Training Cessation - What happens when you stop training?

So I just finished the Chicago Marathon, so I’m gonna put my feet up for a while, soak in the accomplishment, eat a bunch of garbage, and “get all fat and sassy”.

Or not.

Sure, I have another marathon on the schedule in 6 months but I could likely take a bunch of time away and get back into fighting shape by April if I needed to.

But…

With training cessation comes a host of physiological changes that I’d rather not have to claw back from; especially because I’ve already put the work in to get where I am. Remember, it’s easier to maintain particular abilities than to gain them (back).

For many people this period of training cessation after a huge physical achievement is normal. The physical and mental load of training can be exhausting. Work, family, and life beckon.

But the physical deconditioning that occurs with even just two weeks away can be staggering.

Central Changes Include:

⬇️ VO2max

⬇️ Cardiac Output

⬇️ Stroke Volume

⬆️ Resting Heart Rate

⬆️ respiratory exchange ratio

⬇️ glycogen stores

⬇️ mitochondrial number and size

⬇️ oxidative enzymes

And for the most part these drop of exponentially. Meaning most of the loss occurs within the first few DAYS.

Beyond the 2-3 week mark we see a shift away from central changes more into peripheral changes in the muscle.

These include:

Shift in substrate utilization to fat from carbs

⬆️ in relative intensity of exercise

⬇️ time to exhaustion

⬇️ peak muscle force and power

⬇️ sub-max muscle force

So how will I be combating these changes while also respecting my recovery?

1. Cross training - I will continue to ride the bike to get central CV maintainence by spending time in Z2 without the physical damage of running.
2. Easy running/run-walking. This will help maintain muscle and tendinous resiliency but will avoid neurological fatigue. I will stick to about 50% of my max training block volume (30mi) for two weeks.
3. Avoid marathon pace and faster for 2 weeks - The volume of MP I did while running a marathon was about 2 weeks’ worth of that intensity during training so I will take about that much time off two allow for neurological and muscular recovery.
4. Program/Periodization - Programming is a basically a way to organize training to emphasize certain characteristics. Because I want to have some relative rest, but attempt to maintain much of the aerobic capacity I have I will want to program more rest over the next few weeks. I typically have around 8 non-running days/month. To increase my relative rest and encourage recovery I want to increase this. I will reduce my running days over the coming month by about 20% therefore leading to 12 non-running days, or 3 per week.

You may be saying this sounds crazy. Just take the time off and don’t worry about the “losses”. We are not intended to maintain our cardiovascular/aerobic endurance year round. And I do agree with that. But considering I will be having a significant amount of rest compared to normal, and have a notable reduction in volume and intensity for at least a month, if not more, I feel comfortable not going through a period of cessation, and instead going through more of a detraining phase.

So what recommendations do I have?

1. Listen to your body 1st and foremost- If you can’t fathom getting out of bed, nevermind running, it’s not time to start. Enjoy your down time. Maybe sneak in some mindful walks, stretch, eat well, and return when you are mentally in a place that supports it.
2. Lift First - Lifting is typically less neurologically and musculoskeletally taxing than running. It’s a good place to start if it’s something that previously existed in your program. Don’t be a hero either, cut volume and intensity around 50%, as you would the week leading up to your race.
3. Be socially active - Many of us use running for the social interactions and can miss this if we take time off. Schedule non-running activities with friends and family to continue to fulfill this human need while reducing the pressure to run.
4. Reverse Taper - When returning to running I suggest run/walking to keep intensity low, but I also suggest reducing volume 50-66% of average weekly training block milage, and as stated above, reducing frequency about 20%. The following week, if all went well and you are ready for progression, a bump to about 25% reduction in volume with a return to frequency is likely okay. But these are all athlete dependent.