do bad workouts shake your confidence?

cavewoman15

i had a bad swim yesterday. i was supposed to go out for 64 minutes (i'm following a BT workout for my first oly) but only made it 35. my body felt fine, but my goggles kept leaking and then i took my swim cap off thinking that would help (it's a little big), but it didn't, and when i went to put it back on, it broke. then my goggles wouldn't stop leaking to the point where i was so uncomfortable i called it a day. 1000meters. boo.

i realize bad workouts happen, and for me, they seem to usually be swimming, perhaps because that is my newest sport - i started from scratch in feb 2013.

BUT on the bike ride home from the gym i couldn't get myself out of the funk of thinking that i had no business doing the race. i have virtually no experience in open water, i don't know how to sight, so if i can't swim when my goggles are leaking in the pool, then surely i will swim 500 meters off course during the race and ruin myself for the bike and run.

i'm feeling a little better today because i know i have trained well, my triathlon is in 6 weeks and i'm planning an open-water sprint tri in 2 weeks to familiarize myself with open water races. i plan to start doing weekly OWSs as soon as lake michigan warms up enough (it's still 65 degrees.. brrrr). in my brain, i think i have/will have prepared well for this race. from jan-april i trained for a sprint, and since then i've diligently followed my olympic distance training.

so question is.. how do you shake that nagging feeling that you aren't good enough to complete the race?

Drudoo

Everyone has bad workouts, whether it be brain, body or equipment related. It's all about realizing that one bad workout will not be the difference in how you perform during the race. If you stick to your plan, and move past this experience, you will always be mroe prepared than you think!

I have had numerous workouts that have been abandoned no more than 15-20 mins in. Sometimes it just seems like everything is out to get you and you just need a reset. There is no harm in it! It's part of racing! Read up on some of the pros and you'll see that they are just like us.

Keep your spirits up!

jacksonpt

If it's only occasionally, then I'm usually pretty good at putting it behind me. If it's pretty regular, then I usually re-evaluate what I'm doing. Often times I'll find that my expectations are too high or I'm not getting enough rest or something along those lines.

wpayers

"Bad" workouts are inevitable. But don't waste them, rather use those tough days as lessons to gain better insight into who you are. IMO, there is no one size fits all training method for Tri's. The trick is making progress everyday as your mind and body (hopefully) reach your peak level of fitness for an event. Re-evaluation in critical. Constantly analyze how you felt before/during/after a workout against basic factors like sleep, nutrition, hydration, stress, workout time of day, etc. The same goes for "good" workouts. Figure out why you felt so great.

Presumably, since you are on MFP, tracking stuff on a daily basis shouldn't be a bother. For me, this forensic approach to training usually points back to sleep (or lack there of). When I get less the 6 hrs my next workout usually suffers: conversely, with 7hrs+ I feel like a stud and often breeze through whatever I have on the plan. In hindsight, this should be obvious but we are human and not always the wisest creatures.

Ironically, you should look forward to the "bad" days. It's more contrasting data to analyze.

Also, pay close attention to your progress against your training plan. Your plan should ultimately be shaped by you, or a coach, for only you. Ripping a training plan out of a magazine and blindly following it may not be the most the effective approach. Your plan should evolve based on experience and insight gained from the good, the bad and the ugly.

dbmata

I had a "bad" workout yesterday. Swimming, lats weren't having it, and my goggles were constantly leaking. A kid at the pool almost cannonballed on me as I swam by.

I chalked it up to swim scrum prep. Can't let it get you spooked. Bad workouts happen. Sprains, strains, automobiles. Adapt to it, (heal) and keep rolling on.

cavewoman15

thanks everyone! it definitely helps to know that others have this experience, and often. i love the idea of analyzing the data on bad workouts (i am a scientist and LOVE data). i think this time around it was mainly the damn goggles.. although i hadn't felt quite right for a couple days because i indulged heavily this past weekend for a friend's wedding and the holiday. that could perhaps have influenced it too.

the good news is that i had a great long run this morning! perhaps my body appreciated the rest.

thanks again!

dbmata

The way I see goggle problems is:

You might lose yours in the swim, be prepared for that.

brookielaw

A bad race has shaken my confidence big-time. The only time I see a podium is when I'm cheering for the folks who are standing on it but last weekend was downright painful and embarassing. I know what I did wrong--nutrition, hydration, and preparation were all fails, but I still feel like a fraud even just getting the momentum going to start training for the next one. I'm pretty much making a failure checklist---the NOT to do list and trying to learn from it and move on.

dbmata

You didn't quit, that's a success.

dreamer12151

That's what is so great about this message board: someone posts a question, and it ends up helping others, too! Even though I don't swim, I have found myself finishing up week 7 of a 10 week plan & for the 1st time, I found myself saying "uh, I don't wanna go for my bike ride today." Did it anyway.

But for some reason, I never thought about sleep factoring into it all. I've always functioned on a lack of, so I just kept on with the same. Now that I think of it, i have been tired this week. Hmm.....

cavewoman15

i love this forum too! brookielaw, can you post the fail list? i'm so sorry you had that experience, but perhaps a silver lining for you if others (and you) can learn from it?

scott091501

The more you train and race the more f'ed up things will happen to you. A big part to this sport is being able to compartmentalize and analyze. Some days bad things happen for no reason. On the other hand sometimes what seems like it has no rhyme or reason repeats itself and you need to be able to look at your metrics (be it HR or power) and do some analysis, adjust, and move forward.

Icemanbn

Leave them where they belong. In the past. No big deal. As for goggles, invest in a good pair. I use Zoog Flex Reactors. They are pricey but they are polaroid so I only need one pair to fit all light conditions, they change when the light changes and the plastic around my eyes feels really good.