December was somewhat of a "figuring out" month. Figuring out how to ride a tri bike effectively, figuring out that my gym shoes weren't suitable for running distances over 200 feet, figuring out that my cotton gym socks were probably going to give me blisters if I did, figuring out that a cotton t-shirt makes a miserable running shirt, figuring out when I'm going to have time to train, and figuring out some kind of plan.
After about a 20 year hiatus, I got back into the pool to see if I "still had it." In high school, and on my USS teams, a typical workout was in the area of 10,000 - 12,000 yards per day. Day one, back in the pool, netted me a whopping 600 yards. 24 stinking lengths. I don't know what was more embarrassing, I was only able to get in 600 yards or that I was actually wearing a Speedo in public again! Well, actually, I had a normal bathing suit, that I wore over the Speedo, to get in the pool. Once in the water, I took it off. Hey, if I don't want to see dudes strutting their stuff in a bikini type Speedo, I figured that neither did you....you're welcome.
Learning to ride the tri bike was completely awesome! After about 10 miles, the position becomes so natural and is extremely comfortable. It came equipped with deep dish carbon "aero wheels" that act more like a sail in a cross wind though. It makes for an interesting ride down Pima Road when you're trying not to be pushed into traffic on a gusty day! While it's a great deal heavier than my road bike, when it's going straight, it's sooo much faster. There's just something about getting in the aero position, getting in the big ring, and listening to the melody of the bike working. Bring in the harmony of my heartbeat and rhythmic breathing, and I'm in a trance. Aside from the safety issues, that, right there, is one of the reasons I don't wear an iPod while riding.
Running was comical. There is a 3 mile out and back that keeps me in Dove Valley(our neighborhood). The first few times doing it, I had to stop about 1.5 miles in. I was spent. James took me on some awesome trail runs and took me for (at the time) my longest runs ever. All I can remember about our 7 mile run/walk was that my cotton shirt rubbed my nipples raw. When James saw me pulling my shirt away from my body as we ran, he simply said, "Welcome to the club."
DECEMBER TOTALS
SWIM - 6300 yards (3.5 miles)
BIKE - 350 total miles (268 tri bike & 82 road bike)
RUN - 30.5 miles
GYM - 3 times
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