Train, Eat, Sleep, Recover…..

This season I have started to see a trend in my training cycle. Not only do I have a set routine, - basically everyday – but also it tends to run my life and keep achieving my goals.  Today I wanted to go over a typical day in the life of “me” and talk about the importance of recovery. And is the sport of Triathlon a healthy addiction? We will find out.

I start of my day every morning with a few stretches using my foam roller before I reach for a cup of coffee and a big bowl of oatmeal. The carbohydrates from the oatmeal keep me energized to keep me going at work and last till a later lunch in the afternoon (smaller lunch), followed by a snack around 4 pm, and a high in protein dinner after the long workout. As a triathlete we tend to consume a lot of carbohydrates and calories to keep the body in a constant state of recovery. The consumption seems like a lot, but my body is always burning calories and those calories need to be replaced. This intake will keep my body going and prepare me for my workouts in the evening.  Continuing to work all day, I make it to 5 o’clock where I am usually off to the gym or out the door on my next workout.  These workouts on average can range from 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week and the weekends being even longer. I usually finish my workout with a good 30 minutes of stretching and some kind of endurance recovery drink. I have found that, not only consuming the proper nutrients and eating healthy (sometimes overly healthy) is important, but getting enough sleep. This allows me to keep the stamina to get up the next day and train even harder.  With not enough sleep I know the morning will be difficult and my performance will be down.

This routine to most would be exhausting and undesirable, but for me, I just keep going. Always being hungry. The routine also has the addition to the equation of a “day job”.  Have to fund the addiction somehow! So its all about time management, dedication, and balance, to the job, training, and life. In the end, it all levels out. On most days!