BASE Performance - The Art of Recovery BASE Performance - The Art of Recovery

The Art of Recovery

It’s that time of year again. Spring is happening everywhere. And with spring comes better weather and the itch to get outside to ride or run long miles. It’s also race season. Time to plan your race and race your plan. A lot of people think going hard and training 7 days a week is a sure fire way to success. But that really isn’t the case. What is the least thought of aspect of training? You might be surprised (or not) to find that it is recovery.

Recovery is a cornerstone to any good training plan. Without it, athletes would just run their bodies to the ground. Injuries would be rampant. Focus would be lost. Motivation would be lacking. It might seem counterproductive to the beginner athlete, but proper recovery will actually improve your race times and get you to that goal. Let’s break down what recovery means and what happens during that time.


To begin with, recovery is not the same for every athlete. Someone training for a 5K will have a shorter recovery times than someone training for an Ironman. Every training session an athlete has results in the breaking down of muscle fibers. It is during recovery that these small muscle tears repair themselves and grow bigger and stronger. In addition, there are various types of recovery. Active
recovery could be a 15-20 minute walk in the afternoon after your long run on Sunday morning. Long term recovery is built into your workout plan. For example, you might do a build for 4 weeks during
Ironman training but then do a recovery week where your training load is significantly less. Passive recovery are days where you literally do nothing except maybe take a nap on the couch while golf is playing in the background.


Keep in mind that recovery is not just about sleeping. An example: you go for a tempo run for about 3-4 miles. You feel good, had a great workout. At the end of the workout, you should take some time to
stretch and ease your body into the “rest and digest” mode or your parasympathetic systems. Doing some long, easy stretches and
possibly lying in shivasana (or corpse pose, literally the best yoga pose ever) for 5 minutes will give your body the cues it needs to start to calm down.

An often overlooked aspect of recovery are your nutritional needs. Keep in mind that when you increase your training load, your nutritional needs also increase. Consuming the right foods after workouts helps speed the recovery process. Downing a dozen cookies and a glass of milk might seem like a good idea if you feel you are crashing after a long run or ride, but there are better options. Maybe step away from the Chips Ahoy and try some greek yogurt with granola and berries or
throw on some chocolate chips for that cookie fix. Or use some BASE greens and make yourself a smoothie!


It is also imperative that you listen to your body. Not the “oh I don’t feel like running today” voice in your head that will derail you from your goals. Watch for signs of over training and needing an actual rest day. Some of the those sign are: feelings of fatigue beyond normal tiredness, lack of motivation or desire for your chosen sport, decrease in performance, elevated heart rate during the night, general aches and pains. When these symptoms hit, it’s time to take a rest day.


Remember that rest makes you stronger. It will help you maximize your fitness and athletic goals. It rejuvenates your cardiovascular and muscular systems to take on more load. It also prevents burnout. So take that nap. Try implementing a yin yoga class into your training weeks. Or maybe even take a leisurely bike ride with your kids or spouse. Your body, and your training, will thank you.





BOULDER BASE CAMP 2019

Boulder CO - 5/22-5/28

Camp Cost:

  • Until April 7th - $120
  • April 8 - April 30 - $150
  • May 1 - May 10 - $200

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

Registration has a hard stop close on May 10, 2018.
Includes: Group led training sessions. 1 BASE Hydro, 1 BASE Camp T-Shirt. Swim lane reservation.

If you do not want to travel with product (Hydro, Bars, Salt) you can purchase it from us here and not pay shipping

WEDNESDAY

  • 2 Options
    • Leave Matt and LL's house at 7 AM and drive to Breckenridge ski resort to ski / board 9:00 - 3:00. You will need to arrive Tuesday. The lift ticket is NOT part of camp fee.¬†
    • 6:00 - 9:00 Check in, welcome at Home BASE (6880 Winchester Circle Unit F) - food will not be provided.¬†
    THURSDAY
    • 8:00 - Meet at Home BASE for Ride and Run Session
    • 8:30 - 10:00 - 90 minute ride leave from HOME BASE¬†
    • 10:15 - 10:45 or longer - out and back brick run from HOME BASE
    • 11:00 - 1:30 - Lunch on your own
    • 1:30 -4:30 PM -¬†Swim / Lift Sessions at Rally Sport Boulder 2727 29th st, Boulder CO
      • Swim 1:30 - 2:45
      • Strength session 3:00 - 4:00
    • 6:00 - Dinner & Social & Speakers at Home BASE Proto's Pizza Catered ($10 / person paid to Matt)
      • Bottled Water Provided

    FRIDAY

    • 8:00¬†- Meet at HOME BASE
    • 8:30 - Group 1 Rolls out, Group 2 Rolls out 9:00
        • Group 1 - 3-4 hours, climb to top of Ward, Peak to Peak, ride down to Lyons and back to Home BASE.
        • There is 2 stops to refill bottles along the way and buy food.
        • Click HERE for the Strava Map Route
      • 1:30 - 4:00¬† - Session at Rally
        • 1:30 - 2:30 Runs from Rally, up to 1 hour
        • 2:45 -¬†4:00 Swim¬†
      • 6:00 - Dinner & Social & Guest Speakers @¬†HOME BASE
        • Catered Dinner ($15 / person paid to Matt)
        • Bottled Water Provided

      SATURDAY

      • 8:00 - 1:00 - Group Ride
        • Group 1 - 5-6 hours¬†Rolling Hills up to Horsetooth Reservoir¬†- 2-3 stops.¬† Options for 80 or 100 miles. Click here to view the route
        • Group 2 - 5 hours Ironman Boulder Course- 2 -3 stops
        • Group 3 - 3 hours in the flats - 1-2 stops
      • 6:00 - Dinner & Social & Guest Speakers @¬†HOME BASE
        • Catered Dinner ($15 / person paid to Matt)
        • Bottled Water Provided

      Sunday

      Monday

      • We will be running the Bolder Boulder 10k Fun run together as a group.¬† It is an amazing and fun race. We will then relax the rest of the day, or people can start to head home
      • As a reference, LL and I completed the 10k in 2 hours, 15 minutes last year.¬† It is about having fun, not going for a best time.

       

      CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 10K

      When you are registering, make sure you register EXACTLY AS THE IMAGE BELOW STATES. There are 60,000 runners in this event and they line you up in corals with a specific bib number over the course of 4 hours. So in order for all of us to enjoy this together, you need to register the same way most of us already have.  If you want to "run" the 10k and get a time, and then come back and run again nice and fun with us, you are welcome to do so.  

      Tuesday

      • A group of us are going to ride to the top of Mt. Evans Mountain. 14,000 feet up to the top.¬† It is never steep, it is just long, but amazing. I recommend a road bike.
      • We will leave Matt's house at 7 AM and drive to Idaho Springs where we will park our cars behind Beaujos Pizza to start the ride from 7,000 feet.
      • We will have a sag car for jackets, gloves, and nutrition.
      • Plan on at least 5-6 hours of riding.
      • After the ride, we will eat pizza at Beaujos
      • If you are flying home Tuesday, do not fly before 5:00 PM

      GEAR YOU WILL NEED TO BRING

      SWIM: GOGGLES, PADDLES, SUIT. YOU DO NOT NEED A TOWEL, OR PULL BUOY, OR OTHER TOYS

      BIKE: BE PREPARED FOR ALL TYPES OF WEATHER. NO TELLING WHAT THE DAY WILL BRING

      RUN: BE PREPARED FOR ALL TYPES OF WEATHER. NO TELLING WHAT THE DAY WILL BRING

      NORMATEC BOOTS - WE WILL HAVE 8 SETS OF BOOTS THAT CAN BE TAKEN BACK TO THE RENTAL HOUSES AND SHARED.

      BIKE RENTAL: LOCAL SHOPS ARE $60 /DAY AND $100 / DAY. I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE RENTING THEIR BIKES TO CAMPERS FOR $150 TOTAL. SIZE 54 TRI BIKES. EMAIL ME IF INTERESTED. 3 AVAILABLE.

      QUINTANA ROO WILL NOT BE HERE RENTING OUT BIKES

      BIKE STORAGE. ALL RIDES START AND END FROM HOME BASE. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR BIKES IN THE HOME BASE WAREHOUSE, YOU CAN DO SO. YOU DO NOT NEED TO TRANSPORT YOUR BIKE AROUND.

      =================== 

      We are trying to provide these camps to our BASE team members basically free of charge, but in doing so we have to prevent everyone signing up and canceling at the last minute. Hence the reason for a small fee, but you will receive product upon arrival. We need to provide accurate numbers to the people who are helping us with the camps. If you register and at the last minute you cannot attend, you will NOT receive a refund on your payment or the product as we will have had to use the money to secure non refundable lane space in the pools.

      This camp will be a bigger mileage camp which will build on strength. It will not be technique based. We will never do anything harder than a Zone 2 effort. Except for some sprints in the pool. We will do a LOT of climbing in the Rocky Mountains, plus we will learn strength exercises from Erin Carson at Rally Fitness. Erin is Rinny, Tim O'donnel, and many other professional Triathletes strength coach. She will teach you what you can do at your house to build proper endurance Triathlon leg strength.

      We will start & Stop all of our rides and runs in Boulder at HOME BASE

      We highly recommend groups sharing houses together.

      Swim:
      We will be putting in 2,500 - 3,500 yards per swim workout. Thursday, Friday and Sunday. - you are not required to go this far.

      Bike:

      • Thursday - we will be riding¬†90 minutes -¬† ¬†
      • Friday -¬†3-4 hours for the climbing group or less for those who want to stay flat
      • Saturday - 5-6 hours -¬†for those who want to go long, less for those who don't
      • Sunday - no riding
      • Monday - no riding
      • Tuesday - if you are still here, some of us are going to ride to the top of Mt. Evans.¬† 56 miles round trip.¬† 28 up, 28 down.¬† 7,000 feet of climbing up to the highest point in the US accessible by road at 14,000 feet.¬† I recommend a road bike for this.

      Run:

      • Thursday - we will run¬†30-60 minutes off the bike. All flat trail.
      • Friday - we will run 45-60 minutes¬†around the swim
      • Saturday -¬†optional run
      • Sunday - we will run 90 minutes to 3 hours¬†in the morning. Optional routes.
      • Monday - we are all running the Bolder Boulder 10K, which is a fun run. We will run this as a group dressed up in costumes.

      Campers should arrive Wednesday at any time so they are prepared to go Thursday morning at 7 AM. We will do team dinners every night.

      The focus of the camp is to train hard in the morning, have fun in the afternoon / evening and get to know other people.

      We have partnered with Rally Sport and Fitness in Boulder. We will probably have a catered dinner / nutrition talk at the gym on Thursday night. Friday and Saturday dinners will be catered at my HOME BASE. We will have everyone pitch in like $10 - $15 / dinner.

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