Preventing Burnout
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Preventing Burnout
The triathlon is an exhilarating and enjoyable leisure pursuit; however, it doesn't take long for your triathlon pursuits to move from habit to obsession. Becoming obsessed with the sport dramatically increases the likelihood of burnout. Unfortunately, the signs of burnout are not easily detected. Have you been training almost every day for months on end? If so, you probably feel very fit, have your weight under control and believe that taking off a day or two will negatively impact your fitness. You can get too much of a good thing. Are your race performances slipping over the past months, even though you've been putting in the same amount of effort? If workouts have become dull or you no longer enjoy training, you may be headed towards burnout.
Here are several ideas you can use to prevent burnout.
- Listen to your body----if you feel sluggish or extremely tired prior to a workout, skip it in favor of more rest. Keep in mind that rest is extremely important and you should plan rest days into your training schedule.
- Schedule easy training days—try to plan at least one or two easy workouts per sport each week. This will keep you energized for your key workouts during the week.
- It's o.k. to cut a workout short----even the professionals cut their workouts short now and then. When a workout is going poorly it's better to cut the session short than to risk injury and/or further fatigue.
- Go at your own pace—don't feel pressured by a training group to keep up with their pace. Don't subscribe to the ‘no pain, no gain' philosophy. It will only lead to burnout and/or injury.
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| Heidi Splete |
