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Friday, 06 February 2015 06:10

Coach Troy Training Tip: Welcome to the Off-Season

By Troy Jacobson (Dec. 2011)

Off-season. What in the world does that mean anymore for an Ironman triathlete? Is there such a thing as an off-season nowadays ... or does one phase of your training blend into the next, so it seems like there is just one continuous in-season? Confusing, right? Well, I'm going to confuse you a little more as well as, hopefully, give you some clarity at the same time.
First, I believe in having an off-season of some variety.  We're not machines, even though many triathletes think they are.  Exercise is stressful on the body. In fact, one of my favorite definitions of exercise is that it is "controlled injury."  Exercise for Ironman competition and you're injuring the crap out of yourself each and every day per that definition! And, if you continue to do it week after week year-round, you'll traumatize your tissues to the extent that they'll break down and you will get hurt.  From the perspective of avoiding classic overuse injury alone, you need a break ... but there's more to it than that...

Next, let's talk performance. Wouldn't it be nice to be in Ironman shape year-round? You know what I mean ... the kind of conditioning where you can bike 100 miles as if it's like rolling down the boardwalk on your cruiser on a summer day, or run 20 miles as if it's like a walk in the park.  The more you train, the better you feel.  You're tan, shaved down, focused, lean and vascular and you can eat practically everything you want.  And you know you're in great Ironman shape when your mom tells you that you're too lean and wants to feed you sandwiches and ice cream. Being in Ironman shape is a special kind of "drug" but, if we truly want to improve year after year, we need to get off of that "Ironman High" for a while every year and allow the body (and mind) to rest in order to take fitness to the next level.  If not we over train and hit that dreaded plateau. READ MORE