Rest up
Rest up
It’s every athlete’s worst nightmare. As the big event- the circle in the calendar – draws nearer, being struck down by illness.
Fortunately, an illness can at least be managed to give yourself a fighting chance of form on the day. The key? Rest, says Gallagher, and plenty of it.
“You certainly can’t rush your body,” said Gallagher. “But there are things to speed it up – more rest, better nutrition, certain vitamins and, if it’s under doctors’ advice, antibiotics.
“But, apart from that, Mother Nature will take its toll and dictate the time it takes to come back.
“We do see people who have invested quite a lot of money for a major sportive like La Marmotte or the Etape du Tour. It is an investment of time and money, so we say to these people it is best to rest as much as you can before it and do only a little training.
“It at least means you will be there in full health – maybe not full fitness, but at least you will have that full health.
“If you try and train then you are risking not only arriving without full fitness but also without full health because you’ve hindered your body’s ability to get back to full health.
“The worst case scenario if you rest up is just going there with a little less fitness – at least you will be able to participate.”