The Off Season

Get In My Belly

The off season has been underway now since IMLP.  I typically use the time to unwind and do nothing.  Here’s an example of what “nothing” is to me.

As with many dedicated athletes, loosening the reins on the diet usually comes first.  Unrestricted eating sounds much too humane.  Imagine if Jim Henson wasn’t quite feeling the Cookie Monster that day and instead went with Brownie Monster, Nacho Nightmare or the Pizza Marauder …you can see where this is going (and why I’m not a creator)! 

Lucky for me, with my metabolism and a handful of hours of exercise each week, I can pretty much eat whatever, whenever and minimize the damage to +10lbs from race weight.

Yes dear, I'll get to it!

Other things high on my “do nothing” priority list include: fall family hikes and fishing with the boys, college football and getting together with friends and doing enough drinking to remind myself why I don’t really drink anymore.  Working on neglected home maintenance, watching too much TV and catching up on the magazine stack in the corner.

C.O.B. - I'm out!  Race you home!

Off season = void of any structured training or racing.  Over the years though, I’ve weaved exercise and fitness so deeply in to my daily routine, things get really ugly when I stop exercising all together (just ask my wife).  I’m a cube monkey at my 9 to 5, so getting in a ‘good sweat’, nearly every day, is critical to my existence and anyone I’m around for that matter. 

My off season sport of choice is mountain biking.  After a long hot summer and countless hours on the road, it’s hard for me to resist the miles and miles of trail and unpaved roads that I have access to. There’s something about speeding down a winding trail wondering if it will be a doe or wild turkey that’s gonna jump out and surprise me next!

So that’s about it.  My off season, a time to sit back, loosen up and do nothing.

Until next time,

Here’s to a great off season (clink)