With just a couple more big events left on the US triathlon calendar, including IM 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, FL on Nov 14 and IM Arizona on Nov 22 (GO JEN-RN!), many of us are already well into our off-season. And if you aren’t celebrating yet, you are probably looking forward to taking a break in the next couple weeks.
I take my off-season very seriously. It has been over a month since my last race and I have done little more than what even a casual exerciser would call a workout. I can count 3 times on my bike, 3 jogs of 45min or less, and zero trips to the pool. And the primary reason for the 3 bikes and runs were simply to enjoy some of the beautiful fall days we have had here in Wisconsin (after all, I love to run, bike and swim). But instead of hours huffing and puffing, I have traveled to spend time with family, watched several movies (including “Race Across the Sky”, a documentary on the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike race (crazy!) and Warren Miller’s new “Dynasty” extreme skiing movie (crazier!)), slept more than 8 hours a night and spent time with friends and training partners celebrating (and not sweating… unless you count dancing).
It is difficult for some exercise junkies to believe that someone like me can take 1-2 months at the end of a season and cut out exercise pretty much cold-turkey. However, I know that for me, in order to be ready for the next season, I need a serious physical and mental break. I am not saying that this is the recipe of success for everyone, I just know that it works for me and I have no shame in telling anyone that I love to be lazy in the last couple months of the calendar year. I have no guilt in this confession. And if I put on a couple pounds, so be it (I am not stepping on a scale anyway!) and I am healthier because of it. And as the holidays approach, I, like many of you, shift my focus to prioritizing more time with family. When it comes down to it, I’d rather spend time in the kitchen helping prepare the daily feast than trying to squeeze in a little workout before dinner. But that is just me. Do what works for you in the offseason, but most of all, give yourself permission to take a break, to try something new, to spend more time with family and friends and to enjoy some rest and relaxation before ramping up toward your 2010 goals.
Three cheers for the off-season! Cheers!