There Is No Off-Season-A Coach Roundtable (2021) | Koopcast Episode 143
Episode overview:
Coach Koop sits down with coaches Stephanie Howe PhD, AJW, Darcie Murphy and Ryne Anderson to discuss what they are doing with their athletes’ transition phase.
Episode highlights:
(10:03) Unstructured training: psychological recovery, fear of detraining, quantifying maintenance
(33:36) Working your weaknesses: physical therapy, use geography to your advantage
(45:33) Incorporating SkiMo: racing year-round, the importance of recovery, impact and cross-training traps
Our conversation:
(0:00) Intro: making the best use of the “off season”, re-release of episode 95
(2:17) Why discuss the off season: athlete tendencies, sharing coach experiences and plans
(4:45) Darcie’s three-pronged approach: strengths, weaknesses, and overall fitness
(6:22) Looking at athlete histories: cross training, adding time and volume
(8:23) Trusting in recovery: examples, building confidence
(10:03) Unstructured training: psychological recovery, fear of detraining, quantifying maintenance
(13:53) The 50% rule: chronic training load, time for adaptations and detraining
(17:14) Fear of weight gain: sources, examples
(20:00) Nutrition and weight: healthy weight gain, the big picture, diet determines weight
(22:40) Body composition: natural fluctuations, athlete backgrounds
(24:16) Managing caloric intake: metabolism, energy output, preparing for the season
(26:17) Athletes who stop training: the dangers of a true “off” season
(27:51) Balancing burnout and recovery: mental rejuvenation, athlete temperaments
(30:52) Anecdote: Zach Miller at Barr Camp, work your weaknesses during the down season
(33:36) Working your weaknesses: physical therapy, use geography to your advantage
(36:14) Warm-weather winters: year-round races, pacing, working on speed
(39:14) Races as training runs: practicing nutrition, running with friends and partners
(41:39) Strength training: benefits for women and aging athletes, opportunities for high volume athletes
(45:33) Incorporating SkiMo: racing year-round, the importance of recovery, impact and cross-training traps
(48:44) Tell your coach: all training modes add up
(49:42) Mental and physical recovery: you need both to prevent burnout, the long range plan
(53:16) Avoid marginal gains: anecdotes, don’t copy elite athletes
(55:12) Wrap-up: giving thanks
(55:44) Outro: takeaways for different types of athletes, start coaching in the winter
Additional resources:
Koop’s blog on off season- https://trainright.com/off-season-for-ultrarunners-setting-up-your-transition-phase/
Information on coaching-
Koop’s Social Media
Twitter/Instagram- @jasonkoop