Coaches Corner – What comes next?

I have probably been meaning to write this article for a couple of weeks now, as the nights get darker mornings colder and weather tougher naturally our mind-sets shift, motivation goes and we start to look back as much as we look forward.

For most we are slowly fading into the “off season” a time of year people step away from conventional training and racing to rest, recover and take a step back. I have often found this time of year interesting, the differences in how athletes and coaches treat it and also how confusing some try and make it!

I’ll be honest my approach and philosophy has changed over the years. As an athlete and now as a coach this time of year has felt different depending on how the season has gone, the next goals and what comes next. I would say up until the last few years I have relentlessly pushed through this time of year, not taking time to rest or sit back and assess what is next. I’ve got caught up in the accumulation of training and not wanting to stop and press pause.

There are many reasons for this but deep down it possibly comes from the fear of stopping and actually thinking what comes next? Often as athletes and coaches we find ourselves on a conveyor belt and when this slows down or stops it is hard to readjust and start it once again.

However as I mentioned my philosophy has changed and I’ve been able to stop the belt and look at things with a wider view. By this point in the year we have spent weeks and months pushing our bodies and minds to new places. Training volume has accumulated fitness has dropped and risen, races have had highs and lows and naturally our body begins to ask when it will stop?

But the other thoughts creep in, what if I stop? What fitness do I lose? How long will it take me to build it all back? The simple answer to all of this? Relax.

Now you can probably go and find 10+ articles on how to exactly treat the off season. What training to do, what not to do, how many days to have off and when you should return. My advice would be to ignore all of this. This time of year and period should be and is individual. It is about how you feel, where your head and body is at and what it needs. As a coach I would usually advise two weeks of “choice” but this changes for every individual. Some need more stimulation, some need more rest others just go off grid.

The simple fact is everyone has had a different year and paced this with different intensity. Whilst some will be reading this burnt out others will be fired up for next year. You need to be honest with yourself and take stock from there. Don’t follow what the crowd may be doing or the person next to you but listen to yourself.

On a personal level I like to use this time to explore new boundaries or challenges that I wouldn’t normally have the time or space for. I like to think that the more you do the more you learn. For me this was a 61km run on my Birthday, a somewhat random endeavour with the help of a good friend. Whilst some would see this as crazy in the off season for me this is exactly what this time of year is about, fancy a challenge? Go for it. Want to find a new limit try it? Enjoy this period between goals, seasons and phases. Don’t feel guilty if you want to take a step back and relax, but if you want to keep going and chip away do it but remember it’s a long road ahead.