There’s a pervasive mindset among many endurance athletes that if it’s not building towards a race, then it’s not important. While I’ll be the first to admit that having goals in the form of races/events is a critical part of the process for most athletes, I’ll also offer up the question, “Shouldn’t everything, no matter the season, be building towards your goals?” No matter how far away the next event is, being an athlete is about maintaining and striving for a growth-oriented mindset, not the few months in the build-up to a priority event. By shifting focus and getting out of the habit of thinking that the space between seasons and races isn’t as important you can stand to make substantial gains in both your fitness and longevity as an athlete.
Shift Your Focus
First and foremost this is not simply about a shift in your training plan, this requires a full shift in the way we’ve been wired to think about our goals. Breakaway from the idea that “training” is simply the execution of workouts in the 16-20 weeks before a big event. Being an athlete is about a fully well-rounded experience that involves the physical, physiological, and psychological aspects of each unique individual. The weeks and months between races, especially when training load is decreased, are critical to overall success. This space allows for introspection, reflection, and attention paid to the things that may have slipped through the cracks during race season. This is the time when you can best utilize your support network to ensure you’re checking all of the boxes and refilling your tank so that you can be your best self when it’s time to give 110%. The first step in the right direction begins with thinking about how you approach training and racing. It’s not a polarized experience, but rather one that takes on many different forms as the season’s pass.
Proactive vs. Reactive
I like to describe the race season as a “reactive” time period. It’s an often hectic season that includes bouncing from one race to the next managing travel, rest, recovery, fitness, and fatigue. Once race season begins the training and preparation are largely fueled by the demands of each event, specific goals for that event, the field, and much more. In many ways, the athlete, and coach are just along for the ride working to adapt and adjust in realtime and do everything they can to arrive at each event ready to execute. While this is an exciting time, it’s also not always conducive to individualized work. Everything from the workouts to the race day plan is influenced by factors largely out of the control of the athlete and coach. The seasons between racing are when you actually get a chance to breathe, focus, and refine your skills. These are the times I refer to as being “proactive”. No longer are you being guided by outside influence, and bouncing from one period of recovery to the next. You can finally execute individualized workouts to develop limiters, work on mental and emotional aspects that may have held you back, or integrate ancillary work to refine some of the finer points of your fitness. This is the time when you can really move the needle, and it’s just as important to success as hard race-prep workouts and race day results.
Sweat the Small Stuff
The nature of “the season” is that your focus is nearly 100% on race day execution. That’s fine! However, what this inevitably means is that some things have to take a backseat in order for you to achieve this. These are the things that you should put back into the rotation during these in-between times. Some of the more obvious ones are things like strength training, yoga, stretching, foam rolling, etc. Although, some of the not so obvious ones might be things such as maintaining a positive mindset, recommitting to proper nutrition, proper rest, stress management, motivation, expectations, and much much more. This type of self-care and self-development can often be the difference between burnout and longevity in endurance sports. They’re also the things that are the first to go when race prep begins, and the first race takes place. Give the “small stuff” the attention it deserves and view the times between races as the time when these aspects can finally take the front seat.
Preparing for challenging events is at the core of what drives so many athletes to push themselves and continue to stay motivated season after season. While there’s no denying that race season is important and exciting, it’s also important to see the value in all of the space between. Don’t view your preparation as an on or off scenario, but rather one that shifts and takes different shapes as you move through the various times of the year. They’re all important to your overall success, even if it seems far away from race day.
