How Much Time Off Should Runners Take After a Race Season? | For Better or For Worse

Your race season is over. Now what? This week on For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis talk about one of the most underrated skills in running: taking time off the right way.

Alexis took a break after her first 5K race season and now feels stuck in running’s “no man’s land.” She’s unsure when to start again, how hard to train or what her next goal should be. Alex is on day nine of a full two-week reset after the Valencia Half Marathon. He shares what he’s learned from more than a decade of off-seasons, including every mistake he’s made along the way.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:39 Do You Believe in Psychics?
05:32 Oz Pearlman: The 2:23 Marathoner Mentalist
11:35 Taking Time Off After Your Race Season
13:45 Alexis’ Off-Season: Running’s “No Man’s Land”
21:38 How Much Fitness Do You Lose? The VO2 Max Study
26:54 Alex’s 3 Types of Time Off
36:06 Off-Season Mistakes Runners Make
42:26 How Do You Recharge? (And What Not to Cheap Out On)
50:05 Listener Comments: Bicarb and Japan’s Deep Running Culture

Have a question for Alex or Alexis? Drop it in the comments. And tell us: are you a listener or a viewer of the pod?