The Mental Book of Racing

The Importance of a Transition Period (aka off season)

The transition period is a perfect time to go for hikes and spend time with family and friends.

As I often tell my athletes: Train hard, recover harder. Therefore, perhaps a better way to look at the “off season” is to view it more as a “transition period” or a time of the year where athletes work on objectives outside of training and competition. Many athletes will struggle during the transition period because they are used to the intensity of training and racing and find it hard to take a break. This is normal and should be discussed in advance. Furthermore, it’s not about stopping all physical activity, but more about not having a strict regime of training, diet, traveling, and racing. The transition period is about adding balance, working on other aspects of one’s life and identity (outside of sport), and slowly starting to work on the blueprint and goals for the upcoming season. I like to look at it as hitting the “reset button” on sport and life.

Here are a few reasons why re-establishing “life balance” is a critical piece of the performance paradigm: A different look at work-life balance.

The transition period is also a great time to start incorporating mental skills that might help with life balance and your upcoming season. Here’s a piece I wrote for Headspace (a meditation app most of my athletes use) on why athletes (and coaches) should meditate: 4 Reasons Every Athlete Should Meditate. The transition period is an ideal time to incorporate new activities and skills as part of your cross training program. It’s also helpful to find skills you can access throughout the season (like yoga and meditation).

The transition period is also a time when athletes and coaches can start working on what I call the “race season blueprint” and objectives/goals for the upcoming season. The Missing Link to Setting Goals. I also like to have my athletes create a “vision board” where they write and sometimes even draw out their blueprint plans for the new season. Remember: this blueprint needs to be assessed and re-evaluated by athletes/coaches throughout the season.

My last (and most important) piece of advice is to remember why you started and love to race… why it gives you a sense of meaning and purpose.