Now Is The Time...

-

Most athletes know exactly what they need to do IN SEASON, but what do you do during the off season?

Here are a few pieces of advice to help you:

1) Get a bike fit.  This is the time of year to adjust your position on the bike.  You don't have any sense of urgency here, so now is the time to play around with saddles, crank length, seat height and drop.  Your body will have plenty of time to adjust.


2) Reflect and LEARN on last season.  It's easy to just focus on what lays ahead.  While that is always a good thing to do, it's important to make sure that you learn from the season that just ended.  Ask yourself the following questions:

- What parts of training were you strong in and what was a struggle?

- What schedule set-up worked the best for your life and your body?

- Did you find that you enjoyed or excelled at one race distance over another?

- What went well during your races and what didn't?  How could the negatives be corrected?

- Did you train with power or HR? Would it have helped you?

- When during the season were you most motivated and when were you least motivated?


3) PLAN!  This is the time to plan for the coming season.  Talk with your coach and pick races that suit your strengths. Examples:

- Weak swimmers should pick wetsuit legal races.

- Strong cyclists should pick tougher bike courses.

- Lighter riders who are strong, should pick hilly courses.

- Bigger athletes should pick flatter races where they can use that as an advantage.


4) Get in the weight room!  This is the time to work on those muscle imbalances, strengthen the core and work on your functional strength.  In season strength work may not be very valuable in terms of the return you will get for you time, but out of season certainly is.


5) Set goals and objectives for racing and training.  Regardless of what they are, make sure that they are FUN and that they light a FIRE inside of you! Also, keep in mind that the ultimate performance goal each year is progression.


6) TALK TO YOUR SPOUSE, PARTNER & FAMILY. Ask them to evaluate the year...what went well for them and what didn't.  What could be better?  Think about vacations, travel, schedule's, kids, etc... Involving them and making them a part of the process will go a long way when you need to spend a saturday out on the bike and it will only add to their excitement on race day.


7) Spend time doing other things each week. Even though your "downtime" may be over, it doesn't mean you have to go back on the straight and narrow.  Designate time each week towards other activities outside of the sport... Make sure you are not too tired or too sore and definitely don't talk "shop" with whoever you are with. BE PRESENT!!!


The above tips may seem simple, but they will help ensure that this lifestyle of triathlon is one that sticks for a long time, that your flame stays lit and that everyone in the household feels like they are involved. If you have other off season tips and tricks, feel free to post them below!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Using A Swim Test Within Your Training

-
Image
I typically see most athletes doing some sort of benchmark testing within their training, especially when it comes to swimming. However I don't always see those athletes using the result from that test within their training. It can be much more effective and engaging for athletes to actually use their swim test results within their training. Here's how: 1. Go test. Your bench mark testing should be something that is repeatable every block of training. You can do a 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, it really doesn't matter. When you test, make sure you swim smart. A good friend of mine always described any TT effort like this: -25% relaxed but fast, focusing on stroke rate and finding your rhythm -50% focusing on your test effort with good body position and quick turns on the walls -25% lifting the effort building in a bigger kick to finish 2. Using your test pace. Use your pace per 100 as the slowest target pace you are working around within 1 specific workout e
Read more

Valuing Your Time & Reach

-
Image
  I have had this conversation with many...do you accurately attach value to your brand/business? - When I think back to growing up as an athlete in my early 20's, I definitely wanted to win, but I also wanted to look the part. You know... logo's on the chest, looking Professional, sponsored, fast....awesome! Great for a poster on the wall, or a picture in a frame. We all dreamt about it and most still do!! - I didn't realize it in 2004 and although we didn't have social media, it was a no brainer for a business to offer some sort of free product or a moderate discount in exchange for exposure through a big company billboard on our chest and a seminar or two. - Today, with the cost of buying advertisement on social media or hiring someone to do the work to promote a brand, it's even more of a no brainer to offer a discount to athletes, teams and coaches. - We see this magnified with the Ambassador and Elite Teams. Athletes get a kit, some product to try or buy at a
Read more

Ironman Texas Recap & Images

-
Image
Ironman Texas North American Championship 8:28:17 23rd Professional How it looks and feels to persevere through a day of racing by yourself when you are at less than your best and still come away with a new personal best time! This was my first time racing at Ironman Texas. A great venue and nearly perfect conditions greeted us on race morning. 60* air temp, 73* water temp (non wetsuit for Professionals) an d calm winds. A unique aspect of this swim is that the last 1/3 or so is swam up a canal. This gives spectators a front row seat to all the action and the opportunity to follow their athlete! Swim fitness was great coming in to the race but unfortunately I wasn't able to have a good performance in the water. I exited the water 5 minutes back of my usual pack. I was one of the few who was all alone on the bike course. I had to use most of the tricks in my bag to stay focused and engaged. I did a pretty good job and came i
Read more