Forums >Racing>Off season miles?
PR's : HM 1:51:15 - 5K 21:27
come on fellow runners. a little input would be appreciated.
Training cycle for what?
I wasn't aware that there was an "Off Season".
I'm pretty new to the game, but I don't really have an "off season". Biggest race I was working up for was my first 50K last weekend, but by 5 Jan, I will already be working up for the Shamrock Marathon, which is in March. Then it will be various races from April all the way to November... There is no off season for me. Well, not yet, I am too new and enjoying running too much to take a break. :-)
I tend to wing it with no set plan, just trying to max out weekly mileage every other week with a few more miles done than the time before. (50ish is tops so far, but 55, 60, 65, 70 MPW are on the radar).
I am new to RA as well, only been here a few weeks, but it has been the Log entry (little bar graph icon by the username) that really allows me to make sure I am on progress to hit my weekly goal. That thing is terrific and no other forum site I have seen has as good a tracker.
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The Plan '15 → /// "Run Hard, Live Easy." ∞
Sometimes I cut back a little after a race (see my July mileage--screwed up my knee doing my 50 miler) or for health issues (September--surgery and a secondary infection), but otherwise...I don't really do off-season. I race year round, so I don't really have an answer.
I try to run as much as I can without feeling too worn down regularly or having my key workouts (tempos, progressions, long runs) negatively affected. There's no more to it than that for me. I think this is a really individualized thing, especially coupled with 1) running history (and we can't see your log) and 2) how much time you are willing to run.
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." Emil Zatopek
I guess I wing it, although my training tends to follow the same flow no matter what season I'm in: "workouts" on Tues/Thurs, long run or race on Sun, easy mileage the other days.
This sport is pretty simple.
Runners run
Count me as another 'no off season' kind of runner. I may or may not cut back before and after a race but I have races peppered throughout my entire year, so I continue to run / train.
Every time I set up some kind of a program or structure my running seems to suffer......when I get up and decide what to run what feels good to me for that day, I usually do OK....
Champions are made when no one is watching
"off season" may be incorrect for the intention. It is super hot and humid here so usually most of the distance races are curbed during the summer months (off sesaon). I have always maintained a mileage but, was just curious how others stay on track when no race is on the agenda.
When there are no races on the horizon, I work on building my base, i.e. increasing mileage.
For a break, I would try to take at least a few days off, then start base building. For runners, not running is all the rage.
And we run because we like itThrough the broad bright land
not bad for mile 25
+1. November & December have been my best mileage months yet. I take whatever miles I can get, figuring they can't hurt, even if the marathon is five months out.
+1.
Even if a race were 6+ months out, seems alot can be gained if a person runs alot of MPW for months, well before they start an actual 'official' training plan for a race 3 months out. Got to think that a race result time would be significantly better for a person who maintained + built mileage as compared to reducing mileage or taking a break from running in the off season.
(Not to mention, getting out there and running in the heat and the humidity of the summer, and in the most bitter cold in the winter will make the eventual race you do in season seem Easy in comparison. :-)
I generally take a break after my last fall race (late Sept /early Oct) to catch up on things, get ready for winter, hike with no purpose (other than to get to some trails I haven't run), etc. From then until my next serious race (Frostbike 5k doesn't count as serious) in May, I generally morph from total winging it (depends on snow conditions and weather as well as where I am in training) to a more structured program. Nov-Dec is do what you can do without killing yourself (this includes snow buildup, colder temperatures, and shortening days down to about 5 hr sunup to sunset). Jan-Mar - start trying to apply some structure as conditions permit, not worrying about what runs on what days, BUT I better be sure to have the volume and long run duration by end of March that I can spend April-June following my home-spun schedule for races in May - Sept. I used to be a little more structured, but with more experience, I know where I need to be by when in my training.
(NOte: this assumes I'm not doing any winter races that require training. If I were doing a winter ultra, I'd be logging lots of snow and cold and some wind time.)
SMART Approach
Makes sense and drop intensity/volume a bit on faster work and can be a bit broader or varied. One week do tempo, next week 10K pace reps, next week, 10 X 1 min at mile pace, next week HM paced reps.....You need to stay in touch with you speed/stamina work but cut the volume back a bit and certainly keep in those quick striders for speed maintenance and turnover. When you are ready to train or have a race on the horizon, it is less of a shock when incorporating a higher volume of faster stuff as race approaches. AND, you are better prepared and more fit for doing it in the offseason.
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