We've recevied a great article on Post Race Recovery from club member and vice chairman Neil Walton.
Neil is without doubt Sligo's prominent Triathlete and has represented Ireland at Junior and Senior level in Triathlon and won senior state divisions while living in Australia.
Neil is also a lifeguard and swim coach and has coached under Olympic standard coaches.
Voya are friends and sponsors of the club and triathlon in the county since it was set up in the nineties and have an offer of 20% off for members of the club. Neil is the managing director of Voya www.voya.ie
Vouchers will be available at club meet ups.
"Triathlon post race recovery falls between cycling and running. While some people prefer to use miles logged in the race as the measuring stick, I prefer to use my race time as an indicator.
Recovery time does depend on many factors. A starting point to estimate your recovery time is:
Bicycle Races: 1 to 3 days per hour of racing
Triathlon Races: 3 to 5 days per hour of racing
Running Races: 4 to 6 days per hour of racing
In the list above, I am referring to full recovery or the next time you can do a difficult or key workout without that workout being compromised in any way by fatigue. You might feel good enough to do a moderate workout in half the time listed above, but you won’t be ready to do a hard session or another race.
How fast an athlete recovers from an event depends on several factors before, during and after the race. These factors are “modifiers” and are relative to each sport and the individual athlete. I have used the below table of modifiers in the past to help direct triathletes recovery when I was coaching.
Ranking Value of Factors Affecting Post-Race Recovery.
The More Number 3 Rankings, The Slower The Recovery Rate.
| Ranking Value | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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| Before the Race |
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| Age | <> | 40-60 | 60 |
| Level of conditioning | High | Medium | Low |
| Nutritional status | Great | Average | Poor |
| Taper and rest | Great | Average | Poor |
| Athletic experience in the sport | >10 years | 5-10 years | <5> |
| Life stress (family/job/personal/travel) | Low | Medium | High |
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| The Race |
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| Sport | Cycling | Triathlon | Running |
| Distance of the event (also related to athlete ability) | Short | Medium | Long |
| Racing intensity (relative to that particular race distance) | Using it as a training day | Medium intensity | All-out, highest average speed |
| Nutritional practice (fueling/hydration) | Great | Average | Poor |
| Course | Easy | Moderate | Difficult |
| Weather conditions (temperature/humidity) | Perfect | Okay | Bad |
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| After the Race |
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| Nutritional practice (fueling/hydration) | Great | Average | Poor |
| Life stress (family/job/personal/travel) | Low | Medium | High |
| Type of workouts done in the days following the event (intensity/duration) | Easy/Short | Moderate | Fast and/or Long |
To use an extreme example, an athlete completing a two-hour triathlon, with all factors in the number 1 column will likely recover in about six days. If that same athlete has all factors in the number 3 column, full recovery from the race may take as much as 10 days – assuming no injury or illness. Add illness or injury and recovery time is extended.
When heading into the next race, if you make a good effort to control some of the factors listed on the chart, you can expect a faster recovery.
I personally try and have at least one seaweed bath a week, and if can fit in a full or half body massage to the legs, especially after a race. Remember recovery is part of training, try and avoid the highs after comps, and remember to look after yourself post.
If anybody has any training related questions please feel free to e-mail me at neil.watlon@voyaseaweedbaths.com
Look forward to seeing you all at Mullaghmore Triathlon, make sure you also rest up for the event, get your rest / sleep and give the event your best shot. – Cheers Neil."
Neil Walton.
