how do you deal with the off season?

jacksonpt

For those of you who live where there is a legitimate off season... how do you deal with it? Do you still train, or take that time to do other workouts/fitness stuff that isn't necessarily tri specific?

I'm in upstate NY... I haven't been able to swim in a month, and pretty soon the bike will be retired to the basement for the winter. I'm using this winter to work on my strength to weight ratio, trying to get stronger while getting leaner. I'll do the occasional run, maybe find some pool time every once in a while, and I can spin in my basement when the mood strikes, but it's mostly lifting for me... at least for the first half of the winter.

FrenchMob

Personally, I don't really have an off-season even though I live in a winter area also (in Canada near Buffalo NY for reference). Plus the fact that I"m so scared to lose my run fitness means I never stop running. I do throw in more strength training though. Usually a split routine 3 times a week, but it's the first thing to go during time constraints.

I actually did my first indoor bike trainer ride on Saturday simply because I was too lazy to get all dressed up..lol.

engineman312

you are way more north in NY then i am, and i've pretty much retired my bike for the winter. i haven't done an open water training swim at all, but i plan to start in March at Coney Island beach.

My first tri is in june, and in the middle of march is when i plan to completely concentrate on tri-training. right now i'm concentrating on losing weight, building muscle, and running.

drdenise

My plan is to continue to train in all three disciplines. I want to swim twice a week, and work on my form, drills to improve endurance and speed, etc. I actually purchased a training guide for triathlon swimming to help me start. Will look into master's swim in the spring and start doing open water swims at that time. This area is very vital for me.......I was a bit overwhelmed in the swim, felt I was going to drown, even though I am a strong swimmer! Continue to work on endurance and speed for the bike and run, and practice going from a bike to run at least once a week for even greater endurance. I also need to get more consistent in my weight training.

rachel5576

I don't really have an off season either. I live in Wisconsin and run all winter long. January starts snowshoe season. Im also looking at getting an indoor bike trainer so i can do that throughout the winter. Can anyone recommend a bike trainer?

crux

I'm focusing on Strength,skills and having fun over the winter.

Full body compound lifting twice a week, swim stroke technique, running form & economy, then get out on the weekends on the bike/mountain bike or hike some mountains etc..

girlontherun5

I'm going to keep running over the winter as normal, I'm taking a triathlon specific swimming class once a week which means I get in the pool once a week I need the class to keep me accountable and make me swim at least once a week. I really like swimming, but we have 5 kids and a busy life... I'm also looking to get a bike trainer for the winter. For me biking had always been that thing I have to do between swimming and running. I didn't dislike it, but didn't love it either, this summer it started to get a bit more fun maybe because I spent more time riding so I'd like to keep building on that and hope to get faster on the bike.

Fly_Tyn

Lots of time in the pool, running and I add a lot of weight lifting. I don't get to lift during the season so now is the time to get all of the muscle back that I lost from tri training. Although my overall training time goes down I will pick up the intensity. For instance: During tri season I have really long runs (2 hours) in the off season I will do a lot of speed work but less than one hour sessions. I will also jump on my bike trainer for hour sessions two or three times a week for short periods.

IronmanPanda

There's an off season?

I've heard a lot of people fit in their strength training into the off-season. Either that or go into training blocks to focus on improving a specific aspect of r/b/s.

coronalime

2x week swimming. I have a bike trainer and pick up a few spin classes. If I leave tri season with no injuries then I can continue to run during the colder months. This year I plan on incorporating strength! Havent done that ever. Such a cardio junkie. But I am planning on taking a few athletic conditioning classes thru these winter months and yoga at least 1x week.

These months are the time to really work on swimming! Join a masters class or take some lessons.

Kilter

I live in Vancouver, BC so there isn't really a need to get inside and stay there for the winter. The offseason for me becomes about retaining base while working on skills and dedication. It's also the only way I keep from blimping up

3 bikes / week is the goal. 1 longer bike (1 hour 40 minutes today, zone 1 with two 15 minute half IM pace spurts) and 2 shorter bikes (1:15) done on the trainer or outside. I sometimes skip the two shorter bikes and just commute to/from work which make up for it.

3 runs / week is also the goal. 1 longer run (1 hour 20 minutes tomorrow, zone 1 with one 35 minute marathon pace spurt) and 2 shorter runs (50 minutes) focusing on hills for one and steady pace for the other.

I have only been in the water once since my last race (half IM in July) but should be doing 2 swims / week right now. Both drill sessions focusing on form and technique. I needed to drop something though until I finish classes this December, so swimming was it. I'll start up again with a local TriFit swim group in January which will get me in the water 2 swims / week for 1.5 hours each. Probably

Volume and intensity won't ramp up until April. First race is an Oly in March.

S

RaeN81

I've been simply doing some fitness classes in an attempt to improve my overall cardiovascular health and tone up. I am hoping to start doing some more lap swimming since this is my weakest area. It's hard to be motivated to run around a track or on a treadmill or use a stationary when you've been outdoors for months but I am considering getting a bike trainer because I know it would be helpful. I've also heard rollers can be helpful for learning balance on the bike.

hkulbacki

I've been simply doing some fitness classes in an attempt to improve my overall cardiovascular health and tone up. I am hoping to start doing some more lap swimming since this is my weakest area. It's hard to be motivated to run around a track or on a treadmill or use a stationary when you've been outdoors for months but I am considering getting a bike trainer because I know it would be helpful. I've also heard rollers can be helpful for learning balance on the bike.

I have rollers and a friend just gave me a spare trainer that he had. The trainer is lightyears easier. The rollders are helpful for balance but they are like riding on ice, you can't let your concentration drift for even a few seconds. And forget wiping the sweat that is dripping off your eyelashes! I ride them in a narrow hallway in my basement so if I do go off one side or the other, I can't fall too far.
Last year I was using them in my living room while trying to watch football... bad move. I lost concentration, went off one side of the rollers, luckily most of me fell on the couch but the foot that was under the bike landed on the side rail that holds the rollers and I'm pretty sure I cracked or at least very badly bruised something in that foot. I didn't get on them again for the longest time... now only in the narrow basement.
The trainer is also portable if you're considering any bike road races, time trials, or crits for a pre-race warm-up.

Will I continue to use the rollers, now that I have the trainer? Yes, but not as often.

calderst

I just saw this article on my facebook so I thought I'd pass it along....

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Offseason-Workouts-for-Triathletes.htm?cmp=17-1-1609

Kilter

There are a lot of good bits in that article calderst, thank you!

bstamps12

Those are some great articles, thanks!

I REALLY REALLY REALLY need to be on the bike, but I've been procrastinating because I'm hoping to get a new bike in December. That is NO reason to skip riding my old bike now, but I've allowed myself to use it as one. My goal for the winter is to build up on the bike & run...I'm doing my first half marathon in March which I think will really help my overall endurance for tri's and if I get a new bike, I'll be getting comfortable and stronger on that too.

Goal workouts for normal weeks:
Swim 1x week in pool (just need to maintain really)
Bike 2x per week (at least once on the road)
Run 3x per week
Strength train 2x per week.