Training & Nutrition - "Flipping the Switch"

Early in the summer I switch from lots of schoolwork, more weights, and a limited amount of running to lots and lots of full-out running: soccer, ultimate frisbee, and gearing up for fall distance races. In the last 2 or 3 years I've actually noticed a phenomenon called "flipping the switch", when the body says "Oh, you want me to RUN! Ahhh." It's a very discrete thing -- the last two years it's been caused by summer soccer, where the teams aren't as strict. Since it's incredibly hot in Austin, sometimes people don't show up, so you can ask teams who have just played if they've got the legs left for one more. A friend and I usually try to one-up each other, and we'll wind up playing 3 two-hour games of soccer (at midfield, so running = good.)

I'm exhausted at the end of game 1, sort of middling in game 2, and by the end of game 3 I'm ready for game 4. The amazing thing is that this one flip of the switch, usually late in June, lasts ALL SUMMER, until I start hitting the weights seriously in the fall. It's my favorite day ever, better than my birthday.

Am I insane? Does anybody else have this experience, where you go flat-out full-power for a day and feel better all season? I ask mainly because I didn't play soccer this summer, and it hasn't happened! Grr, I wanna flip the switch!

i've never really «flipped the switch», mainly because I wether don't do anything at all or do a lot of sports. so I have to do my base miles first which represents a big change for my body. after that, I've noticed that if I train hard I can see my fitness improving, but as soon as I stop riding, even just 3 days, the next ride is always harder and I kind of have to wait after 1 week to see my body feeling better.. it's kind of weird!

but I guess that for you, since you already are in shape once summer arrives, if you kick it up a nutch, then your body steps to an other level of fitness, since you practice even more sports. I imagine the equation is quite simple, the more sports you practice, the more your body adapts itself and therfore you are fitter than ever!

Yeah, but in one day? That's crazy!

perhaps your body was ready to take it to the next level...or maybe is it your mind! I mean, motivation and mental strenght is not to be neglected in these situations! If you love that sport more than what you were doing before, perhaps you push yourself further and ask more of your body.

I know that whenever I am a bit depressed because I keep looking at my odometer and don't see any improvement I just turn it off, finish the ride and look at the landscape to clear my mind. Then, after taking a couple of days off, I start training again and I see the results instantly! Maybe that could also be referred as flipping the switch.

Even then, I agree that one day is not long enough to explain such a burst of energy... that's why I think it's more a mental kind of thing than physical. Are you still as motivated as the past years to practice soccer?