Regardless of whether we are Ironmen or short course speed demons, one thing that is becoming true this time of year is that its time for off season. What that means, however, varies as much from athlete to athlete as do the races we participate in during season. Some people choose to really take an OFF season and choose to take almost total rest with little or no activity, while others simply reduce volume of training without altering their schedule much. Most triathletes, however, will continue to do some swimming, biking, and running, but at a much reduced volume and without sticking to an iron clad schedule. Whatever road you choose to take, having an off season is important for several reasons:

First, and probably most important, of all, off season provides a mental break. As triathletes who want to be successful, we constantly push our bodies to the limit, and to be able to do that, we must also put a large demand on our mental faculties. Sticking to a schedule, maintaining priorities between, families, work, training, social life, etc. requires our minds to be in every bit as constant motion as our bodies, so our brains need the break just as much as our muscles. The good news is that giving our brains a rest doesn’t mean we have to turn into instant couch potatoes, exercise is still great for the brain and the body, but the relieved pressure from not having to follow a set schedule can do wonders for mental fatigue.

The most obvious impact of off season would be on our tired, worn out, beaten, abused bodies. Triathletes train and race harder than almost any other athletes in the world, and even the strongest bodies need rest to recover. During a race season, even periods of recovery are usually just temporary decreases before we start hammering away again. An extended period of rest allows muscles, joints, tendons, and tissues to fully recover from the abuse they are put through. Again, the good news is that this doesn’t mean we can’t do any training. In fact, off season is the perfect time to make gains in some areas that we cant during the season, while still allowing our bodies to relax and recover.

Strength:
Off season is a great time to increase aerobic endurance and strength. Most triathletes don’t do enough strength training as it is, and rarely want to take time away from swim/bike/running to do it, so taking some time to up the strength in the off season can pay huge dividends when races start back up.

Technique:
Again, during the season so much focus is put on volume that rarely is there time to focus on technique. Off season can be a perfect time to get some swim lessons, gait analysis, or cycling instruction. This way you can really break down your technique without sacrificing mileage or yardage.

Training during the off season can be a fantastic way to increase performance during the season, but it is crucial that overtraining during the off season doesn’t occur. Too much activity can negate any of the gains made by lightening the load and actually cause a decrease in performance during the race season. So kick back, take some extra naps, have an extra helping now and then, but don’t let that bike rust or those running shoes get dusty. Have a great off season and get ready for an even better season next year.

The Age Grouper: Triathlon Podcast

This podcast is put on by two guys, Jeff and Eric, who, as their name implies, are just two regular age group athletes from the Midwest. Their podcast has been running for a couple years now and they really cover a wide range of topics from nutrition to racing to injury prevention. The best thing about this podcast in my opinion is that it does come strictly from an age groupers perspective. They really try to approach everything from a “normal person’s” perspective and talk about ways to keep on budget but still train hard and well. iTunes currently has about 40 episodes and they are all fairly interesting.

Zen and the Art of Triathlon

This podcast is similar to the Age Grouper, but I really like the guys perspective who does this cast. Not to mention he records it out of the back of his car, and he always does a super cheesy, video game version theme song for every cast. (The newest episode features a synthesized “White Wedding” by Billy Idol) What really drew me to this Podcast is that I think the guy, coach Brett as he calls himself, is in Texas because he’s done several casts from our area, and even from races we’ve been to. Be sure to check out his cast from Lonestar this year. He’s also been doing this show since 2006 and has quite a following. Everything from interviews with pro’s to race reviews, tattoos and barefoot running. There’s a huge variety of content here and the guy is frankly just funny.

Triathlon Mind Training

This is frankly my favorite one. There are currently only ten episodes and I hope there are more to come because it’s just really interesting stuff. This podcast is made by a triathlete who puts most of his focus on the mental side of triathlon training. My favorite episode is one in which he talks about the mental side of open water swimming and how to come to greater ease in the water. He talks a lot about the mind/body connection and its terribly interesting stuff.
I hope everyone will get a chance to give these podcasts a listen. Like I said its only a couple of the ones that I listen to whenever I need to feed my triathlon obsession. If anyone finds other podcasts or resources out there, post them in a comment to this blog. I hope everyone has a great week training! Stay dry.