If you’re in the same boat as I am, you don’t yet have a clear goal for 2025. This can be a weird place to be as everyone seems to be dialing in their calendar for the upcoming season. Maybe you have a vague idea of what you want to do, maybe you have too many options, or maybe you’re just unsure because you’re not positive what life is going to look like in a few months. Maybe you’re in the process of changing jobs (or know you might be soon), you’re not sure what the kids are doing for spring/summer sports, or you’re in the middle of a move or a major home renovation. It happens! (Especially when racing isn’t your full-time job, as is the case for most of us.)
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because that’s the season that I’m in right now: Some vague ideas, some notions, but no burning desire to do a specific race or go for a specific goal. Here’s what I’m doing to avoid digging myself into a hole—I know if I’m not paying attention now, next year will sneak up on me and I’ll end up underprepared for the goals I do eventually decide on!
Don’t panic if you don’t have a goal, yet!
Look, while having your race schedule sorted and knowing your A goal for 2025 is a great thing, it’s entirely normal to be feeling a little ‘meh’ or unsure at this time of year. Especially if the past season was especially great or especially… not great. (See: Molly’s 2024 Leadville 100 running race.) Sometimes it’s hard to move on after a major milestone, no matter how it went. For me, I feel fine about my race and my subsequent recovery, but after years of aiming for that big goal, it’s a little hard to figure out where to go from here. So, first step: Don’t freak out that you don’t have a plan yet. It doesn’t make you a bad athlete, it makes you human. (Also, the holidays and end of year are just bonkers for some people between family, friends and work, and to add ‘picking your season goal’ on top of that if you’re waffling on it is just a ridiculous burden to take on and feel bad about!)
Don’t hamstring yourself on races you may want to do
There’s a caveat to not panicking, because to some extent, time is of the essence, especially if the races you do tend to be bigger ones. This is a controversial one but I’m going to say that if you’re unsure about a race but you know entries fill up fast or there’s a lottery you need to enter, sign up or enter the lottery! Don’t miss your chance at doing the race you want to do because you’re not 110% sure right now. (I did this with a 100-miler happening in May—I’m not 110% committed to it, but I knew it would fill up and didn’t want to miss out. That said, this race has great deferral, downgrade and bib swapping options, so if I don’t do it, I’m not automatically out that money—so check on those policies!)
Use this as an ‘enjoyment audit’
When you don’t have a goal race on the calendar, this is a GREAT time to let yourself honestly assess what kind of cycling or running you truly love doing. What are the rides/runs you’re leaning towards? You may find that what you love doing—long, meandering mountain bike rides—don’t fit with your usual race prep for cyclocross. Maybe a marathon MTB race or MTB stage race would actually hold more appeal. As we always say, even if you can prepare for the goal you have set, do you want to? This is a good chance to really dig into that question!
Start on base training
Whatever racing (or just adventuring) you do end up doing next season, you’re still going to need to have that aerobic base. So even if you’re not following a specific plan or you’re feeling very casual about what you’re doing right now, try to get in movement most days. This can be base training for your sport (gravel, road, MTB, trail running, etc.) or it can be more open-ended cardio for now. Things like walking, hiking, XC skiing, swimming, even cardio-type classes at the gym can be nice this time of year to mix it up without getting too far afield from your baseline fitness.
Our Offroad Base cycling Training Plan is a perfect way to get started on your year
Build your strength
If training motivation is low, consider a gym block. I love mixing in strength, yoga and Pilates year-round, but particularly in the off-season when I’m feeling a little less motivated about pushing it on the run. Obviously, we love cross-training and consider strength an important addition to your cycling. But we also realize most people don’t have the time/energy/motivation to push for gains in the gym year round, nor should they. Still, if you don’t have a clear goal for 2025 yet, why not add in a strength-focused block now so that you’re up a level by the time you do decide on your goal? (We have a 2 month strength focused plan for cyclists right here!)
Take care of your general health
We talk about this every November/December, but especially if you’re a little light on the training load at the moment, now is a GREAT time to schedule those annoying appointments. You know the ones: Dentist, yearly check-up, gynecologist, optometrist, dermatologist, vasectomy, bloodwork… all those annoying ‘general health’ things that you put off because training and racing are taking up your time. Get those appointments done ASAP!
