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Time off
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Just looking for some quick opinions based off experience. I know I need to take a break since I have been training & racing for the past 2 years with really no true time off. I am no good at taking breaks but I know it is overdue. So, how long do most people take a break from structured/coached training?
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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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I usually take 2 weeks completely off at the end of the season.
I follow this with 6-8 weeks where I do the minimum amount of training but focus on aspect of swin/bike/run "just for fun."
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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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I have started taking 7-10 days of "nothing" (but due to being a poor swimmer, still 'touch' the water 3-4x a week). Then after that it is 2-3 weeks of "as I feel". This is a good off season "reset" and then we go from there. Depending on the year and how long I plan to race, or what the schedule looks like, I will sometimes take 7-10 weeks of "as I feel" in the middle of the season.

-Brad Williams
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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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Every season I have an unstructured period after my last race, usually from mid October to the end of December.

The rule is easy: nothing structured, no targets to hit (distance, intensity, or time), just workout how you feel. Stay in enough shape that you can hit the ground running when structured training starts in January but don't beat yourself up about a missed workout.

I'm still working out every day (sometimes twice), but it allows me to take a step back and enjoy what I do.
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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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I always take 2-3 weeks completely off at the end of the season to let the mind and body completely heal.
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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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Nnhoward wrote:
Just looking for some quick opinions based off experience. I know I need to take a break since I have been training & racing for the past 2 years with really no true time off. I am no good at taking breaks but I know it is overdue. So, how long do most people take a break from structured/coached training?

It takes courage to take time off for many athletes, but have the courage to recognize that rest is sometimes exactly what you need to take another step forward.


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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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Going on 4 years off. I don't recommend it. Used to be 2-3 weeks off then ease back in.

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Re: Time off [Nnhoward] [ In reply to ]
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I've had chronic fatigue symptoms this year after not taking a break for the last 6 years, over which time I completed 16 marathons, 8 Ironmans, and numerous 70.3s.

I'm 2/3 of the way through a 6 month break, now with only minimal workouts per week, and I'm starting to feel a lot better. For good measure, I had an EKG, echocardiogram, and blood work done to rule out any major issues.

I'm definitely planning to take a large block of time completely off every year from this point forward.
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Re: Time off [jpk_phx] [ In reply to ]
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Same as most. I'm in an unstructured period right now. Finished my last big race (70.3) at the end of August. I've been coasting since then at maybe 5-6 hours a week. Running a half marathon at the end of November with no goal time or pace in mind. Just gonna have fun. I'll stick to the same in the winter, get on zwift, etc and ski on the weekends. Will pick things up again in April to get ready for my first race of next season. That will be sometime in June. I do 3-4 TRI's a year max, and live in the Northeast, so that's my deal.

"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
- Napoleon Bonaparte
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