3 Pieces of Advice for when you’re “Building Back”
by George Blackwell
Over the last 6-9 months, my own training has taken a bit of a backseat. Now I’m back on the horse and getting myself fit again, I thought it would be worth highlighting a few pieces of advice to build yourself back up to full fitness in a sustainable but effective manner.
Train where you are, not where you were or want to be!
Those paces you used to run for your 5k sessions, that old FTP on Zwift…forget it! As appealing as it might be to hit a tempo session on the bike and target your old numbers, this is a fast track to illness, non-functional overreaching, and burning yourself out. Back the numbers off or do some testing, and train where you are, rather than where you wish you were!
2. Play the long game…
It’s easy to focus on crushing the first few sessions as you’re motivated to get fit again, but the goal is always long-term consistency and development. When you’re making decisions around training, think: will this take away from my ability to string 3, 4, 5 weeks of good-quality training together?
3. Be patient!
It is highly unlikely that the first few weeks of training will feel ‘good’. You’ll probably feel clunky and uncoordinated on your easy runs, your times in the pool might have tanked, and every little rise in the road will feel like Alpe D’huez on the bike. Try not to overthink the sensations of your first few sessions, keep focussing on the process, and good things will come!