Ok, so its the off season. Time to stop, put the feet up and go into hibernation yeah?
Well, that’s always an option if you are happy to play catch-up all of next tri season whilst you watch your competitors (and you PB’s) disappear over the horizon.
But the smart Triathlete knows that the off-season is a time to recover, rebuild, and work on areas that can improve performance when race season rolls around. One often-overlooked tool for boosting run strength and endurance is cross-country running. Incorporating off-road terrain into your off-season training can provide a range of benefits that directly translate to better triathlon performance. Here’s why you should consider hitting the trails and fields in your off-season training.
1. Strengthens Muscles and Joints
Cross-country running involves uneven terrain, hills, and varied surfaces that challenge different muscle groups compared to road running. Running on trails strengthens stabilizing muscles, improves joint resilience, and reduces the risk of overuse injuries common in triathletes who primarily train on pavement.
2. Enhances Running Efficiency and Agility
Off-road running forces athletes to adjust their stride, cadence, and foot placement in response to changing terrain. This helps improve proprioception (your body’s awareness in space), agility, and the ability to adapt quickly—a skill that can be valuable in the unpredictable nature of triathlon courses.
3. Reduces Impact on the Body
Running on softer surfaces like dirt, grass, and trails reduces the impact forces on your joints compared to running on asphalt or concrete. This can be especially beneficial in the off-season when your body is recovering from months of high-intensity training and racing.
4. Builds Mental Toughness
Cross-country running is challenging—mud, hills, uneven footing, and unpredictable conditions test mental resilience. Learning to push through discomfort and navigate difficult terrain can enhance mental toughness, a crucial component of triathlon success.
5. Improves Aerobic Endurance, Strength and SPEED!
The varied terrain in cross-country running naturally incorporates hill training, forcing your body to work harder and boosting aerobic capacity. Additionally, the strength gains from running uphill and maintaining balance on uneven surfaces contribute to overall endurance improvements. Being shorter, sharper races these will go a long way to helping you improve your speed. Particually important for those athletes who tis year might be dropping down from 70.3 or IM racing to have a crack at sprint / standard events.
6. Breaks Monotony and Keeps Training Enjoyable
The off-season is an opportunity to refresh your training approach, and cross-country running can provide a fun, adventurous change from structured road or track workouts. Exploring new trails and running in nature can reignite your love for running while maintaining fitness. Most Cross-country events are also a lot shorter that what we as triathletes are used to and this in itelsf can help break the monotony of long trainig sessions.
As coaches we love to incorporate Cross Country running into our athletes programs. We are regular faces at our local Cross Country club events (links below) and encourage our correspondance athletes to link in with their own local clubs.
Geelong: https://gccc.au/
Ballarat: https://www.ballaratycw.com.au/cross-country
Another great resource for finding running races is this one: https://www.runningcalendar.com.au/
