Is There An Off Season? What Are The Seasons In Triathlon? - Part 1

Can you imagine an entire weekend free to explore the local farmer's markets, catch up with friends over coffee or dinner and still have time to get some errands done around the house?  Or imagine watching a movie when you're not doing a bike trainer workout.  Maybe those are the things people do in this elusive thing they call the "off season".  That term reminded me of an old, tried and true training mantra from our early Ironman training days *:  "When in doubt, leave it out".  I have no idea what someone else means by "off season" so I just skip using that term in favour of terms that are more meaningful to me.  I think there is real value in a complete break from structured and specific training, both in terms of the allowance for physical recovery and for the mental break. But, like any other aspect of training, every "season" has a specific purpose. 

Spring - Summer - Fall - Winter - But What Are The Seasons For The Athlete In Us?

Race Season

Race season is pretty easy to identify so let's start there. This is the season we all work towards. We pin our race hopes, dreams and goals on events in the race season.  You can race just once or you can race often, with a few key thrown in the mix. Either way, this is the season where you put all your work to the test and see what you're made of and whether your hard work has paid off.

After The Race:  Recovery, FunTime, Vacation, Transition - Pick A Name, Any Name!

Some is probably what some of us refer to as "Off Season". As someone who isn't in the habit of being totally inactive, I don't use that term.  After the big races are over, it's nice to keep moving but with no real performance goal or purpose.  And, no, signing up for every local 5k event doesn't count!!  For me, it's gym and yoga, maybe some fun bike rides, maybe mountain biking. For some, it might be team sports. 

Prep Season

During the prep season, it's time to re-establish a training schedule and get back into the habit of a regular training routine.  In addition to getting back into the habit of swimming, biking and running on a regular schedule every week, the prep season is also the time to set up all the other good habits that contribute to great racing next year:

• establish or re-establish good dietary habits.  
• yoga or something else that helps stretch and balance 
• Strength training in the gym to re-build or maintain functional strength for performance
• work on improving technique.  This is the best time to work on the swim, when you won't be fatigued from all the other volume and intervals that normally take up so much energy during the more physically taxing parts of the training seasons.

Equipment 

The prep season is also the time to start reviewing your equipment set up. The bike is the big one so, if you have any plans to replace your current ride, now is the time to get started on that since it's both the biggest chunk of your budget but it's also something that is integral to your overall performance. Get it fit and get it right!

And now, while all your other equipment is still fresh in your mind, go over all the other bits and consider which ones still suit you and which ones are due to be replaced. Consider:

• Your helmet. Aero helmet or not, can you remember the last time you replaced it?  If not, it might be time to replace it. There are no accepted guidelines yet for the expected useful life of a helmet but the helmet industry is reviewing the notion of expiry dates.  Even if you've never crashed in the helmet, degradation of the materials and the adhesives holding the bits together has occurred. You need your helmet to provide a measure of protection for your head. If you don't recall buying a helmet over the last 3 years, it's probably time to invest in a new one.  Not is the time to at least put it on your Christmas list.
• Your shoes.  Again, if you can't remember when you last replaced them, maybe it's time to let them go.  Sure, they're likely super comfy now that they're well past broken in.  But that completely worn in upper might no longer be providing you the structure it should have in order to maximize stability and power transfer.  If there are any deep scuffs from a crash (guilty!) or loose stitching or seaming, chances are the shoe is no longer holding your foot as securely as it should.  It's time to let it go.
• Your kit.  Sure lycra might last forever but are you the same size and shape as you were when you bought it?  Or maybe you are as much a slave to fashion in your tri kit as you are in your everyday kit.  Maybe you have a new team or club that has a cool kit.  It doesn't hurt to start the search now when you have the time. You don't have to be that guy who orders a kit online at the last minute during race season only to find out that it doesn't fit or to have it not show up on time.  You can't race naked so get it covered sooner rather than later

Part 2 - More Seasons Coming Soon

Unless you have a real late season race like IM Arizona or Western Australia, most of us are in a post-race season Transition or Prep Season.  Part 2 will go over the goals and time frames for the other seasons of our triathlon training cycle.  Stay tuned!  Meanwhile, if you have any specific questions you want to be answered, you can always ask!

* Early days|:  when we didn't really know what we were doing but we seemed to muddle through just fine somehow. Imagine that - no power meters, no Smart trainers, no Strava. How did we do it?!!