One veteran Ironman triathlete's venture into the ultramarathon realm where there are seemingly no limits to human endurance. Any triathlete who is interested in doing an ultramarathon should check here for tips and advice. For workouts leading to a successful finish at the Vermont 100 Mile Ultramarathon, you can find daily workouts at http://joegoldschedule.blogspot.com

Friday, October 16, 2009

It's the offseason! Let's Try the Type B Attitude


Most triathletes and runners I know are Type A personalities. They are very meticulous in their planning of their workouts, and make sure they get their workout in, rain or shine, regardless of circumstances.

This works very well in the pre-season and the season itself, but I'm not so sure it works when the triathlon and running season is over. You see, the typical type A personality tends to forget that they are human, and need to unwind from the rigorous schedule for a month or two to allow their bodies, and especially minds, to recover. It is this part of the season where you need to kick back and ENJOY the fitness you worked hard for. This is CRITICAL for some people before they start their pre-season training again. The bottom line is that if you're not totally refreshed in body and mind and eager to go when you start your build for the next race season, you didn't recover fully. This might lead to mental burnout and/or injury when you need your body the most, and could compromise the upcoming season.

One of the prevailing personalities I saw while thru-hiking on the Appalachian Trail was the Type B personality.


The spontaneous and laid back attitudes of some of these hikers simply amazed me; I cannot for the life of me start the day off without it being planned the day before. Yet these people will do things "when they feel like it". If they didn't hike at all that day, it was fine by them. But one of the redeeming qualities I saw in the Type B personalities is that they enjoyed life every minute of their day. I envied them for that and wanted to see if I can incorporate that into my off-seasons, even if just a little bit.

The goal for off-season training is the ENJOYMENT of your training sessions. Forget the target heart rates, the pacing, the target time of doing X amount of miles, etc. Sometimes you just got to leave that stopwatch at home, run or cycle at a leisurely pace and enjoy that the day brings. Make enjoyment your goal for some of your workouts, not time or pace.

Secondly, now is the time to explore new variants of your endurance training. If you're up north with an abundance of snow, maybe you should do some cross-country skiing in lieu of a bike. How about trail running or even hiking instead of your normal road running. The mountain bike is great in the autumn as well. Aside from the overall enjoyment, you can gain huge strength climbing those steep trails for the next season. The sky is the limit, and as long as you remain active, you'll definitely be mentally and physically prepared for the vigourous training that is ahead.


Infuse a little Type B Personality into your fitness life this offseason. You won't regret it!

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