seasons over now what

[psycofish]

Well ran my last race Saturday to end my first season of tris. 4 sprints and one Olympic. now that I am done I need to starting thinking of off season training and what to do to improve my races. Next year I plan to do at least 1 Olympic and 1 half as well as a few sprints. my biggest improvement should be on the bike with a upgrade (Right now I ride a 30 pound teenager). My swim and run times will be harder to improve and must be done thru training. I will be revisiting the total immersion tape again. I will probably start up with some weights. My running I don't know should I just keep doing long runs and intervals?

So to make a long story short ( I know too late),what do you guys and girls do in the off season..

[specialK]

for me this winter is going to be A LOT of speed work (lots and lots of interval training), usually 2 days / week of endurance stuff (1 1/2 hour run and 3 hour bike ride), throw in a good bit of weights on the legs and core strength exercises also. This was also my first season of tris and duathlons so it was pretty obvious what I need to work on :)

[jennings780]

I have one more Tri to go. Yeah.
I also have been thinking about offseason.
My body feels somewhat worn out. The weird thing is that I have also been getting faster. I have already backed off so that I have 2 rest days a week and no more than one day of doing two workouts.

During the offseason I am going to keep to that. I am also going to shorten up my weekday workouts a bit. I am going to add yoga and some weight training.

[jdtschida]

Swimming. Lots of swimming if I can find a pool that doesn't cost a fortune to use.

Up here in MN it gets pretty dang cold in the winter, and I hate doing stuff out in the cold. I will pick up a bike trainer to ride indoors. I probably won't do much running once the real cold sets in.

[^*^BATMAN^*^]

Guys, you need to do weight trainign for your upper body aswell. It will make you swim split alot faster. Lots of sprints, they really make you faster.

To answer the original question. I go were it is warm. I am going to Bermuda in October, and toying with the idea of going to Thailand to race in November. Just have to find a race somewere around Jan-Feb.

hahaha, your Canadian tax dollars at work :p

[sweetharriet]

weights. last year i did a crap load o spinning, because it kept snowing, go figure. it helped me focus on the bike, which is still a weaktastic point.

after sandbagging my first season with only ows's in a free local lake, i finally joined a pool in jan. of this year, and started doing some specific workouts from the "workouts in a binder...for triathletes" book (you could amazon it), so i'd have a plan, instead of just making it up. it helped me actually think about time.

i also got a HRM in March or so. up till then i hadn't really tried to monitor heartrate, but i read up on it and found it helped me keep on track with the longer 1/2 IM workouts.

this year? i might get a trainer. you know, because i haven't spent enough money on this hobby already.

[hokie_girl]

A lot of base and weights for me, and I'm also going to try to work through the Total Immersion book (and possibly video). Whatever it takes to not put all that weight back on.

[Vuroth]

Master's swimming twice a week all winter. (Time to get back to work on techinique and form.)

Beyond that? Lots and lots of running. I'd love to put in a couple of half marathons and a full marathon before triathlon season comes around again.

[chrisesposito]

So to make a long story short ( I know too late),what do you guys and girls do in the off season..

Unless you are doing some sort of skiing, outdoor sports in Seattle in the winter range from damp to drenched. I've been cross-country ski racing for almost 10 years, and as a whole-body weight-bearing aerobic exercise it's hard to beat. It's way less boring and much more scenic than spending hours on a bike trainer or stationary bike.

I have promised myself I will find and join a masters swim team or program, with coaches, workouts, etc., since swimming is my weakest event.

Chris

[MHR]

OFF SEASON .... What's that??

To be honest I just don't have one - I train and race all season/year round. I just finished Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon (back to back Saturday/Sunday) a few weeks ago and right now I am training for the Detroit Marathon in October. Then Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon and Marathon back to Back in January, my Bike time trial series, Boston Marathon in April, 1/2 IM Florida in May, my open water swim series and on and on. This year I hit just over 25-major events race wise, last year I had a few more. At 46 years old and over 25 years of racing I still chase PR's and set new goals for myself every season.

At the same time everyone's goals/objectives are different as is your available training time and available funds for race fees for that matter.
For those that do have an off-season without racing there would be a few things you may want to consider....here is my top-10.

1. In your off season take time to look your physical engine. Many here are quick to purchase a new bike part that may improve speed but forget the main component - YOU. Get a physical....get your cholesterol and blood pressure tested.

2. Know your lean to fat ratio...not just because you race, but rather because it makes good health sense...work to improve it and change it! This becomes more and more important every year you age for those over 30 years old. Your body will tend to shift this ratio toward the fat to the tune of nearly 1%/year - unless you change that. To do that strength training is key as is diet. I get the info on my ratio through testing in the dunk tank (which I believe is the most accurate).

3. Learn how to train better to improve your race results! Not by training harder but training smarter. To do this I recommend the book Advanced Marathoning, it outlines all of the important types of training methods which you can apply to swimming and cycling as well.

4. Set goals and objectives. Plan your races/travel/lodging, register early, build your training plan that match's your race objective.

5. Take the time to work on your weakness in the area of strength and skills. This is why I spend so much time in Swim, Bike and Run specific races. If you are weak in the swim then work with a good masters swim team and when you think you are better compete in swim specific race events against real swimmers - for most this will mean getting in the water with former college swimmers.

6. Learn to push your limits by training with others who are faster...I work with a former college swimmer who swims a 2.4 mile open water in 46.0 min. so he keeps me on my toes. I also race against the fastest cyclists by racing in TT's.

7. Human performance - Get that bike fit, your stride tested, that Vo2 max test. Use that information as a baseline from which to improve upon

8. Build base

9. Upgrade your equipment

10. Get a coach