Chips, beer, repeat.

Why not?

I have plenty f days that I don’t want to swim, bike, or run. Should I just quit?

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Individual days sure, but I meant more in the whole of the 5 weeks/off-season. If someone would never swim, bike or run for the sheer joy of it when not in a training cycle, why do triathlon?

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
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Eat

Because you want to do something else, maybe?

Back in my college swimming days, my off season went from March-June, then back in the water for the summer, with another short (1-2 weeks) break at the beginning of September. In 5 years of university (I switched majors, turning a 4 year degree into 5) I can count on one hand the number of times I got in the pool during the break. Should I have not been a swimmer?

What's wrong with just enjoying it while you do it, then taking a short break from it and enjoying something else.

edit - it was actually a bit of a motivator, knowing that in a few more weeks of hard training we'd hit the championship meet, swim fast there, then we'd get a break from the pool and I could go ride my bike for a while.

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I don't really have an off season. Since my last tri of the season (Waco), I've raced a half marathon, and 5K, and a 10 miler, and getting ready for a New Years Day half marathon. I've won my age group at them, so I'm not sandbagging them. I'm also doing a lot of long easy bike and swim miles for a winter base. In fact I just got home from a 5 mile pool swim. I agree with whoever said that July wins, are made in the winter.

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Went to yoga class with my wife. Tough and is no joke, that yoga.

Yep, Drink.

And a little light running, ride to the pub, hit the weights occasionally, some laps in the pool over the holidays [my local pool changes the water in december].

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res, non verba

What are your other movement options? Alpine or Nordic skiing? Snowshoe? Hiking? Broomball? Circuit training? Do a few sessions of unstructured s/b/or run per week (total-combined) and stay moving doing other things you feel motivated to do.

Thanks. That is worrisome

If you stay lightly active, you'll actually retain the vast majority of your fitness. This also depends on when your goal races are. If you're shooting for races in march-may, then you should probably be training in december. If you're going for later in the season better to start training later

Probably should have said just finished A half distance race Sunday and am going to be skiing from 20 dec to 4 Jan

Of course will consult with the coach and I’m sure he doesn’t mean do nothing just thought I’d get a view on the board

The comments were helpful. There’s no way I would be sitting around doing nothing since I’d be miserable.

Thanks again

Very helpful thanks. Big race for me is IM Canada and I have an alps Sportif in June

Lots of short distance running races in feb/mar and a one marathon

I will definitely be active

Well, what kind of CTL are we talking? A pro endurance athlete? A BOP once a year 1/2 IM participant?

Really depends on that chronic load and/or how many times a yeat you buried it pretty negative in the TSB to get ready for something.

I’d assume that’s what that is based on.

Walk, hike, gym, yoga, relaxed run/bike, whatever. Make it fun instead of workout focused. Do the local brewery 5k run or bike ride (drink afterwards, not before). Do equipment cleaning and maintenance.

I’m gonna go a little against the grain and say that one of the biggest things you can do if you want some longevity in the sport is to earn some brownie points with your SO. My wife doesn’t mind me doing the events I do because I make sure that she knows that she and the kids, are more important. The events are my little break to allow me to be a better husband and father.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Sounds very sensible.

Looking to do two 70.3 and one 140.6 plus some marathons a 7 day alps sportif and then shorter B races

I do the stuff I enjoy and that gets ignored during the summer. I build strength using ;ight weight lifting, Plyometrics (spelling), speed skating and hopefully some bump skiing. A power-flow yoga class adds flexibility and strength. I find that building strength with these different activities transfers to riding better than a pure weight training session. I also find that strength training during the season doesn't really work well.

Rides are either what I can cram in outside or just tempo work on the trainer. A typical trainer ride is 2x20 at Tempo or maybe sweat spot. The occasional 3x5 at 105-110% of FTP just so I remember how much those suck.

I find that I can be pretty cooked by the end of the season and some of my better 5-20 minute power output occurs early in the season. I probably need more of a structured set of breaks, but life tends to get in the way.

Run and swim focus.

Pick up the bike again in February or so.

Solo basketball, yo. Shoot ball. When you miss a shot don't let the ball bounce more than twice. Shoot from where you get it. Repeat.

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I've got myself 1 month of mostly easy stuff after a late fall marathon and now for the first 3 months are mostly strength and intensity. I'll try to do reverse periodization this season.

So far it's not going too well. Muscles are ready, but recovery time after hard workouts is too long. FTP and CSS tests showed a very small drop, but on days after the tests I felt like stopping all this s/b/r nonsense and switching back to alcoholism. :)

I'll try to carefully monitor the situation and only ramp up the volume when I'm ready.

This year I started playing Racquetball one day a week. Always liked it, but been about 10 years since I played. It is a pretty good workout for your core, and all the little stability muscles that many of us I am sure neglect.

Other than that I try to just keep doing things. Swim backs down to 1-2x a week instead of 3, but that is due to pool accessibility issue, not because I want to.

After my end of year race I usually take 2 weeks off.

This year due to a bike wreck I took about 2 month off, and I definitely would not suggest it, but everybody is different. I would think if you and your coach converse properly he would know what would work best for you.

I still train, but a max of 1 hour a day. Winter isn’t that harsh in Australia so there’s not mich reason for an off season, last race is normally in May and first race in September.

There's an off season? :P

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- John
"Have courage, and be kind."

Try not to get so fat that I can't work it off before the spring race season. The 'training' looks like baseline stuff during the race year. Running and biking, working on speed/intervals (running) and muscular endurance (cycling). Mostly, as a previous poster offered - 'there is an off season'?

Mountain biking. I absolutely fell in love with it a little over a year ago. I suck (technical skills > fitness in this domain) but I'm progressing and, in a weird way, I look forward to the offseason now.