January Training

I am pretty good at keeping up with my training log for each week.  I have a formulated a plan for myself for the next few months.  It took a lot of this



and this



to get the final results.  My attempts at planning my training life.  So far, things seem to be going well.  My one weakness is not always looking at the whole picture and seeing how one thing affects the other and then causes the next thing to happen.  You know how that goes.

I decided to tabulate my totals for the month- something I have never done. (I know, I am probably the only one in the entire world that doesn't get hung up on numbers and I teach math????)

Putting this out for all to see is a true testament to my desire to walk to my own beat because it is so hard to put your numbers out there.  Kinda like advertising your weight online for the world to see.  Makes you vulnerable and comparison rages like a wildfire.  So easy to find those who have numbers like this in a week never mind a month.  But I gently remind myself that this is me, my life.  The numbers only show miles and doesn't show schedules, family obligations, work issues and personal sufferfests.  The truth is I have pledged myself to a training program and so far I have not missed nor shortchanged any of my workouts.  I am preparing myself physically and mentally in so many ways and I am proud of my efforts.  My goals have never been to be the best out of everyone but to be MY best and enjoy the journey this road of life takes me on.

So, this is how it adds up;

Running miles- 91.5

Biking miles- 323

Cross country skiing miles- 15

Swimming in meters- 1000

Did you just laugh- don't try to hide it, I can hear.

I took the swimming out, then added it back in too many times to mention.  It is an embarrassment that I am training for a triathlon and get no swimming in.  We have no pool here.  Ya, you don't need to read that again.  I live in the sticks and have no pool. We actually have a wellness center that was just built and the opening was scheduled for last Nov., around the time I signed up for the triathlon.  Delays, pool leaks and more have led to no pool opening probably until late March.  So I will be driving a couple hours hopefully every 10 days to get my locks wet.  It is safe to say I may not be rocking the swim portion of my first triathlon in 2014.

I am hoping that looking at the monthly miles will help me see smaller things in the big picture and also boost my confidence.  I try to always tell myself to look short term, only 5 miles, only 10 minutes because the magnitude of a 50 mile bike ride seems kinda, well, huge.  But 5 miles is good.  I can do that.  I see now that I can do more than that and that is good too.

I'm betting you can too!

 

What kind of training plan do you use?

What do you tell yourself to get through long workouts?