Sharpening

The race is getting closer, D-14! Now it's time to "sharpen up", your final phase of the training plan. If your training plan has gone smoothly so far, these last two weeks are crucial to optimizing your performance on D-Day.

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But why do we need "sharpening"?

All your training sessions have improved your physical condition to prepare your body for the goal. However, this has also led to fatigue. The point of sharpening is to find the right balance to regain a state of mental and physical freshness without losing all your training gains.

What's the risk of not keeping to the sharpening schedule?

When you push the cursors in training, your body tires. The risk is simply not being able to start the race. Fatigue increases the likelihood of injury. It weakens the immune system, and illness is never far away.

How do you sharpen?

Sharpening is characterized by a 50% reduction in training volume while maintaining intensity. In concrete terms, it's important to reduce the duration and therefore the mileage of your training sessions in order to regenerate. However, it is important to maintain the different intensities of your workouts in order to maintain your physical condition. It's also advisable to maintain your training frequency.

Precautions during sharpening?

Reducing your training volume is important, but will be ineffective if your sleep doesn't keep up. Take advantage of the last 14 days to optimize your sleep. It's recommended that you get 8 hours' sleep a night, which isn't always easy with our hectic lifestyles. So try to go to bed a little earlier, turn off the screens in the 2 hours before bedtime, read, listen to a podcast, do a little mobility work, take a hot shower, lower the bedroom temperature - these are just some of the parameters you can play with to stimulate production of the dreamland hormone melatonin.

To avoid getting sick, it's best to avoid crowded, closed places to avoid coming face to face with a virus.

To remember

There's no point in trying to make up for lost time over the last two weeks. Listen to your body and don't overdo it. It's better to arrive slightly out of shape than tired.

Please note that these principles and tips remain theoretical and general! They need to be adapted and personalized.