What do I do now that my Race Season is Over?

You’ve raced a full season this past summer, are riding a high and not sure what to do next! Should you jump immediately into the Fall running season? Should you starting working on your weaknesses from triathlon this past season? Should you just take a break but are afraid to lose all of that awesome fitness you gained during the past season?

The answer lies in how you feel, how much training and racing you’ve experienced this past season, and then what your goals are going into the Fall and Winter months. So let’s break these down one by one and discuss them.

How you Feel: This will vary by person. Each individual needs to reflect and take stock in how much time they have devoted to training over the past year, how much time they have spent or not spent focused on their profession, family (if they have one) and their recovery. Being honest with what your season looked like will help you prioritize your off-season.

Currently the “hot” topic of late is the state of recovery in the athlete, or lack thereof. This “lack thereof” causes havoc on the body both physically and mentally. The high amounts of stress it adds to a body already in a state of chaos only weakens the athlete’s body but also the spirit, or thirst for competition. This can be broken down much, much further and we can go into depth about how the autonomic nervous system and central nervous system takes a massive hit and how best to recover from them but we will save that for future articles. Right now, its about really tapping into How you are Feeling.

Try taking a minimum of two weeks OFF from structured workouts, some people may even need 4 weeks. The word, “OFF” can often be misconstrued. Do not take off from exercising all together. Simply exercise when you feel like it. That means you like to hike, maybe do that instead of swim, bike, run. Try other sports. If it’s not cold yet where you live, try some stand-up paddle boarding (SUP), sea kayaking, rowing, yoga, tai chi. Something that will allow you to take your mind away from race mode and into relaxation mode. Maybe you even get to focus on your family and job in a more present way while still being active because the stress of training takes a back seat.

The point of all of this is when it comes to your health and fitness, our bodies cannot stay fit for very long. They need to eb and flow for health purposes. This allows you to recover, de-stress both mentally and physically which allows you to come back hungry for the next season or goal you have in mind. With out that, there is a high likelihood of burnout. So for now, put your feet up, relax and revel in the fact that you had a great season and embrace your recovery time.

#rest #workout #goodhabits #seasonending #recovery