Triathlon Off-Season Begins...

With the Orillia Sprint Tri in the books, my triathlon off-season has officially begun.

Running

I'm gearing up for the Toronto Marathon in October, so this is where my focus is shifting! I have to do a lot of mileage to get that base where it needs to be for this race, so it's going to be a busy September of running.

Once that is complete, I'll take a few weeks to rest and recover. I'll run through the winter again, most likely taking in a few events along the way.

I haven't decided yet on a spring marathon. I'll let my body decide! I have a busy spring/summer of triathlons planned, including at least 1 half-Iron, so we'll see how it fits in.

Biking

I have a century ride (160K) in a couple weeks, so I'll be doing a few more long rides as I gear up for that. Once that's complete, I'll take a more recreational approach to cycling, once a week most likely. I'm eager to do some fall mountain biking, last year was spectacular!

If winter isn't too bad, I might be able to get in some outdoor rides again. A few years ago it was mild, and I was able to bike right up to the first week of January without much trouble. When that's not possible, I'll use the indoor trainer.

Swimming

My next race with a swim won't be until June, so I've dropped the swimming down to 1 day per week. I'm signing up for a Triathlon swimming class starting in October, so that will keep me busy over the winter. I really want to focus on swimming over the off-season to get my form worked out, I can't keep coming out of the water completely winded!

The Off-Season Philosophy

From everything I've read, the off-season should be a time to rest, recover, have fun, and work on weaknesses. That's what I'm going to focus on so I can hit the ground running in 2009!