A bit easier

I have given myself a bit of an easier day today on the exercise front. A bit of looking at the numbers and listening to my body.

I woke up feeling pretty tired today. Despite being tired I headed out for a bit of exercise, I wasn't really feeling it but I persevered, not the best session, but I got it done. That is what you do after all. It was a good example of the effect that fatigue can have on session quality though. Hard to concentrate and difficult to muster the required will. Fair to say it probably wasn't the best quality session.

Despite this morning the intention was to get a bit more exercise done this afternoon too. Usually I would go for a jog on Tuesday, but as I mentioned yesterday today the weather was just oppressively hot, about 38 degrees for the maximum. Not the sort of weather I was too bothered about running in. Instead I decided that I would head to the gym. However, as my day unrolled I just never quite managed to make it to the gym. By the time I got to this afternoon I was faced with the choice of going for a run or having a rest. This is where the listening to my body bit comes in.

As I said, I had been feeling pretty tired this morning, this was despite having a good night's sleep last night, this was more fatigue than tiredness. The fatigue isn't all that surprising, with the ride on Saturday and the public holiday on Monday, the weekend had contained a fair bit of exercise. Looking at TrainingPeaks the software confirmed what I was feeling, I was pretty tired. In fact, based on the numbers it was perhaps not surprising that I was feeling the way I was. The numbers, combined with what my body was telling me was enough to convince me that resting this afternoon was the smarter course of action, which is exactly what I did.

It is not news that I think that consistent and diligent training is a key to success in Triathlon. Getting out the door and getting the work done, session after session, day after day, it really is as simple as that. However, that philosophy always has to be clarified with the condition that you also need to listen to your body. Mindless training without being sensitive to what your body is telling you is a one way trip to injury, illness or burn out. This isn't an excuse to take it easy when you can't be bothered, but it is word of caution to make sure you are checking with yourself on those days when you are feeling just a little bit flat.

Not to worry though, a bit of rest this afternoon and a good sleep tonight and I will be back at tomorrow without a doubt.