Off-season is here for most athletes I know, which means many of us are trying to play catch up on all the other responsibilities that we couldn’t fully invest in during race season. This goes for pros and age-groupers alike, I think. Certainly, this is the situation I find myself in.
First off, motivation is something that ultimately comes from within the individual. No one can give it to you. However every athlete goes through low periods where energy is down, focus is lost, and motivation is hard to find. During these periods, external sources can help prime-the-pump of motivation.
My life is packed with commitments outside of sport, like graduate school, which demand my attention. While I am focusing on that priority I’ve been tempted to let my fitness slide back (eg. eat/drink what I want, skip workouts, fail to take care of my body). I believe strongly in the importance of rest and the mental break that off-season provides, however there is too much of a good thing.
Here are some of the things I’m doing to maintain a solid base while my focus is shifted to my studies (which I aim to complete in April 2011).
- Select my A races
Knowing what my key races are for next season is one of my biggest motivators. These races give workouts a sense of purpose because I can relate my training to the concrete reality of an event. Additionally, knowing which races are critical allows me to plan the rest of my year around those events. I strongly recommend planning your 2011 race season as soon as you can. - Be realistic and succeed
I am realistic about how much training I can do during this period. When I set and achieve realistic goals, I’m motivated to continue in that pattern. If I imagine I can do more than is possible, then the resulting failure often means that I do even less that what is realistically possible (likely because I spend so much mental energy worrying about all I think I should be doing, rather than doing what I can). - Get a coach, join a club, or find a training partner
Training with others is a great way to decrease the amount of time you’re in the downswing of motivation. Triathlon may be an individual sport, but the process that gets athletes to race day is by no means individualistic. The off-season is a great time to look for a coach or a group as they will likely have experienced some amount of athlete turnover after the end of the season. This is an opportunity to get in with that team or coach who always seems to have a waiting list. A good coach is more-than-worth the investment. My coach, Noa, certainly helps keep me working by setting expectations and adding variety to workouts. I’d likely come out of the off-season 20 pounds heavier if it weren’t for her! Of course, not everyone can afford a coach, but it doesn’t cost anything to find other athletes to train with—even if it is only one every few weeks. You don’t have to go it alone! - Sign up for some fun races
Go have some fun! I love to participate in the local winter trail race series, which I treat as enjoyable training sessions with scores of other happy athletes. These races give me something to look forward to the short term and they also allow me to try different race strategies (like starting aggressively or building into a solid pace) in an environment where failure isn’t possible.
These are just a few of the things that keep me motivated in the regular time of the off-season. Hope they provide some help.
There have been some necessary upheavals of late, but I am feeling good about them. I have modified significantly my thesis, moving further from English Literature and more fully into 20th century philosophy and theory, switching supervisors, and selecting different readers for my project. 
It has been a gauntlet run since I returned back from 