the coaching files part I, the off season

Please click here for the Clearwater race report.

Before I forget..... thanks to all of you in and on the sidelines who commented on the blog! Every time I turned around I was asked "Are you Mary? I read your blog!" Thank you for saying hi and thanks for stopping by!

Yesterday I spent the day at the beach. I walked the beach about 80 times, I walked with Cathy Y. I went para sailing, kite surfing and rented a jet ski. I rented a skateboard on Saturday and skateboarded around. I watched 2 sunsets and I ate some burgers. My father said I sounded the most relaxed I have sounded in ages.

Maybe I needed a vacation.

But there is more vacation ahead. I have a quick trip to Rochester first.

As we head into the off season and into the subsequent on season I thought I would share some of my coaching thoughts. I don't share a lot of them on here because they are not .... they are not groundbreaking, and I typically save them for the google group that we have on the team and our team newsletter.

I have about 10-11 posts that have been on my mind and what better time to begin than in the off season? This is the time where we sit back, evaluate, set new goals, laugh at the fun we had, and let the body rest. Rest is really the key to this entire puzzle. Study the athletes who consistently fail to reach their potential and I will bet money they rest too little. Or their rest days involve 8 hour adventure hikes.

With each of my athletes I apply a completely different approach to the off season. Many of them have signed up for Placid and are itching to get going already. Some take theirs early.
Depending on the person I might not want to see or hear from them for 3-4 weeks. go have fun I will instruct.... ride the mountain bike, hike, play football with your kids. Enjoy all of the things that we don't do in the season. Lay on the couch.... sleep in.

Then there is the other group..... who are a lot like me. Who need the structure of a plan in an otherwise chaotic life. Or in my case who can slip back into things like eating disorders faster than you can shake a stick.

With this group I offer them more structure, just light on volume. some days off, some days in the weight room, etc.

It truly depends on the individual. Which is why they came to me. For individual guidance.

I think that in general it is vital to stay moving. My favorite off season activity is walking, hiking the dog. Not at any kind of brisk pace but just.... walking / hiking. Enough to get you moving and get the blood circulating.

I like to keep some type of strength training in there. This is typically core work, or functional strength: raking leaves counts. We wont lose huge amounts of fitness or strength in the off season but I think it's important to give them something to respond to.

I recommend continuing on the good nutrition path. Sure have the goodies that you don't have all season, just remember this is the body's time to rest. This is to shake off the accumulated stress and to heal all the niggles. Good nutrition gives us the macro and micro nutrients we need to allow that healing process to happen. Fill the body with sugar and when you begin again it will not have truly healed all the way. So keep the four fruits and four veggies and the 64 ounces of water going.

Many people find it difficult to sleep during the off season. You might not need 10 hours a night if you aren't training 12 + hours a week. Adjust to that by aiming for a smaller number, 6-7. If you lie in bed awake.... literally count sheep. Use this time as an opportunity to learn to turn your mind off. Get a good book, read it in bed. I hear Twilight is all the rage right now.

Use the off season as a time to prepare. Tomorrow we will talk about setting goals and looking into a plan. But don't forget about your gear. Clean the powergels off the bike, put the bike back together, get a tune up. Inspect your trainer, look at your running shoes. I recommend having 2 pairs of running shoes and alternating them. Replace when they have 300 miles on them (Training Peaks tracks this for you by the way). Does the HRM work? Does it need replaced?

Clean out the swim bag. Wash all the suits and towels and inspect your goggles. Get your swim caps together, sprinkle with some baby powder and store in a zip lock bag.

Got your winter run gear? Blinking lights? Headlamp? Gloves? Yak tracks?

When the day comes that you begin rolling again, you will have everything you need all set and ready to go.

Use the off season wisely whether you bask in the unstructured life or you remain on a path of some sort. In looking at the hours that you dedicate to what you do each and every year realize that skipping the off season is truly a recipe for disaster.

Enjoy it!