Gabe Joyes – family hike
Gabe’s tip of the month: It is OK to take an off season! Many athletes I work with are terrified to take a break from training because they are afraid their fitness will disappear and they will put on unwanted excess weight. Truthfully, these things might happen to a degree, and that is OK. It is unsustainable to maintain our top race shape endlessly, and if you don’t decide when to give your body a break, your body will decide for you with a nagging multi-month injury or illness. Your hard-earned fitness and physique return quickly when structured training resumes. Be more than a runner, and take a break from some weekend long runs and try something different, or spend some extra time with family and friends — they might need a break from your running too. All photos courtesy of Gabe Joyes.
Sarah Brady is Managing Editor at iRunFar. She’s been working in an editorial capacity for ten years and has been a trail runner for almost as long. Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sarah is an avid mountain runner and ultrarunner and competes at distances from under 10k to over 100k, and has proudly represented Ireland twice. When not running, she enjoys reading, socializing, and hanging out with her dog, Angie, and cat, Judy.
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