Dealing With the Post-Peak Hangover

Or: How I planned to spend the months after my A-race for the year, but didn't.

I’ve been trying to write this post for two months.

At first, this was going to be an in-the-moment recording of getting back on the bike after the peak race of my season, something I struggled with over the last two years. I didn’t have more racing ambition this year after the 2024 Mishigami Challenge, but I wanted to enjoy riding through the rest of the summer and early fall before transitioning into my offseason.

Then I had other obligations that took priority. Then I broke my hand and could barely do anything active for over a month. Then I struggled to motivate myself.

So here I am, just like the last couple years, getting back into training after a two to three month break. It’s not that I’ve been completely sedentary (this year, at least). I did a little mountain biking on vacation in August. I’ve been on the indoor trainer a couple times a week through October. (And – please hear me clearly if “a couple times a week” is everything that you have the time and motivation for – that’s not nothing. Be proud of yourself and enjoy your bicycle.) I’ve done the odd mobility or core exercise. But it hasn’t been the smooth maintenance-into-offseason that I was envisioning in late August.

Maybe next year I’ll be able to share how I broke through the emotional come-down (not to mention the physical recovery) after my peak race. This year, not so much.

Instead, let me celebrate the silver linings, because even though I’m sad about the rides not ridden, the bikepacking not done, I can be at least a little grateful for the genuine benefits of rest.

My internal motivation tank is all filled up.

The winter isn’t the best time for riding a bike, but I’m genuinely excited about building my base on the indoor trainer for the next several months. I’m excited to get back into the gym.

As a brief aside, I really don’t like lifting weights that much. It doesn’t have any of the adventure of an outdoor sport to me, even when tracking progress. BUT, for a few months in the offseason focusing on the gym can be a nice change of pace. I’ll be writing more about my offseason routine soon.

I feel excited about next year.

The winter can be a double-edged sword when it comes to anticipating the coming year. Setting up a schedule for the year, finding events or adventures to target, it’s all great external motivation. But I also have to stop myself from buying all the new gear that I won’t use for months and might not need anyways. Consumerism is pernicious, y’all.

2025 is going to be a lot of fun, though. I’m excited about actually getting to ride with the Chicago Randonneurs after joining this year and then not being able to make any of the rides (except for one – where I broke my hand). I’ve got some fun personal challenges in mind. And I think I’ve narrowed in on the couple events I’ll be trying to peak for. I’ll also be writing about my 2025 schedule soon, although unlike my offseason routine, “soon” might mean January in this case.

I’ve gotten to spend more time with people I care about.

Yes, it’s cliché. No, I don’t care.

Training takes a lot of time. I sometimes joke that adulthood is having to choose just one hobby to reserve time for, but there’s a lot of truth to that, especially when my one hobby takes hours from my week. (Frequently hours from a single day.)

Honestly, I hate having to prioritize when there are multiple things I want to do. I’ve spent a considerable amount of energy over the course of my life trying to avoid choosing between things I want to do. Given a little free time, I’ll try to do all the things instead.

This newsletter being a public artifact, it isn’t a place where I’m going to go into my personal life much, but some of the other “obligations,” as I put it up above, aren’t half as burdensome as that word can suggest. I’ve spent more time the last few months simply being with people I love when I needed them and they needed me. I wasn’t trying to balance a strict training regimen.

Not to put too neat a bow on things, but something I have learned over the last few years taking a big chunk of time almost completely off is that you don’t need to be afraid of what you haven’t done. Ugh, yes, tomorrow is a new day and all that; more importantly, it really is an opportunity to find joy in moving your body. Find excitement in the process of training. A little bit now is a little bit you’ll feel good about later.

And if you didn’t start yesterday, there’s always still today.