Coach Brian Grasky, trained under the Olympic Training Center biomechanists,  offers Run Analysis at the Tucson Endurance Performance Center

Written by:  Bill Daniell, Associate Coach

Jan 28, 2009

This is the final article in a four part series of training articles geared towards the off-season.  The previous articles touched base on the importance of developing a sound off-season program that was geared around focusing on your sport specific weaknesses as well as working on your body maintenance.  As discussed in previous articles, as triathletes we often allow our desire to train overcome our need to prevent or properly recover from an injury.  This is probably most true when it comes to running.  Running, especially when compared to swimming and cycling, is a high impact activity.  As we continue to put miles onto our bodies the constant “pounding of the pavement” can often lead to nagging injuries that just do not go away.  In addition, we struggle with improving on our weaknesses because we feel we have to dedicate time to our strengths so that they do not suffer.  The following article will discuss the value of a sound off-season running plan that not only sets you up for a better run this season but also works to help prevent running injuries.

One of the greatest challenges we face as triathletes, especially when we start looking into the half-Ironman and full Ironman distance events, is finding the time to fit in each of our key workouts every week.  The reality is that most of us work full time jobs that simply limit our ability to recover and do high volume training.  In addition, we simply do not have the time to focus on hill work, track workouts, tempo runs/rides, long runs, and recovery runs, swimming drills, strength training, etc. each and every week.  Therefore, it becomes critical during the season for us to rely on a solid foundation that was built during the off-season and the base building phase of the new season.  This is where the off-season run focus can come into play.  Do you want to run a faster 10K at the end of your International distance Triathlon?  Then you must be able to run a faster stand alone 10K.  The off-season is a great time of year to focus on some key speed workouts and 5K/10K races to help you boost your run speed.  The benefit of the off-season is that you can reduce your cycling and swimming volume and intensity in an effort to focus on building your run.  The great benefit of this is the fact that we can reduce our risks of injury and burnout by focusing specifically on one sport rather than all three therefore improving on our weakness.  One of the best ways to do this is by using swim and bike days as a recovery workout geared strictly towards drill work, thus allowing us the ability to get a full recovery for our next run.

The off-season should also be viewed as the perfect time to determine why your IT band starts to nag when your training volume increases, your hip flexor limits your ability to stride properly, or your plantar fasciitis keeps you from running more than 5 minutes without coming to a halt.  There are often numerous possible causes for these injuries, ranging from poor shoes to too much mileage build-up.  The off-season is a great time to work with a running specialist, Physician, or Physical Therapist to determine what biomechanical breakdown is occurring that is causing these recurring injuries.  Often a simple change in shoe type can make a significant impact on the reduction of injuries.  In addition, simple technique changes, stretches, or a strength training program can also help with the prevention of injuries and the off-season is the perfect time to work on a plan to help you develop these changes to your workout routine.  Finally, trail running is another great way to not only run on a softer surface but also to help you build some strength in your stabilizer muscles of your feet, which can translate to a stronger foundation therefore reducing the risks of injuries.  However, without tackling the root cause of your injuries you are only destined to repeat the same cycle this next season.

Regardless of what your goals are for the upcoming season, developing a sound off-season plan can help get you off on the right foot.  If your goals are to reduce your running injuries or improve your run times, the off-season is a great time to take a step back and determine how to best approach your run goals.  Find the time to work with your coach, a physician, shoe specialist, or physical therapist to help you meet these goals.  Enroll in Yoga classes to help build strength, flexibility, and core fitness or develop a good stretching routine and make it a part of your daily workout.  Too often, we fail to tackle our weaknesses with the right approach and simply end up with the same results as the year before only to make the same promise that “next off-season I am going to work on my strength, run, climbing ability or whatever.  Remember, the off-season is now and now is the time to make good on that promise.