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| View from a trail run a 15 minute warm-up jog from my house. Part of "do whatever workouts sound fun" plan. |
I’ve learned from my past experiences. Ever since I’ve been
a semi-serious triathlete (i.e. working with a coach, trying to climb podiums,
making it a lifestyle, etc.), there has been a dedicated “off-season.” After
2010 I hit it [rest] hard, because I was pretty burnt out after my first trip to Kona.
I allowed myself only one run and one bike per week and light swimming and yoga
when I could get myself out of bed. It paid great dividends and set me up for
an excellent 2011 season. After 2011, I think I fooled myself into thinking I
didn’t need much of a break. I had one month without coaching after Kona, then
I ran NYC marathon, and then I started training for my 2012 season. During my
month off, I fell mountain biking, f-ed up my shoulder, and couldn’t swim for 2
months. Looking back, it’s no wonder 2012 didn’t go great; I went into the
season not fully rested and a little injured. After 2012, I didn’t really have
a plan, but my off-season was rather long (September – December) and I followed
the “whatever workouts sound fun” training method. It’s a great method, but it
doesn’t give you time to work on your weaknesses while you have some spare
time.
There are some good articles out there about how to spend
your off-season. I liked this one by Matt Lieto and his advice on allowing some
structure for the type-As, as well as some ceilings not to allow too much. I
try not to worry much about my weight this time of year, or really ever. Rather
than throwing my healthy eating habits out the window, they pretty much stay
consistent with the rest of the year. I bake around 8-10 batches of cookies
this time of year for my annual Christmas run, so maybe it’s the behind the
scenes manhandling of the sugar and butter that turns me off from eating too
many sweets. I also try to sleep a lot (10 hours last night!). That has to be good for something,
right?! Another great offseason post is this one by Alyssa Godesky.
As far as workouts, I’m trying to be a little smarter about working
on some weaknesses and areas that need attention without overdoing it in terms
of intensity or volume. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed aches and pains
that have started creeping in. [If you don’t follow the Twitter handle
@thisis30, you probably should. I don’t think I had these issues in the W25-29 AG.]
None of the aches have kept me sidelined, but my left leg is consistently a jerk
and it’d be nice to not a have a sore piriformis (pain in the ass). I made an appointment
with a Sports Injury Specialist/Chiropractor who happens to sponsor my
triathlon team. Dr. Rindal did an overall assessment and identified areas of
weakness and inflexibility (tons). He then gave me a handful of exercises and
foam rolling to do a few times a week to improve these areas. It’s hard to say
just yet how this will transfer over into injury prevention over the next year,
but I can already tell my hip abductors and lower abdominal muscles are
stronger than they were a month ago. I’ll check in with him later this month
and throughout my 2014 season. More importantly, I'm hoping I develop some good stretching and strength habits. Depending on your insurance, it can be a fairly inexpensive way to boost
your athletic performance. Keep in mind that if you have a Health Savings
Account (HSA), this is a good way to use up the money before the 31st.
Just like training plans, there’s no perfect solution to fit
everyone’s needs in an offseason. It depends on the past year and what kind of
season you have ahead of you. But based on my experience, finding ways to enter
the new year fully rested, injury free, with perhaps small improvements in some
areas (flexibility, strength, stronger hips, etc.), will set you up for a
successful season. But most importantly, take some time to relax and enjoy the holidays with your friends and family.
Best of the Season!
Cathleen
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