December Lessons

December's goal was straight training...no tapers... no races... JUST DO IT.  USAT's National Challenge Competition NCC really motivated me because "time" was eliminated in this competition.  I definitely put in the miles so I thought I really had a chance to kick some ass, even if slowly ! hahaha just so happens that Women's 45-49 AG is fiercely competitive and it is taking all my strength to stay in the top 10 but I am hanging in there, so that's my goal instead of a podium finish at the end of February! All month I worked on cadence and steady pace and thinking about technique.  I'm starting to see an improvement in my time now at the end of December.  For example, I swam in 58 degree water for 1.2 miles to mimic Oceanside conditions and finished in 40:23 which is 13 minutes faster than last year! I almost doubled my monthly mileage compared to November by breaking over 700 miles total distance! Although I really love the motivation initiated by NCC, I'm really looking forward to my next race January 5!

Total Swim Miles 40267 YDs = 22.88 miles ; AVG Wk 9235 yds = 5.25 miles
Total Bike Miles 581.67 ; AVG wk 124.40 mi
Total Run Miles 102.42 ; AVG wk 21.06 mi
Avg Weekly Hours 16.34 hours
Total Duration 75:30 hours
Total Distance 706.96 miles

I did have a major interruption this month so I'm glad I didn't have any races.  I had to learn to juggle constant interruptions around my training. We survived an eviction process at our rental property.  It was the worst experience ever in the 12 yrs we have owned the property. We learned the SD courts could care less about the landlord and the tenants have all the rights to live in your home for as long as possible.  It is absurd how paperwork can take weeks and get screwed up.  We were very lucky in that while the wife was in jail overnight, the husband helped me move them out of the house into portable storage units.  It took me all night until 4:30am and Marcus was out of state but it worked, because he signed a transfer of possession and I changed the locks immediately in the morning.  I've spent the 2nd half of December working with contractors to repair the property and finally as of today, it is ready for sale and looks amazing...Let's hope we have a little luck and it sells fast.  It will go on the market Jan 4 and I hope this chapter closes very soon!

My second interruption although quite a different experience is our new red/white Boston Terrier, Ruby. We have 2 cats and 1 dog who are not very happy with the 5 lb bundle of energy.  Ruby arrived Dec 24 and has stolen all our hearts immediately.  The adult kids are home so the entire family is raising and training this little new born pup.  She is very smart, already fetching and returning balls, and is very attentive and self-entertaining.  She terrorizes Caramello who is 8 yrs old but we hope in time they will become friends and soon Caramello will return to an active lifestyle rather than just a furry rug since his brother passed away almost 2 yrs ago. Hopefully Ruby will become my running partner but for now, walking with Caramello is the current work-in-progress!



Big Dogs Don't BONK! Lovin' the Hammergel package!

I like being a furry rug! WHY ME???

Seriously... leave me alone Squirt!

OMG now we have to WALK together too??

Ruby Red is our little gem!

So, I trained hard in December and hope 2013 will show it as I jump into a new age group division 50-54s on Jan 1, 2013! YIPEEEE! Those 45+ women are amazing, competititive, and exhausting to keep up with!