24 Dec ‘Tis the Off-Season with Laurel Wassner

Laurel Wassner is half of the dynamic duo that make up the Wassner Twins. She began competing in sports at a high level at a young age and hasn’t slowed down since, earning her pro license and being named Rookie of the Year in 2008. Laurel has worked hard in her training, qualifying for  the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI. However, her biggest challenge to date has not been a race, but battling and beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She and her sister Bec, are not only pro triathletes, but creators of the blog, Athlete Food, where they display unique recipes to teach others how to fuel and recover properly. Laurel’s passion and drive stem from the supportive family, who are always there to cheer for her! Find out how our ambassador Laurel enjoys her off-season while still gearing up for the new race season!

Let’s face it, I love to compete. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have traveled to 15 races around the globe and competed four of Ironmans over the last year. So when the off-season rolls around and I take a two plus month break from racing, I must admit to a little panic sets in. Here are four things I do to keep the competitive juices flowing while have a little fun.

Group workouts – no pressure, fun workouts that I can’t always fit in during the season.  A lot of my workout sessions are long solo days so it is great to have the camaraderie and motivation of the group running, strength and cycling classes at Cry Baby House in LA (crybabyhouse.com).

Race for fun – Enter a local running race just for the enjoyment of it.  Maybe something you wouldn’t do in the triathlon season, like a trail running race.  I recently did a 10k trail run in Malibu Creek State Park, made a bunch of new friends and loved every minute of it.  I also escorted my niece on her first running race. Sometimes it’s good to slow down the pace a bit and take part in the excitement and accomplishments of first time runners.

Cooking Projects: take the time to finally make that DIY energy bar recipe that’s been bookmarked on my computer for months. (http://www.athletefood.com/blog/2012/10/12/project-diy-energy-bars.html?rq=diy%20energy%20bars ) – I made these bars and brought them as snacks for my friends on a group ride. They loved it!

Log quality family time: I may not be logging long hours in the pool or on the roads, but it’s a good time to give my nieces and nephews swimming lessons, or do something with my mom and dad that doesn’t involve getting up early to watch me race!

—Laurel