Do what you enjoy. If you like to Swim, Bike or Run do a little of that. If you have something else to do, do that.

Personally I'm working on my run after taking 2 weeks off from my last race. I eased into the run and only rode my MTB for fun.

I dont think your coach means sit still, but more that you should do what you feel like.
go for a jog not an interval run, use some time with your family, and a good time to focus some strength/core workout maybe around areas you have been injured during the year.

Thanks that’s a relief. He said chill and we will talk in a few weeks.

Cool I will do some yoga and strength.

Any other ideas welcome

Before kids I would generally try to do a swim focus, but that's not happening, as getting to the pool is hard. I've swam twice since early September!

Recently, I've done a run focused winter - did a marathon this past February to BQ. This fall and start of winter I've done a bunch of Zwift racing - maybe 3-4 hours a week of biking with two races. I've raised my FTP by around 12 watts doing this while also running 40-50 mpw. I don't do really well by drastically cutting my training. For me 9-11 hours a week is 'off-season' training. In February I'll begin building the training volume for a June IM.

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Lots of longer distance hiking is fun. Good social activity. Can do in most weather. Surprisingly good workout, especially with vertical and 10+ mile efforts

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Randy Christofferson(http://www.rcmioga.blogspot.com

Insert Doubt. Erase Hope. Crush Dreams.

This for sure. Wake and think "What do I feel like doing today?" and do that. Do something to stay active, but make it something you enjoy.

Thanks everyone. Nice to know I can do some workouts. I’ll focus on things I don’t do in the season

Your coach is wrong!!!!

THIS IS THE SEASON!

Wins in July are builit in January. I suggest the coach be promptly trashed! If you want to train well in January, you have to train to train NOW. Lancewhile controversial for other reasons had this part right,

While Jan and Pantani were getting fat in December, Lance was already ramping up in December (juiced or not)

Maybe he's wrong, but you really don't have enough information to know. There is the odd person who can sustain a true 52 week per year training schedule without getting sick, burnt out, or injured, but most of is benefit from some downtime. We also aren't pros, we have real life and real responsibilities, and the holidays is an insane time for most of us anyway. In our house, Christmas season started on Dec 1 this year, with getting our trees and my wife's office party. (and our youngest had her second birthday on the 1st as well). We have at least one party, sometimes 2 or 3, every weekend from now until Jan 2nd. Plus, we've all been sick for 2 weeks with the cold from hell.

Training is WAY down the list of priorities. I have training on the schedule, but if It gets done, great, if not, no big deal. In January, when things settle settle down, it'll be time to get back to work.

(p.s, as far as Lance goes, the PED's really help when it comes to training year round).

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

I think it depends on your goals. Being new to this stuff, you've got to be honest with yourself. Are you wanting to be FOP? If you are, and your coach knows that, I'd take 2 weeks off and concentrate on finding a new coach! Then I'd get back to work as FOP fitness is built in the "off season". If your goal is to simply enjoy the lifestyle and being a part of the scene, take the time off to be a normal person. But don't be surprised at how big a hit your fitness takes with 5 weeks off. It will be substantial. Good luck.

I personally think 5 weeks is too long. You should be off for 2-3 weeks, then start working foundational exercises, skills, etc. Meanwhile, I've been off 4 weeks due to surgery. The last two weeks I was allowed to walk so power walked 24 miles the first week, then 30 miles last week. I'm allowed to come back slowly this week so I intend to run and bike at Z1-Z2 pace. I can't do any intensity until January so I'll start ramping the volume this month.

looks like David McNamee took about 6 weeks off.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

are you still paying your coach for those 5 weeks? My "offseason" with my coach has more strength training focus to it. There is still some biking. Running and swimming will slowly get added back in the mix. I have more "fun days" added to my schedule where I get to bike or run at whatever time, distance, intensity I want. My offseason volume just gets reduced a bit and gives my body a bit of a recovery and my mind gets a breaks from the constant focus.

In my opinion, the longer you've been competing and the harder you've been training, the more time off you need. The people calling for you coach to be fired based on the little bit of info you provided are out of line, in my opinion.

For me, it takes about 6-8 weeks of training to get near my peak power for a season. I take the month of November pretty easy and only do the training that sounds fun each day. I try to stay off the road bike as much as possible during that time. I usually start training again in December, and racing late January/early feb. Typically my highest NP race of the year is early February, after only about 8 weeks of training. By June, I'm so burnt out and mentally exhausted that I need to take another break for a few weeks. By June, my power numbers are in the tank.

So, to the person saying that winners in July are the ones working hard in December -- that might be true for you, but it isn't the case for everyone. For the first few seasons, year-round training might be sustainable, but after over a decade of this i know that it doesn't work for me.

With that said, if he really did mean 5 weeks completely off from training, that sounds like an awful long time to me. If it is just 5 weeks off from having a training plan but you are still encouraged to do yoga, hike, lift weights, and occasionally SBR, that sounds just right to me. It's enough time for the mental break of having structure each day, but not so long that you are going to be hosed for next season.

I really don't think pros are a good reference for age groupers when it comes to off-season. I doubt age groupers reach anywhere near as deep into the well as pros whose livelihood depends on their performance. And I also have a nagging doubt that McNamee was flat on his back for those six weeks.

One other qualifier that I think is hugely important is an individual's age. The older you are, the more difficult it is to come back from a lay-off. There's a huge difference in how long your off season should be between your 30s and your 60s. If a younger athlete can regain fitness in a 2 to 1 time ratio (two weeks for each one off), I would guess that extends out to 3 or 4 to 1 for seniors.

These types of posts always confuse me. "I have a professional who I pay a good sum of money to. He/She has given me some advice that I'm unsure of. What do you guys (who I don't know, and can't know enough about to trust, and don't know me enough to advise) think?"

Did you ask your coach? did you express any concerns to him/her? If so, what did they say?

Me personally? I took a week off-completely. Then I ran a bit for another week. Then I swam a couple times, road my bike, and ran a bit more. Then on November 1st I started a 4 month swim focus. Run volume is half of my season peak. Bike, is about 1/4th. Most of my energy is going into the swim.

My goal during this swim focus is to get faster on the swim (duh!), and NOT get slower on the run, and bike once a week-ish. Ok...its really 3 months of focus, and 1 month of decreasing swim-emphasis as I starting bringing the bike and run back online.

So, that was 1 week totally-off, and 2 weeks of unstructured training. Not 3 weeks of nothing.

But, I don't know you, your strengths/weaknesses, your fitness, your injury history, your racing schedule, etc....or your goals.

of course they aren't a good reference. I said as much earlier in the thread when Dev brought up Lance training hard in December while Marco and Jan were getting fat.

Does the coach get results? Yes? then trust your coach, that's why you are paying him/her. Your coach is invested in your improvement, if you aren't seeing improvement / results then it's bad business for them.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

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

Lately I've been spending 6-8 weeks downhill skiing. It may not be adequate aerobic training but the bike leg strength helps going into ski season and when it's time to go back to FL the legs don't need that much work. Upper body is a different issue - it takes a while to build back up.

When I'm skiing though it's always full on. I'm out there bell to bell if I can stand it. I got into it late in life and it's a huge challenge to improve but so much fun.

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"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders

Best piece I've seen on the offseason:

https://alancouzens.com/blog/off_season.html

CrossFit

not better way to let your body recover from a long season of triathlon than to do crossfit. /pink

I started skiing at 5 years old---big mogul skier. I had a season pass to A-Basin in Colorado the last two years we lived there (2002/3), had my best cycling seasons following the winter "off-season". My thighs were glad for the "break" that cycling brought versus the real work that is skiing moguls.

7 hours of all-out skiing is a better workout that you may think. Especially, if you can manage a lower traffic resort like A-basin---which is really a locals only place, so there aren't any lines to speak of. Mogul skiing is pretty damn good for the core and stabilizers.

5 weeks truly off seems a bit much. In my de-load/break periods I was always told to train(simple sbr) no more than 2 days in a row before taking a day off and to keep sessions fun and easy, no longer than 45 minutes. Duration was 1.5-2 weeks at a stretch (depending on time of year) maybe 2-3 times a year. Each was followed with legit build periods.

Basically rest up, enjoy the break, have fun on your bike or local trails and be ready to focus in a couple weeks.

Drink.

But seriously (ish) just do whatever you want in those 5 weeks, if you enjoy a nice trail run or an easy cruising bike ride or an easy few laps in the pool then go for it. If none of those appeal to you, then you shouldn't be doing triathlon.

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
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