Happy to be a tri family…
Whether your triathlete’s last race of the season was Kona, a local race, or is coming up at Rev3 Florida, it all brings us to the same place – off-season. No matter who you talk to…pros, coaches, your family doctor, or other triathletes, they will all say taking time off is a necessity. Not only for the triathlete, but for the family, who has also been through the season. But, what really does off-season and time off look like?
For each triathlete, it’s different. This year has been VERY different for us. Due to David’s accident, we essentially didn’t have a season, because we had to cancel all of the races. But, he has gotten back to training and pretty much lately, has proceeded like he had one. He’s back with a new coach, new training plan, a nutritionist, and is working on his 2015 race schedule.
The assumption from most non-triathlon folks is, “So David is in his off-season. Does that mean he just relaxes?” Well, they are right, he does relax, but it’s type A triathlete-style. Monday – Friday workouts are 1 hour or so, one or two times a day versus two a day 1.5 to 3 hours each. And, the weekends are so nice – 4:30 AM alarms are set to off-season 6:30 or maybe not even set, because long rides are only 1 – 3 hours versus 3 – 6 and Sundays or Mondays may even be a true day of rest!
And, for me – this is such a huge deal – there is no nutritional plan for the off-season! We are a real food family, but my trihubby finds a way to put on 10 pounds in the 4 – 5 weeks at the start of the off-season, which means weeks 6 – 8 are spent talking about getting back to race weight…fun, fun, NOT. But, seriously, why this is such a great time for me is that I get to experiment more with my recipes and not planning my meals based on his nutritional needs. This is my creative time…
Many of our friends enjoy the off-season with a swim or two each week, a local 5k or 1/2 marathon, a few other runs, and maybe a spin on the trainer, or even a spin class with the triwife. Any additional workouts may be some cross-training or sports that they do not have time to do in-season or can only do in winter, such as skiing. I am so jealous of that. My triathlete, who is no pro, just a type A, crazy, wonderful man looking for his Kona 2015 race, uses the off-season to just tone down the training a bit and maybe add some yoga into the routine…
David and the pups sharing some alone time…
So, in short, back to the title of this piece…off-season from my perspective means he works out a bit less, eats more, and complains about working out less and eating more. So, what do I do differently, nothing really. I keep the same food in the house, try out some new recipes, and after week 2 or 3 he realizes, if he doesn’t want to go swim, it’s okay. He will not lose what he worked so hard to achieve in-season…Which, when he has this “aha moment”, we gain some more alone time together and maybe even enjoy a few more cocktails…
Spending quality time with my trihubby…
Then, we count down to January 1, the start of THE SEASON…
– DANA
WHAT DOES OFF-SEASON LOOK LIKE IN YOUR TRIATHLETE HOUSE?
Sherry is one of the TriWivesClub and LifeDoneWell co-founders and contributes to multiple blogs. She is a former co-owner of the California Apparel News and had a career in the healthcare industry. Her passions include traveling, real food, the environment, and animal rescue/welfare. She lives a healthy lifestyle and has been a vegetarian since 1987. She and her husband are parents to two rescue pups and reside in Connecticut.
