Dirty Girl

What to do now??!?!…DG isn’t for another year!

Author: Annie Weiss

After a fair amount of DG physical training, mental preparation, and pure food focus, you completed the obstacles, got down n’ dirty, and crossed the finish line.  But now that it’s over, what do you do? How do you train? How do you continue the athletic high you are on?  How do you keep eating for fitness??  These types of questions are common after a successful event.  But don’t get caught up in them; rather, ask yourself… ‘what is my next goal?’ And ‘what do I need to do to be as successful, if not MORE successful, after DG?’
 
Athletic and food maintenance is extremely difficult…not only physically difficult but mentally difficult as well.  To continue a demanding training and eating regimen is one of my greatest personal challenges when it comes to running.  I train, race, train, race, train, race….do you see a break in there?!  Or any sort of maintenance?  Many athletes get stuck in the train/race pattern and forget that taking a break is as important as training and racing. 
 
So once you set your next goal…maybe it’s another 5k mud run, or a road 5k or 10k, or even a bike event, or sprint triathlon….plan your break time first, and then start training again for that event.  If you are doing DG this month, give yourself a week of relaxing, low to moderate activity.  That would be walking, easy swimming, elliptical training, leisure biking, hiking, or just playing with your kids outside.  Your muscles will get a break, your body will ‘reset’ and be ready to go for more difficult training.  If you prefer to continue your moderate to high intensity regimen, then I would suggest taking one more rest day (2-3 days) a week while in maintenance mode.  This way your body can still take a little more time to recover from training/racing mode.  So for example,  Monday you jog, Tuesday you weight lift, Wednesday REST, Thursday jog, Friday elliptical/weight train (or REST), Saturday bike, and Sunday REST.  Some people get antsy when they can’t work out or work out in a high intensity zone.  This gives those people a way to have the best of both worlds…high intensity with more full rest days.     
 
Food maintenance is important too! Continue eating for your sport…ensuring you consume enough carbohydrates, protein, and fat.  Antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals found in fruits and vegetables are vital for the body – eat them! And don’t stop! Drink … water, water, water. Treat yourself to your guilty pleasure (but under control of course) – maybe it’s a beverage, dessert, or bag of chips – this is important.  Never deprive your body of anything you love – just think moderation and portion control.  This is key when in training and maintenance.  Just because you are giving your body a break, don’t think you can’t eat anything or you have to eat less because you’re not working out as much.  Your metabolism is still moving, so give it the gas to go!  Once your training starts again, your body will tell you it’s hungrier – just listen to it.
 
You have all successfully completed the first ever Dirty Girl obstacle course and I look forward to next year’s event.  Like I said, set your next goal – and do it sooner than later! It will keep you on track so you can reach your lifetime fitness and nutrition goals!

September 12th, 2011