Traditionally Fall and early Winter has made up the off-season for athletes in the Northern Hemisphere. But with triathlon and running happening all over the world, one could arguably go without an off-season.
Regardless of where your off-season falls on the calendar, it is very important that you do take an off-season.
First and foremost, the off-season is a time to rebuild and re-energize body and mind. This is especially true for long distance athletes. We put a great deal of strain on ourselves so this is a time to rest and rebuild that temple of yours.
The off-season give you the chance to step away a bit. Use the time time to reconnect with family and friends. Build up some brownie points with your family - you'll need them next season. Mentally recharge, and participate in activities that you have not done in some time, or find a winter sport to get into. Cross country skiing, snow shoeing are great activities.
Use the time to evaluate your objectives, goals and past season. How did it go? What you need to improve? Did you bite of too much? This is the time.
If you just cannot get away this is a great time to work on technique. Work on drills and form.
Build your strength. Hit the gym to strengthen the key muscles. Or see the doctor about that nagging injury. Or get on the massage table to work out some kinks
Do some high intensity workouts to build your threshold levels. Get them higher so that the return to base training begins at a higher level.
If you decide to step away, always keep running in the mix. It will keep your muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons strong.
So what do I do? I use it as a time to evaluate, step away for a while, and build strength. Workouts are not long - one-hour max. And I work at a high intensity. Form is always a consideration.
So think about the best way to use your off-season to make next season even better.
Until next time, keep tri'n.
No comments:
Post a Comment