Transition / Off-Season

The transition is the 2–6 week bridging phase between two race preparations or at season end: loose structure, low volume, focus on strength and mobility.

Definition

“Transition”, also called the off-season, is the training phase between two race preparations. It follows the recovery phase and leads into the preparation phase of the next season or straight into the next build.

At season end it typically lasts 4–6 weeks; between two A-races within one season, 1–2 weeks. The aim is to give body and mind the break an intense year demands without losing the aerobic base entirely.

Why it matters

The recovery phase repairs what a single race leaves behind. The transition addresses what a whole season leaves behind: mental fatigue, neglected strength and mobility, small niggles that never had time to heal during the build. Skipping this phase means starting the new season with last season’s problems.

At the same time, a complete break of several weeks is expensive. Aerobic endurance declines measurably after two to three weeks without training, and getting back takes longer than the break itself. A loose but regular structure keeps the loss small.

Structure and signals

Feature	Typical value
Duration at season end	4–6 weeks
Duration between two A-races	1–2 weeks
Volume	`40–60%` of base volume, constant
Intensity `Z1/Z2/Z3`	`95/5/0`
Focus	Strength, mobility, coordination, nutrition, other sports

Signs the phase is working: the desire for structured training returns, niggles have healed, strength numbers rise, and weight stays stable. HRV sits steadily in the upper part of your individual range.

Signs it has gone on too long: heart rate at your usual easy pace climbs by 5+ beats over several weeks, weight increases by more than 2–3%, or motivation tips from “recovered” into “aimless”. Then the preparation phase should begin with new diagnostics.

How obseed measures it

During the transition obseed watches less for load than for its absence: the volume trend should stay flat and the share of Z2 and Z3 close to zero. Sessions that become intense anyway, because the group ride was hard, are flagged against the thresholds from your latest diagnostics.

More important is the comparison of aerobic efficiency: heart rate at the same output in Z1, measured across the transition weeks. If this value rises clearly, base fitness is being lost and obseed points out that the break has been long enough. The diagnostics at the start of the preparation phase then show how the metabolic profile has actually shifted.

Example

Off-season of a runner after an autumn marathon, five weeks, base volume 60 km:

Week	Volume	Structure
1	20 km	3 easy runs, 2 strength sessions, 1 yoga
2	25 km	3 easy runs, 1 hike, 2 strength sessions
3	30 km	3 runs, one on trails, 2 strength sessions, swimming
4	30 km	4 runs, 2 strength sessions, 1 mobility
5	35 km	4 runs with strides at the end, 2 strength sessions

Distribution 95/5/0 throughout. The phase ends with the diagnostics that open the preparation phase of the next season.