Monitoring Training Load and Recovery on a Training Camp – Part 1: Active Recovery

Hello everyone!

My name is Ida and I´m a 26-year-old track and field athlete from Jyväskylä, Finland. My main event is 100m hurdles in which I have several medals from the Finnish Championships. Last summer I also represented my country in the European Championships in Zürich. My PB is 13,08.

Ida (image: JKU).

At the moment I´m on a training camp here in Tenerife, Spain. The reason why we sprinters prefer to go here is of course the warm weather and great possibilities to prepare ourselves for the upcoming summer season. With me here at the training camp I have two very important tools:

• Firstbeat Bodyguard 2 for measuring my recovery during sleep
• Firstbeat Sports equipment for monitoring training load and analyzing the heart rate variability (HRV) data

Firstbeat Bodyguard 2 HRV measurement device, Firstbeat Textile Belt and Suunto heart rate monitor.

Firstbeat SPORTS gives me an opportunity to see how different practices affect my body. The training effect chart enables me to see for example which type of practice during the camp was the hardest for my body.

How Does a Normal Day on a Training Camp Look Like for Me?

Every morning I start with a morning jog of 20-30 minutes depending on how my body feels. If it feels stiff and inelastic I do a longer one. I do both jog and walk and some stretching during my practice. After all I´m a sprinter so jogging for 30 minutes in a row is not really the purpose of this practice.

After the morning session I eat breakfast. Usually I eat an omelet with ham and tomatoes, whole grain bread, fruits and drink juice, coffee and water. The breakfast looks very different from what I’m used to back home, but I think it’s important to change the routines sometimes.

After breakfast I usually chill for a while before heading off to practice. On this training camp I only practice once a day, but in the afternoons I usually do some extra stretching and other things to enhance recovery.

In the afternoon I rest or do some easy, recovering activity for my body. Almost every day I prefer to take a nap and go out to drink afternoon coffee. There is also time for sunbathing or swimming if one prefers that. The good thing about a training camp is that you don’t have things to do all the time. I like to chill and read a good book and just feel how my body recovers from practice. In the evening it´s time for dinner that looks quite similar to the lunch, but the offering is even better. During the rest of evening I usually read a book, surf on the internet or just relax.After training it´s time for some lunch. At this training camp we have full pension. That means that we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel. The food here at our hotel is great, and offers a wide range of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and different kinds of carbs. On a training camp I prefer not to cook my own food. It´s so much easier to just go to a buffet and take whatever one likes, especially when it is easy to find healthy food that tastes good.

A healthy and delicious dinner enhances recovery.

This was my first blog post from the training camp, but next week I´m back to present how my body has recovered from practice during my first week here in Tenerife. Stay tuned!

Best regards,
Ida

Ida Aidanpää is the latest member of the Firstbeat team. As a Key Account Manager she serves our Swedish customers in the health, wellness and occupational well-being sector. In addition, Ida is a successful hurdler in the Finnish National Track and Field Team.

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