Off season?

My schedule was different this year. Started riding/training in February like normal, but really kept it going through October for the Berryman mountain bike race. I had several breaks in that time period, but it was a very long season! By the time my last race was completed, I was just ready to get off the bike and stay off the bike! No more structured training!!!

Eat what I want, when I want! Lay on the couch. Have Ice Cream. Doritos. Candy. High Fructose Corn Syrup. Ice Cream. Pizza. Ice Cream. All the things I don't allow myself to have when training and trying to make race weight. I really went crazy!

Normally (the last 5 years) after I finish my last race at the end of August, I would begin running for a month or so, to train for the Eagle Valley X-country 5k, then kind of have some down time. This year was different since my season went longer. I did nothing for 1 week. By the time day 4 of doing nothing rolled around, I was already itching to start doing something. To begin eating better, but I kind of "forced" myself to go at least 1 week.

I have now started running a few days a week. I want to run every day, but don't want to get burnt out, or feel too structured. I'll run for a few weeks, then start plyometrics, get some other cross training with indoor soccer or basketball or something.

I'll get back on the bike a couple days a week soon, I already got the itch. Just no structure. Ride if I want, no intervals. It's so important mentally for me to have at least a few months with that lack of structure. Been walking a lot so that Cayle can ride his bike around the park next to our house. He wants to ride every day! Go figure... He say's "Dad what day is it?" Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, etc. He say's, "Oh! I like to ride my bike on ______!" I say oh, ok, lets go for a ride then. :-)

The one thing I've kind of promised myself this off season is to try to not gain weight like I have in the past. I will allow myself about 8-10 pounds, but the last few years I have finished the season weighing about 162, and then by January I'm at 178... 16 pounds is hard to lose in a few months! It never happens as quickly as I'd like it to...

After eating like crap for a week and being bloated every day and night, and doing no exercise, I have an extremely difficult time understanding how people let themselves go so far as to find this normal/desired behavior??? It just doesn't make me feel good.

 

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