Inflammation for Triathletes: Friend, Foe, and How To Use It

What inflammation actually is

I used to think the answer was more.
More sessions. More grind. More proof.

In my football years, I chased “more” so hard I broke myself mentally and physically. I couldn’t understand why I kept stalling: weeks of momentum, then a crash. That’s when I started looking for the thing behind the setbacks. The word I kept finding was inflammation.

I didn’t treat it like a buzzword. I treated it like a puzzle: breathwork, cold exposure, yoga, better fuelling, real sleep, and later Strength & Conditioning to make my tissues harder to break. The more I respected inflammation, the more I could show up. Simple as that.

Below is the story, with short “useful bits” dropped in where it helps.

When grind culture met biology

I remember a block where I stacked hard days because I “felt good.” A week later: dead legs, flat mood, sleep trashed. I wasn’t lazy. I was inflamed.

Useful bit what inflammation actually is :

• It’s your body’s repair signal after stress.

• Acute (short-lived after sessions) = the good stuff that triggers adaptation.

• Chronic (low-grade, ongoing) = background noise from too much load, poor fuelling, bad sleep, high life stress.

• Goal isn’t “zero.” Goal is the right spike, fully resolved.

The shift: train for availability, not optics

When I stopped worshipping heroic weeks and started working towards uninterrupted months, everything moved. I built a body that could take the work, not just a calendar that looked impressive.

Useful bit the principle I use now:
Stimulus → Resolve → Adapt.
Apply stress, feed and rest, come back stronger. Repeat. If resolution never happens, the signal turns toxic.

What I actually changed (and kept)

I tried everything. Here’s what stuck and why.

• Carbs around work.
  If I starved sessions, I paid for it later elevated cortisol, grumpy nervous system, poor sleep.
  Simple rule: carbs before/after key sessions; protein daily at ~1.6–2.2 g/kg.

• Sleep like it’s training.
  Same window. Dim light. 2 minutes of slow nasal breathing before bed.
  If sleep slips, load slips. Non-negotiable.

• Cold exposure used, not worshipped.
  Helpful after races or when I need to be fresh within 24 hours.
  Not right after key strength work if I want the adaptation.

• Yoga/mobility for downshifting, not circus tricks.
  Ten quiet minutes beats a flashy hour once a fortnight.

• Strength & Conditioning for durability.
  Not bodybuilding. Just a stronger chassis tendons, trunk, calves, shoulders so swim/bike/run doesn’t rattle me to pieces.

• Breathwork as a brake pedal.
  Inhale 4 / exhale 6–8 for 10–12 breaths post-session. State changes fast. Recovery starts sooner.

How I plan a normal week now (structure, not heroics)

• Mon easy technique swim + mobility

• Tue bike intervals (fuel properly) + short easy brick (if kids allows)

• Wed S&C + a few strides

• Thu S&C (quality, not crippling) + easy spin

• Fri easy swim / breathwork

• Sat long ride (steady, fuel during)

• Sun Rest

Useful bit polarise enough: hard days hard, easy days easy. Don’t stack all three key sessions back-to-back. Heat, hills, wind, poor sleep = hidden load; adjust.

How I spot trouble early (so it doesn’t become injury)

• Morning HR up 5–10 bpm from normal for 3+ days

• HRV suppressed vs baseline

• Soreness hanging past 48 hours or migrating niggles

• Pace/power down at the same “easy” heart rate

• Broken sleep, low mood, short fuse

Two or more? I back off and feed up. No drama. That’s not weakness it’s how you keep the long game alive.

Why this matters in races

• Swim chaos: calm the exhale, find feet, let the spike pass.

• Bike headwind: hold effort, not speed. Weather isn’t a verdict.

• Run wall: shrink the world to one minute posture, cadence, breath.
  These are inflammation moments too: your system screaming for you to react. You don’t. You respond.

Bottom line I wish I’d learned sooner

Inflammation isn’t the villain. It’s the message. If you learn to create a clean signal and let it resolve, you’ll train more, break less, and race steadier. That’s how I got out of the crash-and-burn loop—from football obsession to an open, sustainable triathlon life built on calm + consistency.

Want help applying this?

Book a Recovery & S&C Audit. We’ll map your week, clean up the stress/fuel/sleep cycle, and set up in-house S&C so your body stops leaking energy.

Book your intro session → 20-min consult + first session (London or online).