The off-season, a sanctuary for athletes, often begins as a welcome respite after the culmination of a year’s worth of anticipation and training. However after a few days of down time many athletes (like myself) find it extremely hard to fully let go of their strict training regime. My most recent off-season commenced after the 24-Hour Mountain Bike World Championships, leaving my body and mind yearning for a break. Despite the physical and emotional exhaustion, the ingrained discipline of a year-long training schedule persisted, urging me to maintain some semblance of routine. Intellectually I knew I needed a break from it all, but my body was still having a very hard time letting go of the constant need to work my body. It was like I was addicted, and if I didn’t get my fix, I would get depressed and agitated. Thus began a game with my psyche, substituting intense physical training for a rejuvenating routine centered around a newfound love—the outdoor barrel sauna and a DIY cold plunge.
The distant allure of an outdoor sauna transformed into a daily reality, thanks to a barrel sauna from Redwood Outdoors and a borrowed repurposed tub thanks to a good friend. A simple routine of an hour of sauna ing and cold plunging every other morning became a routine that scratched my itch of “needing to do something hard everyday” and revitalized every facet of my being. It became my new “coffee” but in many ways was better because it both woke me up and coaxed me into the day with a perfect blend of ease and focus. This feeling became my hook for sticking with it and made me pay attention to other changes in my mental and physical states.
As many know, or if you don’t- a quick google search on the interwebs will tell you that a habit of sauna ing and cold plunging are great for reducing stress, enhancing immunity, muscle recovery, increasing circulation, promoting mental clarity and more. There are actually no negative effects, only positive! After a couple of weeks of diving deep into this routine, I can say that I have experienced all of these benefits and more. What I have noticed more than anything however is how much more aware I am of my breath and self talk. In cold plunge especially, it takes a lot of internal positive talk and long slow breaths to help me stay in the challenging space for longer and longer. It has been fascinating and exciting to see this heightened awareness ripple into my every day life as a partner, parent and friend. It is really cool to see how taking a break from my usual routine has opened other doors other new and equally loved rituals. I am also super excited to see how this new awareness helps me while adventure racing, especially during those super hard hours.. or days.
A Month of Rejuvenation: For four weeks, I am so proud to say that this morning routine is the ONLY thing I truly committed to. Everything else was a bonus and was only done if I felt like it. Luckily my off season lined up perfectly with the holidays which lent itself to fun family excursions, ski days, bike packing trips and fun mountain bike rides. We taught acro, got back into climbing and started lifting. I learned how to knit, weave and started playing the piano again. Whatever felt good that day, we did it and if some fun bike or run was planned but something else came up, I let it go. My goal was to make the theme of my off season “ease” and “chill”, two things that are very hard for me to embody on my own. However, thanks to the sauna and tricking my mind into doing my must do rejuvenating “routine”, I was able to fully lean in and embrace my off season for the first time ever.
For those that are interested in my ritual, read below:
My preferred sauna and cold plunge ritual is a dance of awakening: waking up, journaling, engaging in stretching or a morning run, followed by a 20-minute sauna session. Then the cold plunge, lasting 1-2 minutes, provides a refreshing jolt before returning to the sauna for 15 minutes. I do this a few more times, going back and forth until my final cold plunge concludes the ritual, ending on a chilly note to boost metabolism and revel in the invigorating and vibrating sensations. Sometimes this would happen at night after the kids went to bed rather than the morning because it gave Jason and I an extra layer of connection and shared rejuvenation. Either way, I tried and continue to try to do it every other day.
The sauna and cold plunge have become more than mere off-season companions—they are my new renewing rituals. As the off-season draws to a close, I emerge with a heightened sense of readiness, both physically and mentally, eager to embark on a new season of challenges and victories. This simple routine, born out of a need for recovery, has become a cornerstone in my journey toward holistic well-being. I am excited to see how we use this ritual in our upcoming training block, either way, I know it will be getting a LOT of use for many years to come.
If you are interested in the type of sauna we got, it is the 6 person Barrel Panorama Sauna from Redwood Saunas. The BIG window lets natural light come in while enjoying the heat which adds to the serene feeling of it all. The barrel heats up fast and easy thanks to the Harvia Kip electric stove. The stove has a timer on it, which I use by setting it for 8 hours before I go to bed so that I can wake up and hop right in with out waiting for it to heat up. It’s also nice to set the timer before doing a long ride or run outside. It does come with a wood option, but since we have a wood stove in our house that we use all the time, we wanted something that was quick and easy to turn on. There are other barrel saunas out there of course, but I would highly recommend Redwood, they have been extremely responsive with customer service and it was pretty easy to set up. As long as you have two days, a friend and an electrician who can set it up at the very end then you are good to go. Feel free to use my name and reach out for a discount, or if you have any questions or want to share what you do, please send me a message!
