End of the year

As the season starts to wind down for some of us, and if over for others, its time to look ahead to the off season and winter training, or for others a much needed break.

After a long racing season (started training at new years, and ended this past weekend with 16 triathlons, 1 duathlon, two cycling races and a 10k), i am getting in some much needed rest and recovery time. while it is often tough to let yourself go and lose the fitness gains that you worked so hard for over the past months, this is a very good time to let your body bounce back from all the work you did and let it sink in, to heal from all the little nagging injuries and simply recharge your mind.

At the end of my season, i like to take a week to 10 days and simply not work out at all. if i get involved in something at work (i coach a highschool rowing team), i'll jump in and run with the team or something, but no scheduled workouts, and i try to stay away from swim/bike/running stuff for that time. the first day or so are a bit weird, i feel like i should be training, that i am getting out of shape as the hours tick by. but a day or so later, for whatever reason, the season seems to catch up with me, i sleep more than i have all year, and just feel tired. by the end of that time period i am actually looking forward to workout out some.

This is where i see a lot of athletes ruin there upcoming season. they start training again in solid amounts. depending on your summer/season load, this may not be an issue, and for others it never will be simply because their bodies work that way. however, i do need a break like most of the population out there. instead of dropping back into a normal training routine i use this part of the year (from now through new years) for two things. I'll focus on the part of the sport that needs the most work (in my case right now running), and use it to get into the shape i want to start my winter training over the span of three months.

By this i mean i will very slowly start training again, in small amounts. right now i am focusing on getting in consistent daily runs. nothing hard, or long right now, just 2-5 miles a day very easy. if i miss a workout, oh well, nothing is at stake right now. nothing need be forced or hard. i simply want to build a base for me to work with when new years rolls around.

The off season however holds an even bigger draw than light easy training. I get to put some time back into the things i have been missing all year! In my case, this fall and winter means a chance to get serious with paintball again. I've never been much into the inflaitable speedball type, but woods and scenario paintball have always been a blast for me, and this fall i am getting involved with some semi-pro teams and have been having a blast so far!

My advice to all of you out there would be to keep working out as long as you want to, but remember, for most of us, aside from a few last fall races, most of the races are over till next spring. its time to recover, rest, and recharge!