MID SEASON BURNOUT

Coping with burnout is never an easy task. Dealing with it mid season can be even more challenging. Both your physical and mental state seems to deteriorate even faster when the skies are blue and the trails are fresh. Most riders are on form and riding strong while all your buddies are spending non-race weekends out on epic high alpine singletrack.I've been there before. When training sessions seem to drag on and on. When our real lives seem to take over our professional athlete status, causing us to loose time on the bike and you just don't care. When you wake up for an early ride and secretly hope that it may be raining so you can have something other than yourself to blame for sleeping in. When the power in your legs took the vacation you though about and didn't bring your along.For me, when I've found myself in any of these types of seniors I've always tried to step away from the bike or any type of structured training plan for a few days. Sometimes even a week or more is necessary though. It's never easy. Riding our bikes is more than just a way to stay fit and ready for the next race. It's an aspect of life and even though it can seem like a job, it's a really good one that you never hope to get tired of. But sooner or later, you will.The main problem dealing with burnout is that there's no one solution that works for everyone. Just like training, racing, diets or even warming up, we're all on a different page and what works for me may not be the solution for you. Regardless, I'll share some experiences I've had that may help if you're dealing with this now or run across it in the future.Simply the best option that has produced the fastest rebound in the past was to take a few days off the bike. Hang it up completely. To sit back, try to relax and remove my thoughts from training. After a few day's I'm pretty hungry to get back on the bike or at least outside and do something athletic. If I do get back on the bike I try to hit up some rides that I haven't done in a while or rides that I know I'm really going to enjoy. I try to stay away from the trails or roads that I've been pounding over the past few months before I hung it up. If I can't access those types of rides, I find time to get out with the family or the pup on a hike. Hanging with the family in the mountains is a great way to freshen it up and there's no better motivation to ride cool single track than to spend a day walking on it.Another tip is to get out with as many good friends as possible. Check around for group rides from the local shops or find a weekend when no one is racing and throw something together. A few weeks ago I hooked up with nearly twenty riders for a 4.5-hour shred feast through the mountains of Park City. I wasn't dealing with burnout myself, but just spending the day pedaling with some friendly folks boosted my already high spirits.You can also reevaluate your training schedule. If you're keeping a riding journal look back and see what it was that brought you down. If you're still itching to train for an upcoming event, mix it up a bit more and avoid the hill intervals or what ever it was you spent so much time doing before. Try to relax and spin things out. Focus on riding like you did when you were young. Not because you need to peak for an upcoming race. Do it only because you love it. Don't let training and racing become another full-time job that you have to punch in and out on a daily basis.Relax, step away from the bike if you can. Mix it up with other activities instead of hours on the bike and know that if you do step away, what you leave momentarily will always be waiting for you when you return.