December Prep Work

Right now I'm trying to put in some easy workouts wherever and whenever possible. Just trying to kind of work back in to a routine, so that when January rolls around I can hit the ground running and start back with some structure.
Last week after being sick on Monday and Tuesday, I got motivated and hit the pool twice - on Wednesday morning and then Friday morning. I knew it was gonna feel hard and sure enough. On Wednesday, all I did was a steady 30 min swim (no lap count or anything) with an ez WU and then pulls for CD. For Friday -5x500 (2500 yds) - avg'd around 1:35 per 100. Not fast but I was really working on trying to get my stroke to feel smooth. I really felt like I had been swimming really good towards the latter part of the summer, so I'm hoping that by getting back in the pool a little earlier this year - I won't lose too much of that "muscle memory" technique. Its amazing that as I swam more I realized how important it is to be efficient. I was pulling consistent sub 1:20 / 100 pace (while wearing baggies) back in June - August. In an Xterra race, its nice to come out of the water in good position so that you don't have to pass a lot of people in the singletrack. A wide open trail is a fast trail! As for running, I got in about 13 miles total - 4 miles on Tuesday; 3.5 on Wednesday; and 5.5 on Friday. As for the weekend - I didn't do JACK!!! No riding, running, or swimming.....just mainly worked around the house and hung out with the Stephanator. Had plans to run on Sunday, but opted to stay out of the cold and sleep in and then drink a ton of coffee. Oh well, it was nice and relaxing and one of my home improvement projects is nearing completion.

As for this week - last nite i put in 6 miles at about 8 min pace - just a nice jog down 1st street. Nothing hard. And this morning (Wednesday), back in the pool for another 2500. I "felt" a little faster but my watch said otherwise. But that's alright, definitely not stressing on times or pacing right now.

I'm considering scaling back my plans for the marathon in February - might just do the half - but try to do it sub-1:30. My thought process is that since I'm not doing anything long distance, a marathon might not be the best idea. Besides, I'll need to start puttin in some longer bike miles in January and February and marathon training could get in the way. Time for recovery is definitely a rare commodity around my house. I've got to think about goals and priorities. It would be nice to do the marathon, but I think my tri stuff might suffer. Oh well, really not that big of a deal - but just something I've been kicking around. Right now, nothing is set in stone.

Next race - Gator Bowl 5K on New Year's Eve -- i'm really wanting to set a 5K PR here. Last year, I went 0:20:43, so there is some room for improvement.