4 workouts to do in the off-season

The packed fall racing schedule is winding down, and Canadians everywhere have crossed the finish line of their goal races and are entering the off-season. Some may be looking forward to a bit of downtime, while others might already be getting antsy. If you fall into the second group, check out these four workouts you can do in the off-season to keep your legs moving without putting too much stress on your body.

What do I do after my goal race?

Off-season workouts

Before getting too excited, remember that if you’re coming off of a big race (like a marathon) or a long training cycle, it’s important to take the necessary time off to allow your body to recover. Returning to running too soon could lead to injuries, and will likely have a negative effect on your performance heading into your next training block. Once you’ve taken the necessary downtime and you’re ready to return to running, you can start to incorporate these workouts into your weekly regime.

Strides

We’ve talked about the benefits of adding strides to your easy runs before, but during the off-season, you can use strides as a mini-workout. These 10-15 second sprints are not long enough to produce lactic acid or reach your VO2 max, but they’ll get your legs moving quickly to satisfy your need for speed and keep you feeling fresh. Here’s a sample workout:

Warmup: 15-20 minutes easy jog

Workout: 15-20 x 10-15 seconds; 45-60 seconds rest between each

Cooldown: 15-20 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching

Short hills

Strava’s hilliest Canadian streets

Hill workouts are great for building strength during base training, but can also be effective during the off-season if you make a few tweaks. By simply shortening the interval, you can work on your form and power without putting excess stress on your body. Here’s a sample workout:

Warmup: 15-20 minutes easy jog

Workout: 10-15 x 10 second sprint up a steep hill; 1-2 minutes rest between each interval

Cooldown: 15-20 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching

Cruise intervals

Like hills, cruise intervals make great early-season workouts but can be useful in the off-season, too. These are meant to be done at a controlled, tempo pace, and you can make the workout more appropriate for the off-season by decreasing the total volume or increasing the rest. You should always feel in control during this workout, and if you’re breathing very heavily, back off the pace and increase the rest. This workout should not be done more than once every couple of weeks. Here’s an example of a workout:

Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jog

Workout: 3-4 x 1km; 2-3 minutes rest between each interval

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching

Fartlek

A week of off-season training with Trevor Hofbauer

You can take the same pacing principles from the cruise intervals and apply them to a fartlek run. All you have to do is choose a section of your easy run (say, the middle 10-15 minutes) and use landmarks to decide when to speed up and slow down. This is a great option for runners who have trouble slowing down when they’re looking at a watch. Here’s an example:

Warmup: 15-20 minutes easy jog

Workout: 10-15 minutes fartlek running at cruise interval pace

Cooldown: 15-20 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching