Off Season is an interesting time of year for triathletes.
You just finished your big race of the year. You are tired, unmotivated, and the last thing you want to do is ride your bike. We get it, we’ve been there!
How much time should you fully take off after your big race? That depends, it varies from 0 weeks to 4 weeks. You often times see people get into their “post race blues” and most of this comes from the reduction of dopamine that you commonly get from your training and the positive stress from your goal event. When you go too long without training, you fall into this state. Training 30 minutes every other day after your big event is not a bad thing to do, it can actually help you mentally. Plus, taking too long off of training can make it even harder to get back into the swing again because your fitness feels “too far removed”.
If you finished your event and are completely burned out, that is for a different conversation.
My goal with athletes is to live by a 10%, 10%, 80% Rule. This means that they reduce volume and intensity significantly in two of the three sports, while the third you are 80% committed to. It’s not perfect but you understand the concept.
How do you structure what the 80% will be?
Your weakest of the three disciplines
What will make you better the following year
What currently excites you the most
What you don’t want to do, but know you should
By default, most athletes will select running as the sport they want to focus on in the Fall. They select a variety of 5k to Half Marathon races and they “become a runner”. They increase their running frequency per week while reducing the swim and bike. Be ok not training to increase fitness in those two sports. This is the time to work on drills and improving swim technique while you’re not too tired.
To set up your goals for these events, you go back and look at your historical running data the past two years and aim to improve these times by 2-5%.
This is also a great time to get back into the gym 2x a week to compliment your run training. We know through scientific research that strength training and plyometrics directly supports and improves your running.
This is what we call a run block. You put in 2-3 months of training, dedicated to one sport, aiming to see a large boost of fitness.
This block of training can then be transferred into the following season. Even though your running volume will reduce as your swimming and biking ramps back up, it is still supported by the increase in swim and bike training. This is the beauty of triathlon training.
If you are someone who wants to improve their running, this Fall is the time to do that.
If you’re interested in joining our Fall Run Club, check it out here!
If you’re interested in a FREE Coaching Consultation where we will talk through your goals and how to set up your training this off season, for Madison and Remote (non Madison based), reach out here!
Did you know that our head coach Cindi coached at the London Olympics? Coach Jess is an IRONMAN Wisconsin Age Group Champion! Coach Steve guided the 2019 IRONMAN Wisconsin Overall Age Group Female Champion? Check out our awesome coaches here!