January - a turning point.

Well - It is January and I noticed that I have not posted in more than a month.  So what have I been doing?  December was spotty with the training since we headed back to Wisconsin for the holidays.  However, since January 1 I have found a new resolve (odd how that coincides with the New Year).  My Mother also started Chemo Therapy for her Breast Cancer the beginning of the year.  I figure that if she is tough enough to go through what she is going through..that her son can be disciplined enough to sweat a little bit everyday.  Since this new resolve the training has become much more consistent.  Running is becoming easier and the biking is going well. Although the indoor training rides are boring and are tough on certain parts of the anatomy.  In the last two weeks I have dropped about 12 lbs from my holiday high.  A large reason for this is that my wife has been strictly counting calories for us and thus I am not overeating.

 My coach still has me in the base building stage and I imagine she will keep me there for a while. She will also probably kill me if I do not get my butt in the pool.  For some reason that is workout that I am most likely to blow off.  By the way - if anyone is looking for a good coach in Pittsburgh or for plans through email you should check out Steel City Endurance . I cannot say enough good things about Suzanne. (Unfortunately she is a Steeler's fan).  My workouts are six days a week but are very manageable at this point.

I have officially signed up for my first race of the season.  It is the Chilly Cheeks Duathlon the end of February.  It will be interesting to see what the weather will be like.  My wife will also be doing the race with me so it should be a lot of fun.  I am getting excited about the training since I am beginning to see improvement every time I workout.  As Coach Suzanne says..consistency is the key.

I do have a number of things to work on the next month or so.  One is hydration.  I simply do not drink enough water..this hinders me in my training, weight loss and even the soreness in my joints.  I will keep working on the weight issue and am happy with the progress I am making. However I still have about 40 lbs to go.  I also need to try and do workouts in the morning. I much rather do a workout at 9 or 10 at night then 7 or 8 a.m.  or God Forbid 5:30 a.m. like some of my friends do.  However, since there really are not any races that begin at 6 p.m. I need to get my internal clock adjusted.

 Lastly - I know I have turned the corner on the training. As I posted on my Facebook page I had to find my Livestrong jersey to match my Livestrong bibs in order to ride my bike..on my trainer..at home..with no one there but me.  I am turning into a true tri-dork.  (I also made sure to use my color coordinated water bottle).