December: Ending the year with my best training month

I'm very happy with December training.

I had a pretty great December, training-wise. We had no road trips or vacations to disrupt the schedule, and I had to work late only once. I ran “long” every Sunday and built up my long mileage by a half mile each week. I added legit speed work back into the running rotation and even ran a last-minute fun 5K. I was super consistent with my trainer rides. I did a decent amount of PT-ing and weights.

Of course, a big part of my December success was that my last day of work was Friday the 20th. I made the most of it and did at least two sessions most of my days off. I did take Christmas completely off training since we had to squeeze in two family celebrations, but I enjoyed the break and the holiday time with loved ones. I also lucked out with pretty good weather, getting outside for every one of my runs over break.

I wasn’t the picture of health, since I did eat and drink a LOT of holiday sweets, wine, and other special treats – but I have no regrets. I got a decent night’s sleep most nights and got my caffeine intake back down to an acceptable level (except for one instance of a very strong pourover making me anxious, nauseous, and sure my death was imminent). Between that and the working out almost every day, I’m pretty pleased with how I maintained my holiday health.

December was my best training month of the year by far with 40 total sessions in about 42.5 hours. August was the only other month that really came close (39 sessions in about 36.75 hours) in 2019, and I couldn’t quite hit the amazing month December 2018 was (46 sessions in about 41.5 hours, with November and October 2018 not far behind). I’m not mad or disappointed, I just find it interesting. And, hey – now I have something to keep in mind come December 2020.

I had two real disappointments for the month. The first is that I continue to avoid swimming. If I ever want to do another triathlon, and I do, I need to force myself to get back into a swimming routine, and it’s just not happening. The thought of swimming makes me anxious and I struggle to make time in the day. I just need to quit putting it off and do it. Easier said than done, I know.

The other disappointment is that I didn’t feel ready for another FTP (power) test on the bike before the end of the month. Now, this is mitigated slightly because I had a HUGE jump from my last test, and I am getting stronger, if the reduced number of breaks I need on my harder rides is any indication. It’s slow progress but it is progress so I can’t be too disappointed.

Anyway, December shook out to be:

Bike: 13 times, all on the trainer, for 266.5 fake trainer miles in about 17:25. This has to be one of my best bike months; August was the only month in 2019 I had more volume. More importantly, I feel like I am more consistent and stronger since dedicating myself to regular workouts on Trainer Road.

Run: 13 times, 8 on the road (1 race – I’ll do an update later) and 5 on the treadmill, for 89.06 miles in about 15:07. I was BLOWN AWAY by my mileage this month – I had no idea it would be this high. It’s easily my highest mileage month of the year. Hopefully I have my hamstring and knee issues under control and I can continue with the PT to strengthen all the supporting muscles, so I can slowly add mileage and speed.

Also: Yes, I ended on an odd number for the month so I could end on an even number for the year. =)

Weights: 5 times for about 5:45, which included two heavy/body sessions, two videos, and one barre class. This is at the low end of what my monthly totals should be but eh, it’s still an average of once per week, which isn’t terrible. I’ll take it.

PT: 6 sessions of homework for about 3:30. I did three sessions in the first 2/3 of the month and three sessions in the last 1/3 of the month when I was off work. Ugh, I know it helps my running, but it’s so long and tedious. I am still working on a solution to be more consistent with this.

Yoga: 3 times for about 50 minutes. Again, this was once at the beginning of the month and twice at the end. My hips were SO tight I could barely even cross my legs. I definitely need to do more, even if it’s not a lot.

Total: 40 sessions in about 42:36. Not too shabby at all!

So it wasn’t an incredible month and I still took a day completely off here and there, but it did feel good to rally and finish strong. A lot of good things happened in December and I’m pretty pleased overall.

I haven’t nailed down any specific goals for 2020 and am not sure if I will, but I did start off the year on the right foot. I am hoping the momentum from a strong December helps me lock in a strong January, too.

I hope you also had a great month!