Mastering Your Offseason: Building a Winning Plan!
Did you fully embrace the recovery phase? Excellent! Now, as we enter the offseason, it’s time to get to work. But hold on, this work involves engaging your brain cells, particularly your coach brain cells. We have a crucial and exciting task at hand: reviewing your past season and crafting a game-changing plan for the future. Let’s dive into it together!
Part 1: Reviewing Your Last Season The first masterpiece for a successful new season lies in reviewing your past performance. Reflect on what went wrong and what worked brilliantly. Did fatigue creep in during peak periodization? Perhaps you need to approach specific workouts with a more relaxed mindset. Or maybe you found yourself starting races slowly, indicating the need for a higher threshold to enhance your race pace. Embrace this task with a cup of coffee and your coach by your side, meticulously documenting every detail.
Part 2: Crafting Your Season Plan Now that you’ve analyzed the past, it’s time to move forward and plan your upcoming season. Your season can take various forms in terms of duration, number of races (A, B, C), and workout allocation. Consider the following advice to steer you in the right direction:
1. Prioritize A Races: Avoid the temptation of overloading your calendar with too many A races. Remember, you’re not a professional athlete, and your body needs ample recovery time. Opt to peak for 1 or 2 A races per year, and for more advanced athletes, per semester.
2. Be Realistic: Assess the hours you can realistically dedicate to your workouts each day. Take into account your roles as a parent, professional, student, or any other commitments. Honesty with yourself and your coach will streamline your journey and make it more enjoyable.
3. Choose Wisely: Select races that align with your strengths and preferences. Consider factors such as swimming conditions (river, ocean, bay), your swimming abilities, wetsuit regulations, and the nature of the bike/run course (hilly, flat, technical, windy, hot, cold, rainy).
Armed with these considerations, construct a calendar that embodies your aspirations. Once you’ve accomplished this pivotal task, it’s time to embark on the pre-season with vigor. Focus on strengthening your physical capabilities and honing your skills. But for now, let’s save those details for another time.
Stay tuned for future insights, more training tips, and exciting updates. Until then, happy planning, and we’ll catch up with you soon!
#OffseasonPlanning #SeasonGoals #RaceSelection #Reflection #Preparation #StayTuned
Coach Leo