Finding the Rhythm of the "Off Season"

Fall is a great time to be at home in Massachusetts

It took more than a couple of weeks for Mary and I to gather a sense of feeling normal while not having immediate races/ travel obligations planned. Being out "on the road" competing for the past 10 months had us so far out of our element so many times that the feeling of being transient had become our daily reality. It has been interesting to feel the readjustment to being in our home town and great to spend some time reflecting on the season, as we unwind a bit from the intensity of the road.

A sweet moment of contemplation.

The first thing on our schedule was a meditative walk on the beach to get our feet in the sand, some sea air and tranquility. inspiring to be at the beach for us, and from that moment, perhaps unconsciously at first, we began to think about the next adventure.

Now after some introspective weeks we are finding ourselves feeling recovered. The mental and physical stress of the racing replaced by an anticipation of all that is upcoming.

Mary and I are excited to be working once again alongside team partners Kenda Tire and Intense Cycles to outline specific competitions and events that will allow us to represent across a wide range of disciplines throughout another exciting season.

Our 2016 schedule will include competing in multiple disciplines of Mountain biking. This will include Stage Racing, Cross Country, Enduro and Marathon (oh and cyclocross? but that's another story). Clearly there is a lot that we need cover in our training to fulfill our hopes of bringing the right stuff to the variety of racing ahead and it will certainly be more than just base miles on the road bike.

Log Roll

Flexibility, strength and overall fitness really seem to go along with improving your game in every sport and pretty much enhancing everything in life. There are a lot of non cycling sports and activities that can do a lot of for adding dimension and strength to riding and the "off season" is the time that we like to go big on these alternative activities.

Our training at this time of year incorporates a wide variety different sports and activities as we try to balance preparing for a a diversity of competitions and meeting our daily needs for some soul fulfilling charging!

Slack lining is a great hip and leg strengthener.

For us it's all about getting outside to train mostly due to the positive mental outlook that just seems to happen when when we are able to get "out and away from it all" and into doing our thing. We are working with fewer than nine hours of visible light these days in Massachusetts with a quick temperatures drop off near dark so we try to get out at the prime hours.

We really feel lucky to be living near the ocean as it allows us the luxury of experiencing something so tremendously beautiful, diverse and ever changing. The ocean is a great teacher and an incredible place to get fit! However the Atlantic ocean tends to be fickle when it comes to any sort of consistency of good waves and favorable local conditions. Heading over for an epic surf at your leisure here is not really on the program. Instead we stay perpetually tuned in to the ever changing variables of swell, wind and tides to get an idea for when something could be working and make sure we are there on time with the right equipment to make the most of it.

Making the most of the local beach break.

These days the paddle board really helps to fill the gaps between stints of solid waves. Stand up Paddle boarding also delivers one of the most effective core strengthening and balance training we have ever attempted. The best thing with the paddle board is you are up an moving without even a ripple and from there you can make things as relaxing or as exiting as you choose.

For me Stand Up Paddle boarding is as much about a evening paddle as it is for chasing down waves.

It's always demanding to get in the full training regimen that we hope to during the hectecness of the day to day so prioritizing and sticking to workouts has become really important to us. When we are far from the races it can be tempting to let the focus wander but looking ahead to future success requires keeping with a solid program year round. Mary and I always try to keep in mind that you don't have to suffer to call your activity a workout and that you should always try and have some fun along the way!

Mary loves putting in trail time on her Intense - Spider Comp 29er

We also feel it is very important to find the time to spend time with friends & family, to party up, eat well and get whoever you can out on the trails when the chance comes up.