Take A Break Before New Beginnings

IN THE SECOND PART OF HER SERIES, CHRISSIE WELLINGTON STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING TIME AWAY FROM TRAINING AND COMPETITION

- Chrissie Wellington

MANY athletes – myself included – are creatures of habit. We love routine and structure and we crave control, without sometimes realising that the desire for control is actually controlling us.

We are sometimes fearful of taking a break from this routine, worrying over lost fitness and added waistline insulation and dreading the endorphin cold-turkey. But as I make clear in my latest book – To the finish line: a world champion triathlete’s guide to your perfect race – it is not the training sessions themselves that will make you fitter – it’s the recovery, the adaptation and regeneration from the stress caused by those activities.

Mental break

It is not just about physical recovery, it’s mental rejuvenation too. We need to be unplugged in order to come back firing on all cylinders and this means taking an ‘off season’.

The aim of the off season is to recharge not only your physical but also your mental batteries – leaving you invigorated, motivated and ready to give 100% to 2018 and beyond.

Often the fitter we become and more experienced we are, the greater our end-of-season recovery needs. It’s like an interval session: the intense effort must be followed by a proportional period of recovery/rest.