Off Season Countdown

After tomorrow it will be officially off season time so I figured I would share with you what I like to do in the off season for training.
First things first - take a week off. At the end of the season I always promise to do some "active recovery" but I am usually pretty smashed after the last race so I take a complete break from training for about a week. Then, for some reason, I always end up jumping into a local run race for "fun". Last year it was a 15 miler at 9000ft altitude, not a smart choice. I think it hurt way more than world champs did. But it is a fun way to blow the cobwebs out after a week of eating and drinking and sitting on the couch.
I love to do run races in the off season - just local events so there is no pressure and no gear to bring. It's refreshing to roll up to a race 20 minutes before the start with nothing but some race flats (I'll pretty much do anything that doesn't involve packing up my bike or getting on a plane.) Cross-country races are my favorite - it's a great reminder of being a kid and running through the mud just for the heck of it.
When its time to get back to triathlon training I usually spend a few months in the fall on my cyclocross bike. I had never riden cyclocross before, but when Argon 18 hooked me up with their Arsenic I was immediately addicted. In Colorado I can ride for hours on old mining roads and easy trails and my position is similar enough to the road bike that it provides sport specific training.
When winter really hits, Cliff and I will spend a few days on the slopes. That's one advantage of the Colorado winters - being about 2hrs from Vail and Aspen we can make it into a training day. Skiing moguls at 12,000ft is harder than any weight session in the gym; I am usually sore for a few days after a good day skiing. (I am not one for cross country...too much like hard work).
At least 2-3 days a week in the winter I do CorePower Yoga - a fusion of Ashtanga yoga and Pilates done in a hot room. (I mainly do it for the heat...I am a bit of a winter wimp).
When late winter rolls around it's time to get out of the snow and head south for a warm weather training camp. My favorite destinations include Tucson and Noosa, Australia. Even if you can't swing a month in Oz it really helps mentally to get away for a long weekend or so of warm training. A short camp provides a perfect injection of hard training into the otherwise long, monotonous winter months.
Other than that I try to do more strength training and stretching in the off season as well as taking care of any injuries so that I am healthy and ready to go in the spring.
Happy training!
sam