Get The Most Out Of Your Triathlon Season With These Pro Tips From Ben Collins

The second, and equally important aspect of racing is recovery. We all hear this, but it takes real diligence to pay attention to it. It’s a paradox that the act of relaxing is actually harder for most of us than going out and beating our bodies to the ground. You can’t race well if you’re tired, so you have to give your body a break leading up to a race. How much depends on how hard you’ve been training, the goals of the race and your own personal physiology. Sometimes I take one day easy before a race; sometimes I need a week. And after a race recovery is just as important. You can’t jump back into interval training the day after a hard race. It will just further exhaust your body and push you toward over-training. Again, how much time you need to recover from a race is unique to each person, and can even depend on the course. A run on concrete, for instance, will take longer to recover from than a trail run because the hard surface causes more damage to your muscles. The bottom line is, the better you recover before and after a race, the faster you’ll be able to get back to the quality training that will make you faster for your next event. Be diligent and it will pay off. And, if you’re like me, a coach is vital to figuring out and enforcing the perfect recovery plan.

Last, and only least in the sense that the majority of people neglect it, is mental recovery. The triathlon season is really long. My first race this year was in January, and in all likelihood I’ll be racing until November. If I spend that entire period with my head down and 100% focused on triathlon then I will lose my mental edge. By the end of the season the difference between a victory and a mediocre finish can be more about mental toughness than fitness. I like to rejuvenate myself with a mini-off-season somewhere mid-season. Personally, I don’t like racing in August because the races are hot and humid, and I’d rather go sailing and camping with my friends back home in Seattle. I’m not suggesting you sit on your butt, get fat and lose fitness, but if you can plan a series of races in June or July followed by three or four weeks between races, that time can be used to balance out your life and enjoy hobbies outside of your sport. A camping trip, a sailing adventure, a week of water-skiing or a river rafting tour are fun adventures that just don’t fit into a training routine. Spend time with your family and friends, and give back to your relationships that suffer from your normal lack of free time. If I take five days in the middle of the summer for a vacation with my friends, I lose very little fitness, and what I do lose I make up for in mental stamina for the second half of the season. I’ve never taken a break like that without coming back stronger and more capable of putting in the work necessary to end the season with my best performances.

It’s a long season. Plan your time well and you’ll be able to train, race, recover and still have time during the summer to enjoy life outside your sport. Do it right, and you will be the most prepared athlete on the start-line in November.

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