The importance of low intensity training
Faster, longer, harder. This old-school thinking is still deeply embedded in our athletic DNA. All our lives we have been told that training should always be intense and that if we don't always put in the required intensity, we are not maximizing our potential. This idea could not be further from reality.
Don't get me wrong, tough sessions are imperative to performance. No top athlete has gotten there by wading in a pool or jogging 8 times a week. Most have achieved in training to make more than one blush. And the old school has had its share of success! We need only think of the Australian star Grant Hackett and his legendary 20x100m under 1.00, with 10 seconds of rest and a rubber band around the ankles.
On the other hand, effort and science can coexist much better than at the time. Many have been the victims of this system. Tendinitis, stress fractures, exhaustion, depression. This is where the notion of training bias comes into play; that is to say, go to the opposite zones, and avoid staying in the gray zone.
In other words, jog the joggers, so you can run the errands better. By always wanting to train hard and chase the best time, you burn out and when the time comes to perform, the energy is gone. So you have to slow down when the time comes to do it. We don't judge anyone by the slowness of their "easy", but rather by the speed of their "fast".
Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel has a best marathon time of 2:27.31, an incredible pace of 3.29/km. Looking at her data on Strava , she often runs above 5.00/km on her recovery runs and rarely under 4.30/km on her long rides. On the other hand, his key training sessions, on track or in tempo, are, according to what we hear, of exceptional quality.
In addition to being able to maximize your training, low intensity has many other advantages. On the one hand, it helps to avoid injuries when accumulating mileage. By staying in zone 1, or the green zone, we put much less stress on our bodies. Second, it keeps you sane. Nothing is more unpleasant than, day after day, knowing that suffering awaits us. On the contrary, when these sessions are spaced out, and well planned around easy sessions, we approach them with haste instead of apprehension.
Food during these recovery workouts should not be neglected. It is essential to take the lead on our nutrition when we have the opportunity, such as during these calmer periods. That is to say, fill the glycogen reserves (how our body stores carbohydrates), replace the electrolytes lost during exercise as well as hydrate properly.
Our Upika Endurance blend can both nourish your intense efforts and refuel well during the lull, so you're ready to attack the storm.