Turn a weakness into a strength this winter to boost your spring marathon training or triathlon training

Sure, the winter off-season can be looked at as a time of recovery. Without any races looming, there’s no pressing need to log the high mileage or intense workouts you normally would as part of a serious marathon training program or triathlon training plan. That said, the off-season is also an excellent time to identify and address one or more of your fitness weaknesses that you normally don’t have time to focus on during heavy training periods.
 
Let’s say you’re new to triathlon training and you struggle with the swim. Devote the next several weeks to work on becoming a stronger swimmer (see our blog on learning to swim for triathlon). Or maybe you feel the need to boost your sport-specific power. Add some plyometric exercises to your training this winter to power-up your running stride, cycling pedal stroke, or freestyle swim stroke. Whatever the fitness weakness, take the time now to shore it up. Come spring, you might just be rewarded with improved endurance performance—and a PR.