{"id":450,"date":"2015-04-12T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-13T01:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/?p=450"},"modified":"2015-06-08T10:09:13","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T14:09:13","slug":"the-catch-22-longest-off-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/2015\/04\/the-catch-22-longest-off-season\/","title":{"rendered":"The Catch-22 & the Longest “Off-season”"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m set to kick off my season next weekend with back-to-back half distance races:\u00a0New Orleans 70.3<\/a>\u00a0on April 19th and\u00a0Texas 70.3<\/a>\u00a0on April 26th. Perhaps you’ve noticed my lengthy hiatus from racing\u2014seven long months to be exact. That extended “off-season” wasn’t the product of injury, illness or other commitments; it was a calculated decision. In this post, I’ll explain why and how I’ve fallen deeper down the rabbit hole of pro triathlon.<\/p>\n

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Excitement over my new race suit overcame my aversion to selfies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Catch-22<\/b><\/h2>\n

After last season<\/a>, my first racing as a pro, I faced a Catch-22 of sorts. I knew that I’d jump at the opportunity to spin professional triathlon into something resembling a career. I also knew that such an opportunity would depend on achieving a higher level of performance\u2014not only with racing, but also with the soft skills that influence success in pro triathlon.<\/p>\n

I recognized that being successful would require a greater commitment to triathlon, but I wasn’t compelled to make that commitment until the success rolled in.<\/p>\n

I could see this dilemma, yet it felt risky and impulsive\u2014reckless even\u2014to go “all in” with triathlon before I had solid proof of concept that I could really hack it as pro triathlete. Like buying the ring after the first date.<\/p>\n

My cautious and conservative streak screamed its objection. But for once, I stopped listening.<\/p>\n

The longest “off-season”<\/b><\/h2>\n

Last year, I was initially eager to race late into the fall and then get an early start in 2015. An inexperienced pro triathlete should race as much as possible, right?<\/p>\n

My coach David<\/a> had a different idea. He advocated taking several months off racing, citing the potential for development that this would provide. There would be no interruptions imposed by tapering for and recovering from races, and no pressure to have race-ready fitness balanced across three sports. Just training. David even threw some numbers into his pitch, predicting how much I could expect to improve in that time. Before long, I was sold.<\/p>\n

My extended “off-season” can be roughly divided into three blocks:<\/p>\n