| Author’s Note: This article is part of the Down Under Series focusing on athletes in the Southern Hemisphere (And expats in the Middle East!) who are currently in the winter training months. |
Every year it seems that we remember, later than usual, that there’s a whole another hemisphere of triathletes out there. Most of us are slaving away in the heat and trying to figure out how to handle hydration and race pacing. Yet there is a whole host of athletes who have just entered the winter months.
That’s right, triathletes in New Zealand and Australia – I’m talking to you! What are you supposed to do when the rest of the world is in their racing season? The answer is simple — you need to be in the OutSeason® by Endurance Nation!
What Is the OutSeason®?
Endurance Nation created the OutSeason® in 2008 to solve three specific triathlete needs.
First, triathletes needed a training program that was significantly different then the work they were doing in season. Using a variety of training stimuli will create conditions for greater improvement across the course of the season.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Second, it had to fit their time schedule. This is one of the most overlooked components of season building. Training time and the commitment required to be successful at Long Course racing combine to create a massive time suck.
Too many long rides and long runs leading up to your “A” race can really hurt your family and other elements of your life. Continuing that approach across the course of the year is untenable.
The OutSeason® is perfect with just 6 to 8 hours a week — you can do all the training you need to do continue to move the needle forward while still being a rock star at home, at work, and elsewhere.
Third, triathletes want to go faster. Not everyone will admit it, but triathlon’s dirty little secret is that everyone wants to be better than they are right now. The path to being better starts in the OutSeason®. A typical athlete can boost their Functional Threshold Power by 10%, and can also see run improvements greater than two minutes in a half marathon.
If you wait until just three months before your race to start training, you are going to spend the majority of your time getting back to the levels that you had last year. The OutSeason® allows you to gain a fitness – and even more! – through a different approach using intensity rather than time as a training mechanism.
How Does the OutSeason® Connect to the Rest of Your Year?
The OutSeason® is 14 weeks long and consists of two phases. The first phase is eight weeks. Here we focus exclusively on your threshold. The second phase begins to integrate some VO2 Max intervals designed to continue your progression and challenge your fitness.
During the OutSeason®, your run training is built on our new run durability protocol which helps build your run fitness across your overall triathlon season.
The OutSeason®, being 14 weeks long, is usually run through the bulk of the winter. But we don’t start it until we know when your big race is for next season. So the most important thing you can do is identify that race in.
Working backwards from your race, we typically do 12 weeks of Race Prep Training, eight weeks of General Prep or Get Faster training and then 14 weeks of the OutSeason®. So doing that basic math we have 12+8+14 – or 34 weeks. So working backwards 34 weeks from your race will put you roughly at the start of your ideal out season window. Of course, you can always start a little earlier or little later depending on your current situation and schedule.
Skip the Out Season at Your Peril!
Just like on race day when we wait until mile 18 to start racing the competition, we want you to beat the competition by being smarter and not just working harder. The majority of the people you compete against in the summer do not train in the winter. They’re active, doing other sports. Perhaps a lighter version of their usual triathlon training. But they’re not doing the hard work if you’re about to do.
Doing the hard work now allows you to leapfrog the competition. Our favorite time of year as coaches is Spring…when our athletes return to the open road. Their training partners are literally stunned at just how much faster Endurance Nation athletes are after the OutSeason®.
Use code "DownUnder20" to Save 20% On An OutSeason® Plan Thru 8/31/16!
You Don’t Have To Be a Member to Use the OutSeason®
Most Endurance Nation training plans – including the OutSeason® – are available for individual purchase in our store. If becoming a member and joining our community isn’t your thing, head over to our digital training plan store and purchase the plan. This will help create an account for you, where your plan will live alongside a host of resources designed to make you a smarter and faster triathlete. You’ll have access to that particular plan forever and you have the opportunity to upgrade it every year as we add changes and new resources.
Use code "DownUnder20" to Save 20% On An OutSeason® Plan Thru 8/31/16!
As a training plan customer you not only get some preliminary support you also get discounts on future plans, products and sponsor deals. Whether you’re looking for coaching, or a team, or simply a plan to guide you Endurance Nation is everything that you need to get ready.
If you have questions or need additional input on how to make these out season plans work for you down under, please find us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/endurancenation or post a comment to this blog and will be happy to answer you. Of course you can always become a team member, come right inside the Team start talking with the coaches right way.
Best of luck this winter!
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