Fall back, not down
By Scott K. Ferguson, Ph.D. | Co-Founder and Head-Coach
Fall and Winter are great seasons to give some time back to family and friends, especially after a long season of training.
Photo: Co-Founder George Bieker enjoying some well-earned R&R with friends along the Buffalo National River.
We have made it to Fall. If you live in the northern hemisphere, chances are that the temperatures are getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and you’re about to lose an hour of your day due to the long…cold…dark that is the winter. I love fall, but since my wife and I moved to big island Hawaii this summer, our fall will be quite different from most of you back on the mainland. We don’t even have daylight savings time here since the total variation in daylight throughout the year is only about 12 minutes. However, many of our athletes in North America are enjoying fall temperatures in the high country, which afford more shoe grip during rock climbing and cooler temperatures for mid-day sends (it’s called Rocktober for a reason, folks).
Many hunters have also already filled their elk and deer tags (and freezers) or will be doing so in the coming 6-8 weeks as we continue to head into the colder temperatures of winter. While many folks are looking forward to a winter full of ice climbing and skiing, some of you might be winding down for the year and could already have your sights set on significant objectives next spring and summer. If you don’t have big-time goals for the winter months, it’s a perfect time to take your foot off the pedal and enjoy some well-earned recovery time. A proper recovery period, even up to a couple of months, is critical to let both your mind and body decompress and recuperate from the buildup to your main athletic endeavor (i.e., late fall race or climb or hunting season). Most serious athletes operate on an annual training cycle, and this recovery period should be built into the yearly plan. So, get some rest! You earned it!
However, what you shouldn’t do is let the wheels fall off. Here are thee actionable tips that will help keep all of us on the right path as we start to winterize our routines and settle into the colder months.
1. Stay active: Your body and mind need some planned time off from structured training; so take it! It’s ok to turn down the volume on your training and not worry about what workout you have tomorrow or what big training day you have planned for the weekend. DO NOT use this as a license to get lazy. Most of the athletes that come to us for training are type-A folks that can’t stand the thought of spending several weeks in a nearly sedentary state. But for the rest of the population, it can be easy to settle into a pace of skipping the morning workout, spending all day at the office, and then coming home from work only to eat a huge dinner and drink a few beers (or more) in front of the TV. It gets especially easier to slide into this routine as the days get shorter. Stay active by planning fun activities. Are you bummed deer and elk season are over? Try small game and upland bird hunting! Have you finished your last race for the season? Grab a pair of skis or snowshoes and find some trails around your area! Is it cold BUT brown and flat where you live instead of snowy and mountainous? Give winter camping a try! It may sound crazy, but when I was living in Kansas, ALL of the parks that I camped during the winter were empty, and if you have the right equipment (winter camping shouldn’t be miserable), you’re in for a real treat.
2. Plan some family time: Support from your family and friends is critical for your success as an athlete. They understand why you couldn’t attend that family gathering so close to race week or head to the 8 pm hockey game the night before a big training day. Now is the time to give some time back to the people that have allowed you to train and compete for the sport that you love. Go above and beyond the holidays here. Time is precious, and not just for training, so take advantage of the time off from structured training to make some new memories with those that support you the most. Maybe even take them WINTER CAMPING 😊
3. Set goals: Late fall and early-winter are typically a time when everyone reflects on the past year, and this is no different for the athlete. Use this time to identify the triumphs and pitfalls that you encountered during your last year of training. Identify what went right and what could have gone better and use this information to formulate a strategy for the coming season. What races or events would you like to pursue this year? Maybe you’re headed back to the same 50K with the hope of a podium finish over that one dude (or dudett?) that beat you by 27 seconds last year. Or maybe you’re tired of hunting white-tail deer on the same private land plot and want to give elk hunting a go on public land in the Colorado high country. No matter your pursuits, winter is the perfect time to layout your strike plan for the coming year.
Even if you’re a winter athlete, there will likely be times during the cold months where you have some downtime due to the holidays or (god forbid) injury or illness. Use this time to your advantage so that when you are back in the game, you’re even better than before. Always Stronger: Summation Athletics
