Oh, the "Off Season" Part II

Part I of The "Off Season" was about the type of workouts that are done this time of year. Now, I'll talk about the Mental Game of actually doing the workouts! Planning races, reviewing the last season, and hanging out with family keeps motivation up. It really does. But staying motivated to complete the arduous task of long workouts with no discernible race in sight, cold weather, and lack of sunlight hours, requires a strong mind.

Someone once said to me, "Yeah, well it's easy for YOU." I was shocked. Really. In fact, I still gasp when I hear those words in my head. As if there is some special brand of person that WANTS to get up at 5:00 a.m., put on a swimming suit in freezing weather, only to be yelled at from the deck; "OK, go. OK, go," every time you hit the wall. And then, put sweats on over the wet swim suit (because I still haven't learned that this is not a good way to leave the Rec center in 20 degree temps). Literally freezing, I walk out to the car and SCRAPE THE SNOW OFF THE WINDOWS WITH MY KICK BOARD! I take it personally every time. The injustice of it all when everyone else is sleeping!

This is my trusty snow scraper

Then, I drive to the next gym, stick my bike on the indoor trainer, stare at a wall for hours and hours until it finally comes to an end and I go home to eat real food. Are you kidding me?

Note: I do enjoy the lifestyle, even during the winter. Honest. But, it isn't always easy. This is to let you know triathletes are human and we like warmth, donuts, and hot chocolate as much as the next person. But we also like to train.

This is the wall I stare at for hours on my indoor bike trainer

By turning my head slightly, I can stare at a different wall, as seen above

Well, news flash here. I don't think I'm alone when I say this is a difficult time for even the most hardened, soul-less triathlete out there. A) It's hard to convince yourself to do this and B) It's hard to convince yourself that it will make a difference in the long run!

Talk yourself into walking out the door:
This is a frequent conversation in my head--

Self 1: Go do your workout.
Self 2: It's cold/wet/freezing, snowing, raining/hailing, icy...
Self 1: Go do your workout.
Self 2: No.
Self 1: Do it.
Self 2: Nope.
Self 1: I'll let you have a cookie.
Self 2: Hmmmmm.
Self 1: You don't have to do all of the workout. I know it's long...
Self 2: OK

Self 2 falls for this every time even though I've never been rewarded with a cookie and I can't remember the last time Self 1 let the workout be cut short. Well, maybe once or twice in the last "I can't remember how many years". But anyway, Self 2 is gullible and doesn't learn from experience.

Talk yourself into doing the whole workout or the actual assigned workout:

Since I love math and logic, I'll insert a scientific fact here.

*1 hour in the pool feels like ---1 hour in the pool
*2 hours on the bike outside feels like--- 1 hour on the bike.
*2 hours on the indoor bike trainer feels like ---2 hours on the bike.
*2 hours running outside feels like ---2 hours of running.
*2 hours on the treadmill feels like ---FOREVER!

This is the treadmill I spend FOREVER running on.

There are times when I want to do 3 sets instead of 4. Sometimes I want to do 8 reps instead of 10. Does it really matter? Really? So Coach is totally crazy. She's actually not. Not completely, anyway. It just helps when I think of her like that. (Once she sent my workouts with the statement, "Insert maniacal laugh here.") Coach gives me workouts of 93 minutes. Or 99 minutes. Who does that? Whether she knows it or not, this is good for me. It makes me accountable for every minute. I figure that if she extends a workout from a "normal" time like 1:30 to 1:33(!) those 3 minutes MUST be important. Or they wouldn't be there. I'm kind of "Monk-ish" about things like that. So I don't cut any workouts short. Those 3 or 9 minutes dangle out there in a very unfinished fashion. They wouldn't be there if they weren't important.

After a year of swimming by myself, I swam with some friends. They were amazed at how strong I had become. One friend tried to do my workout which was timed 20x100m's. After 8, she declared, "I've got to do this workout with you every week. That's got to be what made you stronger." I thought about it for approximately 2 seconds. Nope. Pretty sure that workout isn't the "magical" workout. So which one was it? Could it be all the push-ups? Maybe it was all the rhomboid flies? The sit-ups? The miles of swimming in the pool over the year? Do you get it? There isn't a magical workout. I think it truly is about consistency. So, rather than chance it, I talk myself into the additional odd 3 minutes.

However, I have to admit that I don't stop at 99 minutes. I CAN'T. So I just do an extra 1 minute, hit 1:40 on the clock, and let my Monk-ish tendency rule. And hope I don't over-train.

Finally, the most important mental hint I can give. I tend to over-think things. Shocker, I know. This is not news to Coach, who says I ask too many questions (sorry) or my closest associates inside and outside of triathlon. So, I attended a clinic by a fantastic, local Sports Psychologist. (I probably should see him one-on-one weekly for about a year, but that's beside the point!) Anyway, out of the many fabulous, wonderful things I have learned, I've only retained one. And it has served me well through many off-seasons and many races. It's actually my "Mantra". It's lame during the middle of a race, but the brain thinks what it wants when the body is over-loaded with caffeine, quick sugar and too many miles....

Ok. Here it is: Focus on the Process. Not the Results. Brilliant, right? During this cold, icy, bleh time of year, when faced with countless hours staring at the walls on your bike or treadmill, just focus on the process.

The Process is a beautiful thing. It just is. Nothing to judge or evaluate. I go into a rote-like state. I stop over-thinking and just swim, bike, run.

The Technical part of the "Off Season" is the best, but more about that soon!

Oh, the "Off Season"! Part I

Is there an "Off Season" in triathlon? It appears my coach has never heard of such a thing. I've only had one day "off" in over a year. (Besides the built-in necessary recovery days). That was Christmas Day. Not even a day off after racing! Kind of like being a mom. You can't just not be a parent even for a day. Guess you can't not be a triathlete, either! For example, each month I get a schedule that includes a weekly "brick" workout. A "brick" is when you combine a bike workout with a run afterwards. There is enough time between the two events to simply slurp down a gel, get a drink, and change shoes. Most triathletes I know don't "brick" on race weeks, but yes, even then, I have one of these crazy workouts before a race. No kidding. If you are talking consistency, you have met my coach. But, in my mind, I pretend I get an "Off Season" so I don't burn out. That's why I am writing this blog about this time of year. It probably isn't "Off", but I call it that. It makes me feel better.

The physical aspect of Training during the "Off Season" (Sounds contradictory, doesn't it, but just go with it, please...)

First, a lot of sleep seems to be required. I'm still trying to figure out why, but that's the way it is. So, sleep whenever you can. Guilt sometimes envelopes me like a very large, warm quilt, but it can't be helped. I tend to fall asleep under a cover of guilt quite often because I should be doing something else, but I'm just too tired. Don't fight it. If you need more sleep, succumb.

Food is another concern during this time, also. What to eat before a workout (that won't upset my stomach and gives me energy), what to eat during a hard workout (that won't upset my stomach and gives me energy), what to eat directly after my workout (that won't upset my stomach and replaces my energy), and what to eat the rest of the day that doesn't require too much preparation (because it takes too much energy). I think you get the drift here. Shopping, planning, and preparing meals is more difficult than it sounds.

Today, as I was walking out the door, for yet another long "brick", this is what I wanted to take for my ride and run...

This is what I chose instead...

If you are wondering why I have a pile of candy in my house, it was Halloween, remember? And my husband bought WAY TO MUCH, thank you.

Next, my "Off Season" has a lot of strength work in it. Ouch. I've never enjoyed strength workouts. I just do it because I'm like that. It's on the schedule. This time of year it's lots of leg stuff. Built on already tired legs.

Legs already tired because there seems to be a lot of base work. Long rides. Long runs. Swims not as long as they used to be, so no complaining there!

Workouts each seem to include a large block of something else Joel Friel would approve of: skill and drill work. I do a lot of swimming drills. They are very enjoyable. Drills break up long swim sessions and put my brain into gear. With a good warm up, heavy drill set, followed by a main set and cool down, poof! You're done with the swim before you know it and you covered lots of distance. Or at least the same 50 meters over and and over again!

I also include bike drills before a ride. And there are run drills before a run. These are great fun! (NO, that is NOT sarcastic.) What makes the run drills fun is the whole experience. Many times I do these in a parking lot at a trail head before my trail run. People come and go. The Fed Ex guy comes quite often. He parks and looks over the valley. That's really what most people do when they drive up there. I wonder if he is ahead of schedule. I wonder if he thinks I look weird doing these weird-looking drills. Another guy comes almost every day. Since I live in a small town, we will not mention specifics. (Sometimes I pretend my town is like a quaint little town in an Agatha Cristie novel.) Back on subject: this guy smokes a really awesome smelling pipe. I wonder what he thinks. About health (his, mostly, as he smokes). I wonder if he wonders if he could do the drills. Mostly, I wonder if he thinks I look weird.

On rainy days, I run a different trail. It goes through the community, behind homes. As I do the running drills, back and forth past the houses, next to the school yard, or across from a large farm, I watch the guy on his tractor, or the people working on their homes. I wonder what they are thinking, too. It's entertaining! Back and forth I go. Lots of miles for very little distance. It's like swimming in the pool, really.

I'm pretty sure not everyone's "Off Seasons" are like mine. But, this is becoming quite a habit. I enjoy the steady, consistent workouts. The physical aspect of working through the "Off Season" is fairly easy. The mental aspect of hanging in there is another story altogether.

Going Extreme! A Shout out to Other Sports

Endurance Athletes love Extremes: setting records, going longer, and testing limits seems to be in our very DNA. We cheer for and are fascinated by other athletes that accomplish great feats. But this attitude is not limited to endurance athletes who love to test themselves.

Extremes in sports give us hope. It empowers us with belief in ourselves. It encourages us to cheer for and respect others. Maybe that's the main benefit of sport in our world.

Movies are based on the underdog coming from behind to win, or people that run marathons, do Ironmans, surf, swim, mountain bike (the list is endless)... after severe body traumas or under extreme emotional/situational hardships. Is it because most people, not just athletes, have a deep desire to be validated? If someone can do something so remarkable in sport, then maybe we can do "X".

I live in extremes and love it here! My fascination centers around two sports other than Ironman. These sports are Beach Volleyball and FIS World Cup Skiing.

First, Beach Volleyball is a very simple sport. The rule list seems short compared to other sports. Don't let the ball hit the ground on your side and try to make it hit the ground on the opponent's side. There are other rules, of course such as don't interfere under the net and you can't "lift" the ball. But volleyball players themselves are extremely fascinating to me. They "lay it down" on EVERY play. Beach Volleyball players are some of the most athletic people I have ever watched. Strength. Wow. If one opponent accidentally hits another in the face, grown men cry. Or they try really, really hard not to on camera. They can jump. High. Many times. Reaction times? Lets not even go there! Digging a ball traveling at 150 mph at your face? Talk about extreme. Quickness? Without a doubt. If I dove for some of those balls like they do, I wouldn't be getting up for AT LEAST 30 minutes. They are back up and hitting the next ball (with accuracy I might add) in 30/100 of a second. Who DOES that? And we won't even go to self confidence. To play like that in that gear on international cameras? Again, WOW!

If you haven't watched Beach Volleyball, I recommend it. The USA has incredible women and men teams. I won't mention names, but I have a few favorites!

The next sport is FIS Skiing. A few years ago I knew very little about this sport. I didn't know the difference between down hill, slalom and giant slalom. However, another easy sport. Stay on course and go faster than anyone else. These races are like swimming. Winners and 20th place are determined by sometimes about one second. Ted Liggety did the opening race a couple of weeks ago in Solden and "blew away the field"; winning with an incredible .79 of a second. My nerves could never handle losing by less than a blink of an eye. It isn't unusual at all for second place to be .02 behind the winner. Hence, Liggety's impressive win by about 3/4 a second.

FIS Skiiers go fast. That isn't new news. But have you thought of the power and strength it would take to hold a tuck for 2 minutes while fighting against wind, speed, gravity, and the strength to make the turns? Once my kids and I tried to hold the tuck for an entire race until the skier on tv crossed the finish line. One of the hardest things we've done and we weren't turning around gates and holding our bodies against wind, pure speed, and gravity of a very steep hill.

I am fascinated by all FIS skiers. Of course, the USA has a great team, but my fascination is not limited to the USA. I follow skiers from so many other countries, it would be impossible to name them. Skiers rebound after multiple knee injuries. It's like they have a revolving door from the slopes to the operating room and back to the weight room.

Skiers are extreme. If you don't know anything about Lindsay Vonn, you should. And this year, I'm giving a huge shout-out to USA's Mikaeala Shiffrin.

As endurance athletes, we should be able to appreciate the hard work and discipline for other sports. Some of their races are literally 2 minutes or shorter. We try to finish in under 17 hours. Those are two extremes. However, we can respect and admire hard work, discipline, dedication and athleticism in many forms. If we expose our kids to every day "heroes" that work hard and dare to dream, maybe they too can believe they can accomplish extremely great things.

Go Extreme. Believe in yourself.  Cheer for others and respect others' efforts. Set your goals high and ENJOY THE RIDE!