Take A Break: The Off-Season

The off-season. It’s a sliver of time in most athletes’ calendars that is either dreaded or eagerly looked forward to. Regardless of your relationship to it, this 2-3 time is vital to your training, health, and growth as an athlete.

As many years as I’ve done this, I understand how it can be a daunting time. For 48+ weeks you’ve been on the bike and had a training goal. Now you’re forced to step off of it and recalibrate. Do not view it as a step in the wrong direction, view it as making room for the growth to come.

One analogy I like to use involves a buoy, like in a lake or ocean. Imagine how it pops up and down in the water. The greater the pull into the water, the greater the pressure it has to rebound out of it. Rest = the depth you allow your body (buoy) to go underwater. This makes your potential to “pop” the next year even greater.

This time off is essential for being able to build on the work that you have done in the previous season and seasons.  For multiple reasons:

1. Mental sharpness: The mind takes a toll, just like the body. You need time to widen your lenses and look at a bigger picture, peel back from a singular focus, and build room to push hard when you have to the next season.
2. Physical stress: The same goes for physical, of course. The little rest weeks and breaks through a year help but don’t allow your body to recover and return to a balanced state fully. There’s a lot of nervous system wear and tear, whether you know it or not.
3. Injury prevention: As we push on and our body fatigues or we fail to keep the ancillary strength work up, injury or overuse issues can arise.
4. Rebuilding the relationship: Lastly, it’s also about rekindling your relationship with what you are doing. The training is hard, the racing is hard, and it’s going to stay that way. So, why do you do what you do? Use this time to love just riding the bike, the opportunities that come from it, and the discipline it provides you.