The ‘Off’ Season

Towards the end of this past CX season I was “looking forward to the off season.”  I felt a little burned out.  But what does that mean?  I’ve reached a point were not exercising really isn’t an option.  After a day or two of resting I really don’t feel all that good, I literally start feeling like I’m getting sick.  Once you develop a level of consistently exercising, stopping is almost as difficult as getting started.

So the off season isn’t really time off, it’s just unstructured time where I can do whatever I want.  Honestly, one of the reasons I enjoy riding my bike so much isn’t the races.  It’s the training.  Since my last race, Jan 11^th, I’ve been in the ‘off season’.  I’ve kept my training time unstructured, aka not scheduled.  I’ve focusing on spending time with the family which has limited my workouts to an hour or less each day.  I’ve made the family the priority so I fit my workout in without interfering with their plans.  It’s easy to find the time but difficult to make plans or attend any classes.  There’ll be enough time in the future when I’m asking for a pass to go ride, it’s my payback time now.

This off season has been about refocusing.  I have to remember what a normal person should eat, and bringing the caloric intake back to normal.  I’ve been going to the gym and lifting weights to shift the body composition back to the muscular side.  I’ve continued running, brining my long runs up to miles I haven’t seen in years (which isn’t much, 6-7 miles in a single run).  I’ve also been hitting the trainer for some work on my pedal stroke; high spin efforts, isolated leg interval and stands.  None of these efforts have been overly intense; they serve to rejuvenate the body and mind.

With the upcoming 2014 season and my planned races and goals, the most difficult part of the off season is patience; the patience to wait, to not overdo it, to take it slowly and get back to the basics so that I’ll be ready when the time comes.  Fortunately the weather has been helping; the thought of base miles in the snow and ice have greatly enhanced my ability to be patient.