10 Reasons Why the Off-Season is Awesome

Now that the triathlon season is merely a memory, many of us Wisconsinites have other things on our minds right now:

• Will the Packers really go 16-0 and repeat as Super Bowl champs?
• Is someone going to finally bag the 30-point buck when deer hunting opens this weekend?
• How far off is the first snowfall so the Ski-Doo can get back on the trail?

But even though our thoughts are on eating turkey, tagging a prized buck, holiday shopping, family time and winter sports, the thought of 2012’s cycling or triathlon season is never totally forgotten. Since the raking is finished and the snowblower is tuned up and ready, it’s a perfect time to enjoy the off-season. Here’s why:

1. Relax. You can’t go 100 percent all the time. Sure, if you’re willing to travel you can find a race or ride year-round but that will only lead to one thing: burnout. Give your mind a little break now, which will help increase motivation when it’s time to go to work in the spring.
2. Recover. Your joints, tendons and muscles took a beating for the past few months so it’s a good time to rest and let them heal. Indefinite, intense training can weaken the body and lead to injury, and the last thing you want is to be nursing some aching body part come spring.
3. Have fun again. We all enjoy training or else we wouldn’t do what we do, but months and months of programmed workouts can lead to boredom or stagnation. Now is a good time to cross-train or try something different to shake things up. If you’re hip-deep in snow, cross country skiing or skating can be an excellent cardiovascular workout. Give yoga a shot to keep or improve flexibility. Stay active but have fun doing it.
4. Focus on a weakness. Instead of blasting your body with running, biking AND swimming, now you have some time to make your weak point stronger.
5. Try a new supplement. We all have our racing plans figured out and we don’t want to tamper with success during the season, but now you can experiment with new products to see if they can make your performance better.
6. Work on technique. Here’s a chance to improve your swim stroke or get your bike refitted (and let your body get used to the different set-up), for example. There’s always room for improvement, right?
7. Look ahead (a little) to next season. What events do you want to do? How will you schedule your training for these events? What goals do you want to accomplish? Keeping your eye on the prize and planning ahead is a good way to build excitement and not let yourself go during the offseason, TOO bad.
8. Lift weights. Some time in the gym is a great way to build power. A little extra strength also helps prevent injuries.
9. More family time. Are you a stranger in the house in summer because of training and competing? If your husband or wife put the wrong name on the stocking hung on the fireplace, reacquaint yourself with your loved ones. Quality time now will make them that much more forgiving during June, July and August.
10.  ?

If any of you have a #10 to add, we’d love to hear it. Hop onto our Facebook page, “Like Us” and leave a comment. And in the meantime, have a safe and spectacular Thanksgiving holiday. We don’t know about you, but we plan on doing some serious carb loading while watching the Lions/Packers game.

Til next time,

Keep Pushin’