Champions and seasons are made and broken by what we do and don't do in the off-season. Too many athletes wait until the racing season is upon them to hire a coach. And after having a haphazard off-season, they ask them to work miracles with their fitness. Impossible.

Some athletes go as far as to fire their coach when the racing season is over and then hire them again come spring. Not only does this hurt your fitness level, but many coaches may not have slots available and some require the athlete to pay another start up fee for the additional work -- since they haven't been working together continuously.

Besides, this approach is very short-sighted and leads to less-than-optimal fitness and unattained goals come race season. What you do in the off-season determines the heights that you can reach during the next year. Those who do it correctly meet and exceed their goals. Those who don't take the off-season seriously may end up falling short and wondering why.

Why is this? The most common traps involve doing too much or not doing enough. Doing too much can take many forms. The most common: pushing too hard and ignoring base fitness; doing too much of the wrong exercises; and gaining too much weight by not eating correctly.

However, even more athletes fall into the latter of the two categories. Doing too little includes: Not taking any time off; not doing enough miles; skipping cross-training or gym work; not doing enough base work before moving up the training spectrum; not attending to goals and long-term planning; and not taking this time when there are no races to attain those elusive body composition goals.

Having a coach can help you ensure that the things you are doing are actually helping you to attain your goals. Don't miss the opportunity to create your best season ever by working with a coach who can help you optimize your training time in the off-season and make sure you are on track for the upcoming year.

Many athletes want to come into form overnight. In endurance sports, it just doesn't work that way. Those who are patient and diligent in their preparation make the greatest gains.

Take this athlete as an example: She started with me in November with her goals set for the following July. Her patient progress paid off when she was on the podium 13 out of 14 races and won her state championships, as well as two stage races. She was patient and believed in herself, her coach and the slow, yet promising process. That's a perfect example of what doing things correctly earn us.

Some things your coach can help you with during the off-season include:

Nutritional guidance and analysis

Body composition goals

An effective cross-training schedule

Periodized training for development in your sport of choice

Proper strength and conditioning programming

Yoga and flexibility training protocols

Goal development for the upcoming season and annual planning

Whether you are a recreational racer or a full-time athlete, what we do outside of our racing season is more important than most realize. Often, it will determine what we can achieve when the time comes to perform.

Jeb has a Master's degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion and is certified by the ACSM, NSCA, USAT and USA Cycling as an Elite Level Coach. He is a performance consultant to the AEG/Toshiba Professional and Travel Girl Elite cycling teams and a Category 2 cyclist. He is the co-creator of The Next Level, Strength Training for Endurance Athletes DVD and contributes to Bicycling magazine, Runner's World, Tri-Newbies.com, Ironman Live and the Daily Peloton. He owns and operates Endurofit, LLC, a coaching and consulting company dedicated to performance enhancement for athletes, coaches and organizations.