Throughout my years racing first as an elite amateur, and then as a Professional Triathlete, I always took some much needed “time off” at the end of the season. I would take 4-6 weeks after my last big race of the season to do what I wanted when I wanted. I needed some time off from following specific training schedule and found that the mental and physical break did wonders for me! This period of time, over the years, became something I really looked forward to!
As a coach of my own coaching business (www.ironfitendurance.com) I encourage many of my athletes to take a similar break. This can be scary to some! In fact, to many coaches this can be scary as well…fearful that the athlete will not come back to coaching after the break!
However, I find that a break from a training schedule is necessary for many reasons:
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Many athletes start to feel burnt out by the end of their season. A break from following a training plan gives the athlete time to “miss training” and can help the athlete to remember how exciting and fun training can be!
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A break gives the body and mind time to RECOVER!
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A break is time for the athlete to reflect on the season and appreciate what they accomplished, something that is hard to do in the midst of training and racing!
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A break gives the athlete a chance to talk to their coach about what they need to work on to improve in the upcoming season. This may be strength training, swim technique, power on the bike, mental focus, confidence in oneself, or speed on the run!
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A break from training gives the athlete time to write down goals and figure out a smart race plan with their coach for the upcoming season.
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A break gives the athlete a chance to do something other than swim, bike, run! Exploring other athletic endeavors can be fun, but often athletes don’t have the time to fit them in during the season. The off season gives athletes the chance to stay fit and enjoy other activities!
I do have some general guidelines for the “offseason break”:
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During the break, avoid doing nothing!!! Staying active is very important! The break is not time to take off from everything! This will make starting back very difficult.
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Try to get in at least one swim, one bike and one run each and every week of the break! You don’t want to take off completely in any discipline as you will be starting from scratch when you do get back to training! Getting in a couple of workouts in each of the three disciplines will ensure that you don’t lose too much. Find the joy in doing the workouts in whatever order you like and on whatever day you want!
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Avoid very tough workouts that you feel like you are forcing yourself to complete! Try to “enjoy” each workout that you do, whether that be a trail run, or a bike with friends. Workout “as you feel”, meaning you can push it if you feel good on a particular workout, but don’t force yourself to complete a hard workout if you are not into it physically and mentally!
If you find that you are feeling burnt out and unmotivated, or if it’s just been a long season, don’t be afraid to take a break. It may be the best thing you do for your upcoming season!
Happy training and racing!
Dee
www.ironfitendurance.com