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What to do with your summer fitness

Do you really want to call it a season after all that training? Here are five ideas to capitalize on your fitness.

Labour day weekend BBQs.

Labour Day weekend is upon us. The weekend marks the unofficial start of new beginnings – the kids go back to school, university starts up again and it’s back to the work routine. For some, the weekend may mark the end of their triathlon season, but with all the fitness do you want to call it quits?

You’ve sweated it out all summer on the bike. You even ran track intervals during the heat of the day. And don’t forget the countless early morning lengths at the pool. Luckily, there are a number of events you can do that aren’t restrained to triathlons this fall. Here are a few ideas on how you can capitalize on your summer fitness.

  1. Fall Triathlon: Yes, in the fall a few triathlons are happening across Canada. For example, in Ontario, there’s the Niagara Falls Barrelman organized by Multisport Canada on September 21st. Check out your provincial triathlon website for races near you.
  2. Do a Duathlon: With no swim section involved, duathlons run late into the fall season. It’s a great way to work on your bike/run splits in a race setting.
  3. Fall Marathon: For those that have been building up the mileage this summer for a 70.3 or full triathlon, why not do a long road race? Maybe not a marathon, but a half? After all that training – swimming, biking and running, you’ve developed the lung capacity, strength and speed.
  4. Cross Season: So, we triathletes may get a bad rap for our bike handling. Whether they have a point or not is another debate, but why not show the cyclists what we got (or not) at a cyclocross race. Cyclocross is an exciting race format where competitors bike/run around a mile to two-mile course. The course has barriers, sand, mud, tight corners and beer. If you’re someone that doesn’t have the best bike handling skills – have no fear, many cycling clubs host clinics and beginner races.
  5. Plan a destination triathlon: Now is the time to plan a triathlon somewhere warm. There are plenty of destination spot Ironman’s or 70.3 races in the early winter and late fall. If this fall/winter is too soon, look into registering for a summer race. Time is money and if you plan now, you’ll save.
  6. Or do none of the above and chill. There is a certain “coolness” of just rolling with the punches and not planning much. Fall is a great time to unwind, get back into a routine and rest your body from a long season of training. If you’re going to rest, make sure you actually rest. This way you can come back into training in the winter all fired up.