Autumn is often a time when you have finished your high priority summer events, and are thinking about what events and goals you might have for the coming few months. It’s also a time when you might feel like you need a break from structured training, and so inserting a Transition Phase in your training program around now can be good for your mind and your body. Here are some principals for this phase.
What Is It?
Any period of time, usually 1-3 weeks, where you allow yourself to recover mentally and physically from the pressures of structured training.
What’s It For?
In this time it’s a good idea to maintain an active healthy lifestyle, but in a way that is guided by pure enjoyment. If you want to go for a ride, do it. Don’t worry about watching heart rate or power. Have some foods that you miss and enjoy. Do an activity you normally don’t have the time for. You want to come out of this phase feeling that you are naturally enthusiastic about going back to a structured plan, without forcing it. This way your body will be fully healed and your mind will be focused for incurring new training stress.
Reflect
After a week or so, write down your thoughts about your last training buildup and the things that worked well, what could use changes and of course the events and goals you have, so that you and your coach can make a good Long Term Plan in this time.
