I was sitting having coffee with my sister this morning. She ran her first marathon in January and has not done a whole lot of running since. This week she said she finally is getting the urge to get back out there and start running again.

She had put in the work and a good 9 months of solid training leading up to this marathon and her first instinct after completing it was " I need a break". It got me reflecting on my own running journey and particularly once moving up to the longer distances the importance of taking a break.

The concept of an off season is nothing new to sport. In fact if you look at most elite level athletes whether it be team or individual sports they will all generally have a season where they compete followed by scheduled downtime. If it works for elite athletes then why not for your average mid pack hobby jogger...

I can think of a few reasons why people might have an offseason and posed the question on the Moretrail trail running forum. It would seem that peoples offseason's fall into a few different categories

The Scheduled Offseason

One of the main advantages of using a running coach is that you have someone who can objectively look at your running and make the call when its time to take a break. It is not uncommon for coaches to schedule in a specific period of down time into a training block to help runners to rest and recover.

The Weather Dependant Offseason

The nature of any outdoor sport means whether is always going to influence peoples ability to get outdoors and train. Naturally in the cooler months as the days get darker or the snow starts to fall a lot of runners switch out the Hokas for ski boots or move their activities indoors until the conditions become more favourable for running. This can be a great time for cross training and building those mountain legs on the skip slopes - just ask Jim Walmsley!

The Holidays Offseason

I know this one certainly applies to me but often the holiday season can provide a great chance to unwind and let running take a back seat while you enjoy time with family and friends. I usually tend to run a goal race in Nov/Dec. It helps to keep me motivated throughout the year with my running but I also find that my social schedule around christmas time will naturally affect my running so why not lean into that and make it the time to unwind and recharge to start the new year fresh and ready to run.

I am mindful that not everyone might fall into one of these three categories and that a large majority of runners fall into the "No Offseason" Category. Runners seem to get scared that if they take a day or week off they will lose their hard earned fitness and get out of the rhythmn of consistent running. I know personally I use running as a form of stress relief but it is important to remember that running is itself a stress on the body.

Taking a break from that stress is important to not only give your body a chance to rest but I think more importantly giving your mind the chance to recharge. The daily motivation to get out the door and put one foot in front of the other can have a way of catching up on you and the last thing you want is to find that lacking in the crucial moments of your next big race.

Importantly an offseason doesn't mean stopping running all together. I think the perfect offseason provides a good mix of other activities (whether that be swimming, skiing, hiking or whatever gets you outside) and most importantly limiting the super hard efforts. If you're out on your morning run and the body feels great and youre feeling it then sure get some strides in but if the thought of Thursday morning intervals makes your shoulders slump - maybe thats a good sign to take it easy the next 4 weeks.

So when you are planning out your next season/year/goal make sure you plan in some time for a break as well. If it works for elite sportsman who knows it might just work for you too.

Do you fall into a different offseason category we missed? Have you seen successful outcomes adding in an off season? Jump into the conversation and let us know your thoughts on the moretrail trail running forum.

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