Being sick totally sucks! I know — I’ve had the flu for a week and am totally bummed. I love to XC ski and enjoy doing events. We have great conditions in Colorado. I was looking forward to the Latigo 15K, a race I’ve never done, on Sunday. However, I collapsed in bed yesterday after shoveling snow for just 10 minutes yesterday. No Latigo.
Here’s a short column before I crawl back into bed.
When you’re sick you lose fitness because you aren’t exercising. The temptation is to try to train through it. However, the virus / germs are weakening your body and because you’re weaker you can’t train effectively! Don’t try — focus on getting well. Here are four tips:
- Follow medical advice. Here’s what the Mayo Clinic recommends for a cold and for the flu.
- Accept it and listen to your body. The first few days I told myself it was just a sore throat, I’m in great shape and I have a strong immune system. I kept going until I collapsed in bed. Listen to your body. If you’re sick below the neck – congested lungs, achy body, fever — don’t exercise. If you’re just sick above the neck it’s okay to do some light exercise to keep from going stir crazy.
- Use the time to plan your season. About this time of year I work with each client to develop a plan for the year: what are the rider’s goals? Strengths and weaknesses? Events the rider would like to do? I then knit these together into a month-by-month plan with some information about each week. Here’s how you can do the same Planning your Season: Your Best Year Ever.
- Work on mental skills. Almost without exception a roadie can improve more if he or she works on mental skills instead of spending more time on the bike. Mental skills are often the difference between a great ride and just a good ride… or a DNF. You can accomplish a lot if you practice just 10 minutes a day most days of the week. Here’s a series of exercises to make you a better rider: On the Rivet.
Back to bed — see you next week.
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Coach Hughes then shows you how to assess your individual strengths and weakness and set appropriate personal objectives. You then use this information to build a plan including personal training volumes for different seasons and months.
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Coach John Hughes earned coaching certifications from USA Cycling and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. John’s cycling career includes course records in the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200-km randonnée and the Furnace Creek 508, a Race Across AMerica (RAAM) qualifier. He has ridden solo RAAM twice and is a 5-time finisher of the 1200-km Paris-Brest-Paris. He has written nearly 30 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training and nutrition, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach John Hughes. Click to read John's full bio.
Hey Coach — Hope you are feeling better soon!
I agree with all your tips, but have an extra grudging respect for “listen to your body.” I’m gearing up for a 200K and today had a 2-hour ride scheduled. Unfortunately, I woke up tired and feel like I’ve been hit by a bus — simply could not get going at all so rescheduling for tomorrow (which is probably the smartest thing I could do).
Take care and get well.