{"id":502,"date":"2012-12-31T19:23:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-01T00:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/?p=502"},"modified":"2015-06-08T06:35:38","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T10:35:38","slug":"fit-fast-and-far-from-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/2012\/12\/fit-fast-and-far-from-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Fit, fast and far from healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

A month ago I would have told you that things were going well.\u00a0I was self-coached and training harder than ever,\u00a0spurred on by a successful 2012 triathlon season<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0ambitions for next year. I hadn’t let up after race season, but that wasn’t a concern since I never really take downtime. I was carrying a lot of fatigue and felt off,\u00a0but that was to be expected given the training I was doing.<\/p>\n

Just to be safe, I decided to get a comprehensive\u00a0blood test. A week later I got a call from the doctor’s office.\u00a0My\u00a0hormonal profile was a giant red flag, my iron\u00a0stores were depleted and some other blood markers were scraping the limits of acceptable ranges.\u00a0Hardly what you’d expect from a highly\u00a0fit 22-year-old.\u00a0But, as my case and many others illustrate, fitness and health (both physical and mental) are not synonymous. Some even argue<\/a> that the former comes at the expense of the latter for competitive endurance athletes.<\/p>\n

The results were disturbing, but not altogether unexpected.\u00a0At some level, I had known that things were amiss. But it’s easy to suppress concerns and ignore even the most obvious warning signs, especially coming off a string of successes.\u00a0Seeing the cold, hard numbers\u2014irrefutable evidence of a problem\u2014really cut through the denial and drove the message home.\u00a0Like a runner collapsing across the finish line, I finally succumbed to the cumulative fatigue.<\/p>\n

Overzealous\u00a0training (“overreaching”) is usually checked by\u00a0injury, illness or psychological burnout which impose recovery and prevent more serious damage (“overtraining”). They’re like the body’s last-ditch defense mechanisms.\u00a0I am fortunate to have a very durable body, a strong immune system and consistent motivation to train hard (or compulsion\u2014the distinction is subtle). This combination is both an asset and a liability. It has helped me achieve positive results, but it also enabled me to push myself to the point of overtraining.<\/p>\n

My condition wasn’t simply the result of a week or two of overreaching in training, nor could the damage be undone that quickly; it was the result of\u00a0long-term stresses and behavioural\u00a0patterns that gradually exhausted my reserves.\u00a0I am finally listening to my body and taking some long overdue downtime.\u00a0After over a month of rest and light training, I’m getting back on track, but I still have some pretty rough days.<\/p>\n

It’s unfortunate that it took a minor health crisis to jolt me into reality, but\u00a0I am fortunate to have had a\u00a0relatively early\u00a0wake up call.\u00a0Many athletes have gone much further down this self-destructive path.<\/p>\n

I have also taken a very critical look at my training,\u00a0attitude,\u00a0behaviour and lifestyle. I have identified several factors that brought me to this point:<\/p>\n