How to Manage “Down” Periods When You're Not Training

HOW DO YOU spend your off-season? Let’s back up. Do you have an offseason? The fact that you can run year-round is a very neat element of this sport, but it also means that you should set some personal boundaries.

- JESS MOVOLD

For me, it’s important that within my running, I create separation and structure to better help identify when I’m in a training cycle and when I’m simply staying connected to running. I call the “down” periods in my training “Fun Run Season.”

Running brings me joy and helps me feel connected to the person I want to be, so I never want there to be large gaps within my life without it. But there are times after I race when I’m not physically or mentally prepared to throw myself right back into a rigid training cycle. That’s when I try to become more in tune with myself as a runner and even spend more time in the gym.

Here are four reasons incorporating a Fun Run Season into your training can help you create structure within your off-season and take your capabilities as a runner to the next level.

Take time to connect to your inner runner