The "Off Season"

Since I'm trying to get better at all the sports, when I heard about the "off season," I didn't think this could apply to me. I only have more work to do, no time for breaks! Turns out the off season is time for eating pie and changing up the training focus. Ok, maybe I made that eating pie part up. (I love pie.)

I have been gathering that after the racing season and before the next racing season, is the off season. That seems pretty logical. On or off, there is no tri. Wait. Do or not do, there is no pie. Wait!! No!

I've been trying to read about what exactly to do during this time. It seems like it's a time to get stronger. Build base. Maybe work on strengthening weaknesses? Thanks to the glorious internet, I've read warnings about not sloughing through miles and miles on the bike trainer, or in the pool, or running. But somehow it's also not time for training.

It's kind of left me confused about how I should approach these days. Taking things I've read into consideration, I've also gone back to my own thoughts and knowledge about my own body (and how I handle things) to try to figure out how to handle this Season of Pie. At the same time, I'm trying to figure out how to work from home, not go crazy, and when to train during the day. It's time for experimentation for a while, at least through September perhaps.

Last week I made a schedule, completely color coded and everything. I based it on how I naturally work during the day. I know I'm super uber lucky to be able to do this. Clients still come first, but I can allocate my time how I need. It worked ok, but left me feeling a little scattered. I felt like I was everywhere all day every day.

I like bigger chunks of time to spend on work, and prefer smaller breaks like a meal or a walk to break up the day vs. training. Mostly. I do like a lunch run though.

This week, the experiment will be to make my days less scattered. And, to combat the urge to stay in pajamas and not shower until who knows when, I've decided I'll get up every day and just go to the gym. I had a thought that if I got up in the morning, LEFT THE HOUSE and did something, then came back all dressed and ready to go, I'd feel better. Less lonely, energized, and ready to conquer some helvetica!

So this morning I swam. And I think it has worked out ok.

I've done a triathlon. Now what?

On September 8th, I finished the triathlon I had been training for all summer: Iron Girl Rocky Gap in Cumberland, Maryland. .5 mile swim, 16 mile bike, and 2.5 mile run. It was very very fun, and sealed the deal for me and triathlon hopefully living a long life together, for better or worse.

Here's what my training looked like for those months. Click to see the calendars larger.

May it began. I was hesitant to get in the pool.

June. More consistency and increased swimming yardage.

July. Man I am serious here. Look how few days off there are!

August. I've never been this consistent with any training before in my life.

September doesn't have much to show; I hurt my back and had to scale things back a bit.

In general, I feel I trained pretty well...consistently if nothing else. I really enjoyed it. I looked forward to most workouts and it helped break up my days working by myself. 

Looking back, I think I could have taken more rest. I was worn out a lot when swimming. Definitely my weakest link.

Looking forward...well I'm still working on a base/maintenance training schedule for winter. But the goals and focus for the next few months are this:

1. Lose more weight, get leaner.  Eating healthier is helping this. I feel like I've finally balanced the constantly hungry feeling with the right kind of food to keep me fueled. But damn, I like sweets.
2. Get stronger in general.  I have no upper body or core strength, and, well, swimming takes a lot of that. My swim is pretty slow, so I'd like to make it better.
3. Get stronger on the bike. I watched my legs get bigger and bigger as I trained, but I lack power. The Saturday morning 45 mile ides I've been going on have illustrated that as I creep up every hill. 
4. Figure out how to run faster. It may just be that I'll never be able to run fast. But perhaps if I get all these other things in line, I can see how I can strengthen my run. 

And why? I have to ask myself why I would spend 7 - 10 hours currently on training. Is it my hobby? Am I winning? Is there some ultimate goal?  I think the answer to the why is simply balance. Balance for my health, my day working solo, and the empowerment and happiness my accomplishments (no matter their size or impressiveness) give me.