Coaches recommendations for what you can do now to be set up to ROCK this year!
This to-do list will prepare you to crush the coming season – and that’s what we are all here for, right? As the saying goes – failing to prepare is preparing to fail! And the post/pre-season is a key preparatory time of year. But, not all of those preparations are about training. We want to attend to our general health and wellness aspects, goals, nutrition/fueling, gear, and support systems.
Health & Wellness
Fitness is not the same thing as health. To ensure our health is as strong as our fitness, there are a few things we want to attend to during the winter months.
- Address any injuries or tweaks that have been lingering in 2024.
It is vital to get these tweaks fixed before higher intensity and/or higher volume training restarts. Otherwise, you risk them continuing to linger for the next season.
- Get a yearly physical.
It’s always a smart idea to check in with your general practitioner and do a run-through of basic tests. Be sure to explain to your doctor what you do in your training and racing.
- Get a blood panel.
If you want a more extended blood panel, with information that is useful to athletes, you may consider trying the Inside Tracker service.
Goals
This is the time of year to get in tune with your goals and your why.
- Create your vision for the year to come.
What do you want your year to look like, what sorts of experiences do you want to have? What goals do you want to achieve? Make this visible by creating a vision board.
- Don’t set resolutions.
Set goals with a clear action plan. Take some time to write out your goals, and your why for wanting to achieve those goals and to live the endurance lifestyle.
Training
Post and pre-season are the right time to work on areas of opportunity – those things that may not be completely race-specific but that will create a foundation for all of the race-specific work to come later.
- Work the areas of opportunity.
What was the primary limiter for you in the previous season? Now is the time to work the building blocks for that limiter. For example, if you noticed that you faded in the second half of races, that may be related to your durability, pacing, and/or fueling and hydration. Determine the source, and then start to work on the fix.
- (Re)establish a routine for strength & mobility.
Yes – it matters. We reduce our injury risk, and we enhance our performance when we incorporate a regular strength and mobility routine into the mix. For more strength resources, click here.
- Switch it up.
If you are feeling a bit mentally beat, take some time to do something different. For example, I like to spend my post and pre-season with a lot of skiing!
Nutrition, Fueling & Hydration
We can’t do what we do without healthy daily eating and proper fueling and hydration for our workouts. As Coach Alexa likes to say, “Eating a good diet won’t make you a great athlete but eating a poor diet can prevent you from becoming one.”
Now is the time of year to set this up!
- Develop good habits
With nutrition, meal planning (maybe batch cooking for busy weekdays), and eating to support your training and recovery. If you establish the routine now, it will be easier to maintain it when the training volume is higher later in the year.
- Experiment now to dial it in later.
If you are thinking of changing your fueling or electrolyte options for the coming year, now is the time to experiment. The Feed has various products and options.
Gear Up
- Get an updated bike fit.
Our bodies often change for a variety of reasons. So, if you haven’t had an updated fit in over a year, now is the time to get it done. A bike fit is important for injury risk reduction and for performance.
- Do a gear inventory.
What do you need to stock up on? What do you want that you don’t currently have? Think about “nice to have” and “must have” equipment and gear options for your 2025 goals.
- Make any substantial equipment changes now – not later in the season.
For example, if you are going to get a new bike or change out components that impact the fit and feel, now is the time to do it. This timing will give you the chance to get used to the bike, learn how your effort is impacted by the new setup, and so on.
Support Systems
- Talk with your family, partner, and friends.
What we do takes a lot of time and resources. So, now is a GREAT time to have a discussion with family members and ensure that racing and training plans fit into the overall family schedule.
- Make sure your coach is on board.
Communicate with your coach about the times of year when you will need a lower/reduced training schedule for family responsibilities and vacations.
Success in endurance sport involves many moving parts. Don’t let your fitness go untapped by failing to prepare some of these 1% details. Endurance sport is a game that we actually start playing in the winter – so we are ready to use our gains when races come in the warmer months.