r/IronmanTriathlon • u/Toddem6 • 2d ago

Tricks to avoid burnout

Did a 70.3 a few weeks ago. Planning on doing Chattanooga full next year. A few sprints/Olympic in between. So my "A" race isn't for over a year. Any tips to stay motivated/avoid burnout?

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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9

u/lmc227 2d ago

take an off season

3

u/Toddem6 2d ago

And just drop off training volume to minimal or stop all together? Thanks!

4

u/lmc227 1d ago

either, keep moving but it helps to take a mental break. keep things unstructured.

4

u/arharold 1d ago

Build some strength, do some speed work, or whatever else you really enjoy doing. I always take an offseason to do bike speed work cause it’s my favorite.

6

u/Tasty_Event_7721 2d ago

A few events in between, focus on them. Try and do the fastest sprint and then the fastest oly you can. 

3

u/paschmann_ 2d ago

I would encourage to do endurance related events/races/rides that you are motivated by. The as you get closer to your race prep narrow back in on triathlon. I would not stop training all together ... you have worked hard to complete the 70.3, maintain a baseline but focus on fun more than hitting targets and requirements towards hours or volume.

My perspective: I love racing triathlon, but also love MTB and trail running, so during my "off-season" and quiet periods, I focus on these types of activities considerably more without concern for intervals or HRpace/Power targets. Then 3 - 4+ months out from a "A race" I am back on a trainer for the bike and running track work prepping.

2

u/Greektwinmommy 1d ago

I’m doing chatt next year too!

2

u/Toddem6 1d ago

Nice!

2

u/EmployerUseful7299 1d ago

Vary focus through your training.  Like spend a few weeks focusing on cycling, maybe with a cycling event, and put the other sports on maintenance.  Maybe do something like trail running for a change.  I focused on my 5km run time for a bit.  Do it a bit more for fun than training.  Skip training to have a beer with friends a bit more.

There's other stuff that is generally good to focus on in the off season.  Like I might do more gym time with some weights, and building some core muscles.

Relates to what others say about having an off season.

Then as the race gets closer, think more about triathlon, do some shorter practice races, and eventually move into a focused build.

1

u/Toddem6 1d ago

Thanks!

2

u/Careful-Anything-804 1d ago

If you're not racing till next year then take an off season now for 6-8 weeks of unstructured training. An off season always helps you to get the itch again.