Posted: February 15, 2005

Science of Sport: "Ask Owen" Weekly Feature

Ask Owen Q and A Index

Visitors are invited to submit training questions for exercise physiologist Owen Anderson, Ph. D. to answer in a weekly column.

Owen currently writes a weekly column for the Runner's Web.

Questions can be emailed to: Ask Owen.

Each week, Owen will pick the most interesting question(s) and publish his answer(s) on the Runner's Web.

Question::

Hi;

I'm new to the site. At first glance it looks as if it will be very informative.

I am starting to train after a 10 year break. During this time I have run a few miles per month and rode sometimes 50 miles per month. I have not done a 10k or a biathlon in over 12 years. I am 43 and a few pounds overweight. Nothing that won't disappear after I get started.

My problem is that each time I've started to get in shape I get sick. I spent one-half hour on my trainer each day for a week then increased it to one hour per day. My basement is somewhat cold and damp during the winter but not really bad enough to cause a problem. Also it has been cold and damp when I run and ride outside. A week after getting started I developed a mild cold.

I have noticed this trend in the past. Many times during the past few years I remember suffering a setback and subsequent retreat from training because of a mild illness. Maybe I am wrong but could I have a problem with my initial training methods? Should I start training during warm weather? Any suggestions? Any advice or links to informative web sites would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Chas Arvey

Answer:

Hi Chas,

Thank you very much for your questions, and congratulations on the resumption of your training.

Your problems are not caused by the damp basement or cold weather; you have simply been overtraining, a known cause of immune-system depression. After a 10-year break during which you trained only lightly, your body is simply not ready to undertake every-day training, especially in one-hour increments. A more sensible approach would be to train every other day for three weeks or so, taking a complete break from training on alternate days.

After three weeks, you could train for two days in a row, followed by a rest day, for another three-week period. Continuing in this manner, you would gradually progress to six training days and one rest day each week. This would give your whole body, including your immune system, a chance to adapt to the physical work you are doing. Good training is always a balance between hard work and great recovery.

It is important that you really rest on your "rest days." If you are running and biking during your normal training, for example, the inclusion of a swimming workout, even an easy one, on a so-called rest day would disqualify the 24-hour period from enjoying the rest-day moniker. "Cross training" is not the same as recovering or resting.

Even the elite athletes I coach get a full day off each week. At first, they usually dislike this practice, thinking they will fall behind their peers who don't rest. Eventually, they realize that the full day of rest allows them to come back stronger than ever and carry out workouts which were not possible when they were less-rested.

You are only 43 years old, with lots of time to get fit. While taking frequent rest days might seem frustrating, getting sick on a consistent basis is an even-greater obstacle on your road to becoming fitter and leaner.

Very kindest regards,

Owen Anderson, Ph. D.

www.RRNews.com

About Owen Anderson
Owen Anderson, Ph.D., is the editor and founder of Running Research News and the author of the books Lactate Lift-Off (http://www.rrnews.com/products.htm) and Great Workouts for Popular Races (http://www.rrnews.com). An exercise physiologist and training expert, Anderson coaches and offers training camps for runners. He's based in Lansing, Michigan. To learn more about Owen and his work, please visit www.rrnews.com

Running Research News is a monthly newsletter which keeps sports-active people up-to-date on the latest information about training, sports nutrition, and sports medicine. RRN publishes practical, timely new material which improves workouts, prevents injuries, and heightens overall fitness.