Although the season has ended, I’m still actively training and setting new fitness goals for myself. Sometimes I’m even training harder because I can risk feeling sore or beat up without worrying about getting into a race car: I can push harder because I have the extra recovery time if I need it.
This past weekend I finally did something I’ve always wanted to try: running a half-marathon. I had a blast! Well, maybe I wasn’t having a blast around miles 10-13, but looking back I really did enjoy it.
It’s interesting how I found so many parallels to car racing within that half-marathon. The whole mental aspect of how you prepare for the race was similar and, believe it or not, I even had pre-race jitters. I felt like I had more jitters before this half-marathon than I sometimes do before car races. I found that really odd, but I think it’s because I have so little experience in running events.
Managing your pace throughout a half-marathon is also done just like it is in a car, where you manage your pace to conserve tires and equipment. Some folks might take off at the start of a run, but you don’t know if they’re going to be burning up their “equipment” before the end. You can conserve and push at the end, but even still, your pace may not be the fastest because you’re worn out. It was really interesting how much the half-marathon felt like a car race. In the end, it’s still a competition, and that competition aspect is what I crave.
Training in the offseason allows you to do things that maybe you wouldn’t normally try during the season, when you want to stick to a regimen and not risk injuring yourself. More mountain biking in this beautiful fall weather is one of those things!
In the gym, my routine is different too. Later this winter, I’ll be really focusing on conditioning to get ready for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Right after the season ends, though, I can work on areas where I felt I was deficient in the car. In the prototype, I found particular muscle groups that would be sore after long races. The early off-season is a chance to really work on those muscle groups before conditioning starts, which is a different type of workout.
On the nutrition side, it’s easy to fall into your comfort zone and kick back now that the season’s over, but it’s important to keep pushing forward because whatever you give up now, you’ll have to work that much harder later to gain it back! I actually push harder now to be better for next season, both in my physical training and my nutrition plan.