Posted: December 5, 2005

Sports Psychology: Next Season!

By Michelle Cleere, Sports Psychology Consultant

It’s the time of the year to be preoccupied with the holidays, family, friends and next years season! Next years season already?

Its fine to be thinking about next years season already particularly for those of us who know what it’s like not to get into races because they’ve already filled up. And goal setting and planning toward what you want to do next season is definitely a seed to begin planting but probably shouldn’t be a priority at this point. Let me explain.

First, your body needs some time off probably after what was a long season this year. I just read an article by Scott Tinley that was talking about how if you take some time off between seasons (versus pushing yourself the entire year) you might very well be a stronger athlete during next years season. Your body needs a break so give it the necessary time to rest and be calm and then start of your training season with 8-12 weeks of aerobic training. Your car doesn’t go to 60 MPH when you push on the gas it needs to shift through gears and so does your body.

Second, your mind needs some time off. Let’s make a comparison to your work life. Do you remember a time when work was non-stop for a very long time? Long hours. Little if any time with family or friends. Does this sound familiar? Do you remember getting to a point one day where you were exhausted and needed a BIG change because you’d pushed yourself beyond your capacity to handle that much stress…whew! Do you remember feeling a little depressed? Yeah I know! Depressed is a SCARY word but you probably did feel a little depressed because you were exhausted and burnt out right? What did you do to pull yourself out of it? REST! RELAX and TAKE SOME TIME OFF, right?

This does not mean you are going to REST, RELAX and TAKE TIME OFF FOREVER does it? We are in control of our own destinies and are more than capable to take care of ourselves in whatever way is necessary. I am saying this because I know endurance athletes are sometimes afraid to take time off because they are afraid they might never COME BACK or that they are going to gain hundreds of pounds.

Seriously, if you LOVE being an endurance athlete there should be NO question whether or not taking time off is important and definitely NO question of whether or not you’ll return. If you are training and competing for reasons other than LOVE then that is an entirely different topic. Keep reading because I will write about that at some point in the near future.

The gaining hundreds of pounds. Bears hibernate for a number of reasons but during that time they store food and gain weight for the same reasons humans need to: because our bodies need it (some of it). This does not mean you can eat endlessly and be OK when you begin training again. It means your body needs a little more food in the winter and in general for most endurance athletes your body probably needs a little more food. It’s ok to eat a little more and perhaps eat food you’ve restricted yourself from during the season. It’s all part of the “hibernative” process. Please do not email me in a couple of months saying “I told you to eat whatever you wanted”, no I am not saying that. Moderation is still important but so is living, relaxing and enjoying the holidays; for your body and your mind.

In certain situations particularly with endurance athletes it’s hard to actually know that you are in the initial stages of burn out but believe me if you continue to push yourself all year every year burnout doesn’t take long to become fully explosion. Why get yourself to that point? Why not take a little time off and rejuvenate yourself so you are fully ready to push yourself next year?! It’s so easy within a season to experience burnout because most endurance athletes push themselves to the edge. Give yourself the gift this season of a little time off. Make it a positive thing! During the holidays allow yourself some much needed time with family & friends. Allow your body a chance to hibernate and sleep in and let your mind be calm. Utilize your mind in other ways for other things.

This does not mean you can’t/shouldn’t begin thinking about next season but do it with some finesse and flair. Be in the initial stages of your planning by thinking about your goals for next year including your physical and mental plan for next year. Begin thinking about what races you are planning to train for and maybe even register for them. Now is the time for you to begin preparation and in that very smart preparation stage, now is the time to allow your mind and body a chance to rest and relax.

Happy Holidays!

Michelle

Michelle is owner of Sports Minded, a Sports Psychology Consulting practice. She works with individuals and groups on performance enhancement. Michelle is an NASM-certified personal trainer and a USAT-certified triathlon coach. E-mail questions and comments to her at SportsMindedMC@aol.co or check out her web site at MentalStrength.com.