Love me a good off season. A time to reflect on how things went in the previous build, what went well, what could be improved, and a time to shut the mind off.
After Edmonton (my most recent anti-climactic marathon) I questioned how my training contributed to my results. The truth was I have no problem with consistency or dedication. I have the time to train & no excuses as to why I can’t run or more so that I look forward to my runs. My hydration & nutrition suppports my training (been working hard on that the past few years). But what did drop off the map was STRENGTH - I ran my best marathon putting an honest 2-3 days in the gym. However this past build I lied to myself thinking 1 day would be efficient and somehow found everything else to do instead of get my butt to the gym. What I also noticed was how monotonous running became when that was all I started to focus on, which seemed to lead me into what felt like a bit of burn out where after Edmonton I was not in a rush to get back to running but could not wait to get back to moving my body like an athlete.
My first workout back was joining an aquafit class with my mom, as soon as I got home I joined the gym - I felt excited to nerd out & program 3 days a week of pure strength workouts, I’ve been hitting up spin classes again as well as prioritizing getting to a yoga studio I enjoy, I even took a vacation where I ran when & how I felt like it.
For the past 2 months running has been secondary, I feel like a well rounded athlete again and more fit than I felt going into my last marathon. Through prioritizing what feels fun right now has translated into happy running where I feel strong, balanced and able to take on my speed work as a challnge of strength & power vs a mindset of trying to hit a certain pace.
Long story short - just because you set big running goals doesn’t mean you can keep the fun in your training. Try to find the imbalances and use your off season to address them. AND talk to your coach about how to incorporate these ideas into your program.
Peace & Love ✌️
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