02/07/2021
Last week, my athletes and I discussed "what's written vs. what's needed" during our Sunday night zoom chats. When writing training plans, coaches generally make the assumption that everything (sleep, fueling, stress, life) is going well. Since that's not real life, sometimes what's needed differs from what's written.
How do you know when to make changes? I personally love the flow chart I've shared. But, questions like, "are you extra stressed right now?" don't always track during a pandemic. One thing we discussed last week is "spoon theory." Commonly used for explaining the energy levels of people with autoimmune disease, spoon theory suggests that each person has a finite number of "spoons" (energy), and once those spoons have been used, energy is depleted. For instance, a trip to the grocery store might require 1 spoon, a long run in sub zero temps may equal 3 spoons, and caring for an unexpectedly sick child might require 4 spoons.
Quantifying your spoons and understanding where your energy goes during the day can help you understand your base level of energy and when you should make adjustments. For instance, if you have had a stressful day and only have 2 spoons left but a 3-spoon run is on your training plan, that's a good indication to scale back your workout.
How do you quantify your spoons? A great place to start is tracking where your energy goes each day. Spend a week logging your time spent in various sectors of your life (work, parenting, exercise, household chores, etc.). Knowing exactly where your energy goes each week is a great way to better understand when you are feeling extra drained and may need to make adjustments.
