RECENTLY one of my regular clients set out to compete in her first triathlon.

She was not doing just any old triathlon though, Catherine decided if she was going to take on a challenge she’d make it worthwhile. So she’s entered the Outlaw half, a half ironman!

That’s an undertaking of a 1.2 mile swim in open water, a 56 mile bike ride and a half marathon, 13.1 miles. A little bit extreme for most people.

She is a regular marathon runner, a very good one as well. But even so it was a massive challenge for her as this time last year she had never swum in open water and hadn’t ridden a bike for 20 years.

One of the big concerns we have as trainers when working with high-end athletes is avoiding injury. And one of the main causes of injury, certainly for endurance athletes is overuse and overtraining.

Catherine is very lucky because she doesn’t pick up injuries very often. Part of the reason for this is that we build rest periods into her training programme. For her this, admittedly, is often active rest or stretch sessions.

The same principles apply to anyone undertaking any exercise or activity programme.

When we exercise and put our body under stress, we effectively damage the muscles. Then when we rest, they repair and grow back stronger.

So what that means is that we need to build in recovery and rest periods to our exercise programmes.

Rest and recovery can take a number of different forms. A ‘rest’ day doesn’t necessarily mean you do nothing all day. It just means that you reduce your normal activity.

For a very active person who perhaps uses the gym four or five times a week this can mean introducing a stretching session. For a long-distance runner it may be a core stability session or a walk.

As you build up your activity levels and exercise programme, you will know when your body needs to rest. This is where you need to listen to what it’s telling you.

I’ve seen lots of people begin an exercise programme and not build in rest periods. It’s very easy to make yourself ill through this and then your willingness to exercise is likely to diminish.

The most important part of your resting is your sleep time. When Paula Radcliffe was in her prime, she was sleeping for 10 to 11 hours a day. We don’t all need this much but we do all need a good night’s sleep to aid our recovery.

The best way to do this is to follow a set routine, just like parents do with young children to get them into good habits. No television, no Facebook or Twitter and no lights on.

That gives your body the best opportunity to recover and repair and hence allows you to continue with the active lifestyle you’re hopefully following.