Super compensation

Supercompensation is that point on the training/racing timeline where all your hard work is about to pay off. You are cooking. Hot in the red zone. On fire. Deep in the power flow intensity of this output the central governor orders all systems at maximum performance. All hands are on deck at battle stations. In this incredible moment the wisdom of the body earns its pay in providing EVERYTHING NECESSARY to keep you from severe self-inflicted damage. It gives you blood volume, muscle force, chemical mix, adequate fuel, the ability to sustain a powerful stasis and situational awareness (without oxygen) to accomplish the objective. That can be ten seconds or ten miles. 

As long as you don't counter with a negative command. As long as you keep the faith and allow your body to over-achieve, it will. It will supercompensate. It will allow you to go above and beyond what you have previously called some version of max. As long as you believe. 

The very minute you start to question what the heck is taking place and consider that you are doing the impossible and nobody is supposed to be able to execute at the current rate, your body, acting on orders from above, will then revert to a more, shall we say, comfortable, output. Because you have added fear.

And now your body has to protect itself from whatever demons you have created. Remember that is its only job, to protect you from YOU. Heart rate at max? better slow down. Vo2 max? Better back-off Jack. Feeling the burn? Call 911. 

Don't feel bad. Everybody does this. Even thiose that are lucky, strong or disciplined enough to experience it. You have to earn the right to experience this and 99% (maybe 99.8) never get there. They back off well before finding themselves suddenly on the razor's edge of supercompensational output. 

Training is designed to get us there. We start, work, and then recover. The post recovery phase is called the supercompensation phase. After your adequate recovery you come back for more, stronger than before. Keep this up for a block of time (varies by degree) and you might be ready for that quantum leap into the supercompensational realms. 

I say might because this can take years. It can take 10,000 miles, ten years of high intensity intervals, or a decade of racing. You have to have deep faith, a relentless approach to achievement and an iron will. It is not for everybody.

But it could be for YOU. And to the best of my research and understanding there are only two ways to find out. 

Pic: Making funny looking ferocious finish-line faces helps to keep supercompensation in perspective.