Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Prepping For The Off Season

Empty beaches again, at least during the week.
I know I shouldn't be focusing on the off season too much yet, being that October 10th's Orange County Olympic Triathlon is an "A" race.  It's not that I've taken my foot off the gas.  After racing Sunday I was back on the bike and in the pool on Monday.  And then I ran today.

So let's just say that I'm getting ready for the off season in abesntia.  I'm excited it's coming, I just can't go there yet.

My plan will be to take a break in October.  My body needs it, and I'm going to get kicked out of the house if I don't finish the living room remodel.  And then it's a late fall and early winter of running and swimming, with a weekly group ride thrown in for fun.

My eagerness to work on my swimming has been enhanced this by the addition of this puppy to the equipment arsenal:

Tyr Pull Buoy

Buying the pull buoy may be the best $7.00 I've ever spent.  My coach took a video of me swimming and I was horrified by what I saw.  My body was moving side to side like a water moccasin and every time I turned to breath my head was coming WAY out of the water.  I had no idea.

Then I tried the pull buoy.  Keeping that thing between my legs forces me to use my core more and keeps my body better aligned.  And now that I've seen what my head is doing, I am super conscious about NOT using my leading arm to push my head out of the water before I start my pull.  And I'm also focused on using body roll as much as possible to come out for air.  I wouldn't call it a breakthrough just yet, but it may be the start of one.  There is no doubt that I'll be using the buoy for thousands of yards in the next few months.

Dana Point Turkey Trot Start
Running is the other priority for me.  I want to get a half marathon under my belt before I start to ramp up training for The Ironman 70.3 Hawaii.  So I'll be doing the Surf City Half Marathon on Superbowl Sunday along with a few other races along the way.  One of my favorites is the Dana Point Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.  I did it last year and it was a complete blast.  It's a super crowded race for sure, but it also has the spirit of a big group run with thousands of your best friends.



In February Hawaii training starts in earnest.  The race is June 4th, so I'll have to start a training plan right after the Surf City Half Marathon.  There's also a couple of cool local sprint races in the spring that I'll do as part of training.

What do you you guys have planned?

12 comments:

Jennifer said...

Sounds like some real honest goals. Good that you get a break in October. Last break I took I went crazy. They are hard for me. I have my full marathon in mid December, sometime before that I'll get in a half for training. The big mama is in march when I go for my first 50K. I am already scared. I won't really get a break after the full mary, just a week or so, basically I'll just keep on running and increase the miles more. Have a great hump day.

Unknown said...

I love pull bouys. Good purchase.

After my half marathon on Sunday, it is supposed to be my off season, but I keep getting introduced to a few 10Ks to run in the fall, so I'll probably do those.Haven't decided if I'm gonna go for a 70.3 next year or not...

KovasP said...

More like in dementia. If you get kicked out of the house, you can snuggle on our couch with the dogs.

Johann said...

You certainly have a good plan for the months ahead. I've got a 5okm circuit race in October and a trail marathon in November with about 5 smaller races between those. January the buildup for Comrades (29 May) starts.

Unknown said...

Good plan with the swimming and running. I use a pull buoy with hand paddles religiously - sounds like you might be over-rotating? Do you swim using Total Immersion? Anyway, not sure if I shared this link with you before: http://www.swimsmooth.com/ -- download the desktop app and check out all the different angles. Compare it to what you saw on your own video and this will help you visualize how it is supposed to look.

My plans for the offseason are training, unfortunately. After my Nov 7th HIM I am going to take 4 weeks of just maintenance and then begin full on Ironman training on Dec 6th, this is exactly 24-weeks away from the May 21st, which is IMTX. Luckily I have an a solid base right now so the hard part for me is going to be able to stay motivated mentally through the winter.

Lindsay said...

An off season that actually includes some time off! You are the smartest athlete I know, lol. I am bad about not being realistic and pushing myself over the edge...

Emz said...

love the plans in your future.

And BTW - McD's is waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than BK. Fake meat wins over flame broiled ALL DAY - EVERY DAY.

valen said...

Pull buoys are great training companions, and do a lot for your core.
I'm afraid my off season has just been so I'm off to the races for the next six months

Ransick said...

My offseason starts after my half marathon October 3rd. I'm working on getting a swim coach to improve my form and I'm thinking about doing JorgeM's winter cycling plan on beginnertriathlete.com. Oh, and a friend and I are trying to decide which HIM to do next year for our first. We live near St. Louis and want to do an early season one. Options so far are New Orleans in April or Knoxville Rev3 in May or Kansas in June. Any suggestions?

misszippy said...

It's good to think about the off-season and look forward to it. Everyone needs that break--otherwise, burnout, overtraining, and other horrors!

Barbie said...

Someone is going to be busy :) And yes having some time off before you get cracking on your off season training is very important - it will also give you much needed time to finish the remodel before you become homeless ;)

Glenn Jones said...

I'll see you in Dana Point, but I'm passing on Surf City this year...

And way to take some time off. I should have done it before I burned out earlier his year.

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