it gains fitness as a result of training. For your body to improve fitness, it needs proper nutrition and rest.
There are many factors to determine how much rest you actually need: your current fitness level; the amount of time spent training; the intensity of training; age; nutrition; overall health; etc. The most basic way to ensure that you are getting enough sleep is to always get at least 8 hours of sleep. Another way is to get accustomed to listening to your body. For example, if you feel tired, you probably are tired. Do not make the mistake of ignoring how you are feeling.
Also, if you have a heart rate monitor, check your resting heart rate each morning. After a week or so, you should get a consistent reading on your resting heart rate. If you wake up one morning feeling tired and sluggish with a resting heart rate 20 beats higher than normal, skip the workout and go back to sleep.
Nutrition also plays a huge role in the recovery process. Recovery starts before each ride by weighing yourself before you get dressed. After each ride, weigh yourself again. If you weigh less than when you started, this indicates that the body has experienced fluid loss, which will need to be replenished. For every pound loss, you should drink about 150% of the equivalent in water; that is about 24 oz per pound. I also strongly recommend using a recovery drink after each workout. The recovery drink will help replace the nutrients your body lost during the workout. For effective recovery, the drink should be consumed within 30 minutes after your training session.
Being a multisport athlete puts a great deal of stress on your body. So get accustomed to knowing your body and knowing when to skip a workout. Fitness gains are not possible without adequate rest and recovery.
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Growing up Ron Arroyo was not an endurance athlete; he was a football and baseball player and powerlifter. It wasn’t until he was in his early 30's that he made a commitment to the sport of triathlon. He has coached hundreds of athletes in all disciplines. He currently coaches 50 athletes in triathlon, cycling, swimming and running. He is a USAT, USA Cycling, New Leaf metabolic specialist, and a NASM personal trainer.
To learn more about Ron and his coaching, visit www.arroyoracing.com.