I have got my feet up tonight.  I have been feeling quite fatigued lately, and so I am focussing on recovery.  The fatigue I am feeling, has me pondering the relationship between fatigue and fitness.

Looking back at my workouts over the past few days, it is clear that I have struggled to achieve the kind of ‘results’ that I normally would. My average power has been lower than normal on the bike, and my run paces have been generally slower.  It would be easy for me to conclude that I am tired and that I have lost fitness.

Experience tells me though, that I have not lost fitness at all.  Sure, I am fatigued and my workouts haven’t been great, but I am just as fit as I was last week.  I might even be a little bit fitter.

Fatigue is great at hiding fitness.  I can be extremely fit, but fatigue will stop me from expressing it well.  All it takes however, is a few good days of recovery, and the fitness that I ‘lost’, will be back.  I know I am fit; I ran a PR Half Marathon less than two weeks ago.

So the next time you are seeing poor ‘results’ in your workouts and you feel tired, remember that you are still fit.  It is that relationship between fitness and fatigue, that is hiding your true potential.