The 3 "R's" of Endurance Training: Rest, Recovery and Recreation (first in a series)

Rest

In this day and age where we find competition in all aspects of our life, we are all constantly looking for that edge. We work a little extra, we have a little more caffeine … we train a little harder. I used the work “little”, but for some of you, I should probably use the words “a lot”. Maybe even “Too Much”! We get up earlier to get in our workouts before we rush off to work, sucking down caffeine in the car on the way. We might cram in a workout at lunch and eat at our desks later, have afternoon meetings which mean a longer day at the office before we leave for the gym at 7:30 or 8 pm, making dinner seem like a midnight snack. We often hear the phrase, “Less is more” … but is it really?

In this series, I’m going to talk about the three R’s of endurance training: Rest, Recovery and Recreation, three things that must be a part of any training regimen if you want to be successful. The fist is Rest or, as we more commonly call it: Sleep.

How many hours of sleep do you get on average? 5? 6? I know I’ve been heard saying, “If only I didn’t have to sleep” when I need more hours in a day. However, we DO need sleep and because we are athletes, the benefits of sleep are even more important to our goals. Sleep is often cited as a cure-all for a wide range of ailments, including all types of stress.

Sleep is an “anabolic” process. This means that your body is repairing itself while you sleep. Muscle tissue gets restored, damages cells are healed. If you don’t get enough sleep or you are one of the many sleep deprived, this not only could interrupt the process, but studies have shown that it is nearly impossible to make-up the loss of sleep on a Sunday of sleeping in an extra hour or two. Eight straight hours is still the best advice according to modern medicine, alternative medicine, your coach and your mom!

If you still think sleep is overrated think about this: repeated studies at Stanford University have shown that athletes who maintained a usual sleep pattern of 8 hours a day for a six to seven week period - across the board - increased their peak performance. Those who got a little extra sleep, some up to 10 hours a day, increased their peak performance even more, decreased daytime sleepy-ness, had higher ratings of vigor and lower ratings of fatigue.

I know that it works with the athletes I coach and it works for me. Here’s a few key things to remember to improve your athletic performance and your everyday life:

• Make sleep a regular part of your training routine
• If you are existing in a state of “sleep debt”, extend your nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce this debt, especially before competition
• Adults need seven to eight hours a night. Teens and young adults need nine or more.
• Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule as much as possible
• If you can, take brief naps during the day