Training Update

For once, my absence from blogging isn't because I haven't been training. On the contrary, I have been training VERY consistently. So, obviously, there isn't much time left to blog about anything. As you may or may not (care to) know. I am currently training for 3 big (for me) events: the Rotterdam Marathon, the ROPA run (along with the NHTV team) and the Zurich Ironman... My #1 priority is to not get injured, #2 is to be in good shape to finish all three events without getting injured, and #3 to finish them all smiling.

I have been using the bike trainer DILIGENTLY!

Training wise, I'm in pretty good shape. I have managed to build up my training to where I can fit (quite comfortably) about 10 hours of training in each week, with most of it happening during the week. Right now, the mix is heavily tilted towards running (about 50% of my training hours) for two reasons: the weather (too cold to ride outside) and the marathon in April. As soon as it gets warmer, I will start building up the weekend long bike rides. That should add another 5 hours of training each week. I will try to maintain that during March and April and start building up the training even further (to about 18 hours) in May and June by doing some more swimming. Despite spending a fortune on one of the Training Peaks plans, I have decided that what works best for me is just keeping a routine and go slow. I'm definitely NOT into complicated workouts that require too much math. Training is for me (whether it involves swimming, biking, running) a time to relax. I already overthink work, can't ALSO do it during leisure time ;-)

I ran 10K on a frozen beach today... Happiness!

 Between training and work, there isn't too much time left to socialize. To solve that quandary, I have started using training time to hang out with some good colleague/ friends. 5 x 500m go by so much quicker if you know that at the end of each 500 you can chat a bit again. Same for the cardio sessions at the gym: the chit chatter makes them go by so much quicker!

Tried something new: wall climbing!

So, all in all, training is going really well. I did miss out on most of it last weekend due to a crazy snowstorm. I did run right after the snowstorm, when all was still nice and soft. But the snow froze and it got too slippery to run my planned 15 miler. Below is a summary of my training so far...

Week 1: 4.5 hours (including Egmond Half Marathon)
Week 2: 7 hours
Week 3: 8.75 hours
Week 4: 11 hours
Week 5: 8 hours (only 1 hour weekend training due to snowstorm)
Week 6: 8.25 hours (with hopefully another few to go)

I'm trying to put it all in a spreadsheet with nice graphs and all. But I'd rather spend the time training. Instead I use the Runner's World calendar.

The Low Tech Option, Just as Effective

Happy training y'all!

PS: for those wondering, training 10+ hours per week does NOT contribute to weight loss.Only to an increased appetite...
PPS: I do foresee some difficulties in future training due to vacations/ family visits but they are so TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Could it be...?

10K run on Sunday
20M bike on Sunday
10K run on Monday
and now heading for another 10K run on Tuesday...

Could it be? Did signing up for Ironman Zurich (and forking over a fortune) light that fire again?

The Nicest Run!

My running has been getting better lately, not so much in quantity as in quality. My heart rate stays low(er) and my digestion stays where it should, making the runs much more enjoyable. So what is different? I think that most of February and March I was running in a very dehydrated state. I always run first thing in the morning, and by then, I haven't had much time to drink. For the past 3-4 weeks I have been drinking two big glasses of water straight out of bed, then eat my breakfast and drink my coffee, wait 1/2 hour and then go running.

Saturday was such a day. I drank my water and coffee, ate my breakfast, waited a bit, filled my nathan handheld, and packed a gel and went for a very pleasant 10 mile run from Breda to Galder and back. 10.3 miles in 1:41:40 (way to Galder was 51:20, way back was 50:20 with only two stops for red lights), an average of 9:51 per mile and 168 bpm. So all is good in my running world.

Happy training to y'all!

Tempo!

Now that I have a goal (sub 1:55 on June 18th), I had to come up with a plan to achieve it. So... I took my sub-2 or bust plan from Runner's World and made some adjustments to the recommended times. My first tempo run was supposed to be on Thursday, but got moved to Saturday for practical reasons.

I have to confess, I really don't like running fast. I get really hot really quickly so I tend to blow up. Saturday's tempo run was no exception. The original plan called for a 5 mile run, of which 3 miles at 8:50. According to the McMillan running calculator, my tempo runs should be around 8:30, but I knew there was no way  I could do that so I settled for trying for 9:00's.

I first warmed up with 2 miles (the ones that include the stop lights) at 09:34 and 09:45 (faster than the 10:10 I was planning for) and then sped up. I had set the Garmin to Average Lap Pace, but I must have started too fast because it showed 08:15 for at least the first 1/2 mile. I slowed down and finished the first mile in 08:54. I got really hot during the second mile and after the turnaround. I took a 2 minute walking break (FAIL) during which I stopped the Garmin to get my heart rate from 180 to 140. I finished the second mile (08:49 excluding the break) and did not stop until I finished the third mile (08:52). I then took another 2 minute (it might have been longer) walking break and started jogging the last mile home. Fortunately, I met quite a few colleagues and had a good excuse to switch back to walking ;-) Total: 5.2 miles in 47:54.

While I really don't like speedwork or running fast(er), I am secretly looking forward to the next round!

Happy training!

Week 14 in Review - Switching Gears

Now that triathlon is out, and running is in, I am switching gears and focusing on running a sub 1:55 half and (maybe) a sub 4:00 marathon in 2011. I just signed up for the Zwolle half marathon (with a maximum enrollment of 3,500) on June 18th (at 8:15 PM!). This time, my goal is to really follow the plan (with a few minor adjustments since I will be running two other halfs during the 10 weeks) and to go sub 1:55.

Last week, I tried to get back into running-only mode. I ran Tuesday (6 miles), Wednesday (6 miles) and Friday (8 miles). Every single one of those runs was at around 9:50 pace with an average heart rate of 168 or so. So I think I am getting back in running shape.

I ended up skipping my long run on Sunday. The weather over the weekend was AMAZING, so we ended biking to Zevenbergen on Friday (30-something miles), biking to Willemstad on Saturday (40-something miles) and I went to my bike/racing clinic on Sunday (another 25 miles or so).

Totals for the week:
Run-training: 20 miles
Bike-recreation: 95 miles

All good!

Still around!

I'm still here, still trying to train, although I have completely switched gears and decided to focus on running. I just don't see a lot of enthusiasm in the Netherlands for triathlon, and I have to confess, I find cycling in the Netherlands incredibly boring. I miss the hills of Pennsylvania, where I could measure myself up a 5 mile long hill. Around here, the only way to get a workout is to go really fast, but I am too chicken for that.

The hubby and I went to the South (Maastricht) this weekend to find some hills...

 So... I'm going to give up the tri thing for the time being and focus on running, and keep cycling and swimming for fun... Now I need to find a new blog name... Any suggestions?

Therapy... of the two wheel kind

Bicycle and I are in the train on our way to our counseling session (bike skills class)... 7.30 am on a Sunday morning...

Week 8 in Review - Wimpiest

Week 8 was the wimpiest so far. Monday I went for a swim, Tuesday and Wednesday I did NOTHING, Thursday I went for a 6 mile run in the morning and rode 15 (very slow) miles with my hubby to a nearby town in the evening. Friday I went swimming again. Saturday the hubby and I went biking again, same place, same distance. And Sunday, after an entire day spent working on a paper, I went for a 10 mile run (which I survived!).
Total for the week: 6 hours.

Week 9 started badly: I skipped my swim on Monday to go get blood drawn (on the doc's instructions) and woke up on Tuesday to some pretty major food poisoning symptoms. So Wednesday was out too... Wednesday night I flew home to Greece... I'm just wondering was comes after: wimpy, wimpier, wimpiest...?

Week 7 in Review - Wimpier

Yup. Even wimpier than last week. I don't know why. I feel completely exhausted. I managed to swim 3 x 2,500m (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning). I skipped my run on Tuesday (legs were still mega sore from Sunday's 10K), I half-heartdly went running on Thursday (6 miles in 1:03:41 and average heart rate 168). I skipped ALL other workouts. Saturday, I tried the same 6 mile run again. Same time, but my average heart rate was 175 and by the time I got home I was completely dizzy. Sunday, I managed a very slow 60 minutes on the trainer at the gym. And now I am on the couch, wondering how soon I can go to sleep... Next stop: going to the doc to check my iron levels... Dinner tonight was an ironman ironloading session, that included eggs, toast, spinach, chicken soup and milk (and cookies and chocolate of course). I'm done nagging now.

Week 6 in Review - Wimpy

I started this week on last week's high note, but that did not last... My legs were completely shot from working out 3+ hours on two consecutive days.

Monday was supposed to be a 2,500 m swim, which I cut short to 2,000. The excuse, my brand new goggles were bugging me. Tuesday's run was *very* slow, on account of those legs still being shot. I also skipped the bike and strength, and did those on Wednesday morning instead, skipping the AM swim. I also skipped Wednesday and Thursday's runs. I was just completely tired, and spent those hours reading on the couch.

Friday I got 1,500 of the planned 2,500m of swimming in (cut short due to really painful goggles), my 90 minutes of cycling, and the strength training. Saturday, I did another 90 minutes of cycling, which felt really good, and ran to, and back from the gym (2 x 1.25miles). I skipped the 4 mile run I had planned, as it was getting dark, we had company, and I decided I was just too tired and needed to keep my strength up for today's 10K. Which turned out to be a great idea, since I PR-ed by more than 7(!!!) minutes. But more on that tomorrow.

In honor of our guest, I made lasagna last night! (I rarely cook...)

Week 6 (07 Feb - 13 Feb)
Swim: 3,500m (last year: 2,400yds)
Bike: 53 miles (last year: 75 miles)
Run: 14 miles (last year: 19 miles)
Total: 7.5 hours (last year 8.9 hours)
 
I won't formalize this week's workouts, since my hubby and I have some exciting errands (nothing related to V-day, I promise), but I will try my best to stay on track.

Have a fantastic week!

Week 5 in Review - Score!

I was really hoping this week would be the week where things fell into place triathlon training-wise. I am very happy to report that they did :-) 

Sunday:

run 8 to 10 miles - DONE 10 miles, really great run

Monday: 

swim 1,500m - DONE 2,500m in 50 minutes/ last 100 in 1:36

Tuesday: 

run 6 miles - DONE and it was a great run!

Wednesday: 

swim 1,500m - DONE 2,500m with some serious heartburn from the previous night's fries and kroket

bike 60 minutes and strength train s - FAIL, decided to slack on couch instead...

Thursday: 

run 6 miles - DONE, but HR with high for the slow pace.

bike 90 minutes - FAIL, decided to slack on couch instead...

Friday:

swim 1,500m - DONE

strength train - skipped it and instead biked 60 min  (unplanned)

Saturday: 

run 6 miles - DONE

bike 90 minutes - DONE with extra 2 x 1.25 miles of running to and from gym

Sunday: 

long run 10 miles  - DONE

bike10 miles to lunch - unplanned

Week 5 (31 Jan - 06 Feb)
Swim: 6,500m
Bike: 43 miles
Run: 31.5 miles
Total: 10.92 hours

Overall I am *very happy* with what I managed to do this week. I need to work on getting my bike mileage up, as this is the longest part of the triathlon, and getting at least 2 strength sessions per week. As a comparison, the same week last year I did the following:

Week 5 (1 Feb - 07 Feb)
Swim: 4,800 yds
Bike: 64 miles
Run: 12 miles
Total: 7.75 hours

"Back then" the furthest I had run was 6 miles, and I was getting ready to run my first 8-miler! 

The plan for next week is very similar, with a bit of a breather towards the end, as I am running a 10K on Sunday.
Monday:
Swim 2,500m - day off from the legs
Tuesday:

Run 6 miles

Bike 60 min and strength train

Wednesday:
Swim 3,000m 
Run 3 miles at the gym at 4% incline (we don't have many hills around here) 
Thursday:

Run 6 miles

Strength train

Friday:
Swim 2,500m 
Bike 90 min

Saturday

Run 4 miles

Sunday

Groet uit Schoorl Run - 10K Race

Have a great week!

Month in Review - January

 After a pretty stellar December in terms of running, January was the month I would resume triathlon training. That was a mixed success. January included a 10-day taper and a week-long recovery for the Egmond Half Marathon, and a 5-day hiatus from running because of a tiny injury. All in all that took away a lot of time from running. I did however manage some decent numbers for January, including:
Swimming: 4 swims for 6,300m and 130 minutes
Biking: 6 workouts for 79 miles and 375 minutes
Running: 14 workouts for a total of 82 miles and 810 minutes
Total: 1275minutes or 21.25 hours of exercise.

I give myself the onion ring award for January

So all in all not too shabby. These numbers do not include leisurely bike rides for Sunday lunches (about an hour), commuting by bike, or strength training (which happened about three times...)

Goals for February:
Really pick up the swimming and bike and get started on a routine schedule
Build up to my second half of the year
Lose the 2k that attached themselves to my thighs when I working out in the fall.

Have a great February!

The Meah Days

It's Sunday morning here in clog-land, it's foggy, and it's -8C (17F). The combo of fog and cold means it's also very humid (100% humidity actually). It's time for my long run of the week (8 to 10 miles). Trying to get motivated by reading other people's blogs. Thanks Fran,Tall Mom, Charisa (even though I got very jealous), Michelle, and TMB, who all had posts this morning for me to enjoy with coffee :-)

Admit it! You want some!

So why was this a "meah week"? Nothing special really. I pulled my hamstring on Sunday, which kinda threw all running out for a couple of days. We also had some really dark days at the beginning of the week (very cloudy, and short) which also threw me a bit off. Thursday evening I cycled, and that felt good. However, I felt really crappy on my Friday run. Yes, I did make it out, I wasn't back after 10 minutes, and ran a total of 5 miles. But my heart rate climbed pretty high pretty quickly, and no matter how much I slowed down, it would not go down. The same happened before my race on Sunday. I also felt pretty bad the rest of the day, until yesterday morning. I heard from a colleague he had exactly the same, so maybe some bug was going around our office?

Yesterday I ran to the gym (about 1.25 mile), cycled, and ran back (1.25 mile) and that felt pretty good. So I have high hopes that today's run will be a good one and next week will be a good week of training. I would like to do a half Ironman on June 26th, and need to start training a bit more seriously.

They also have a half ;-)

The plan for this week is:
Sunday (today): 8 to 10 miles
Monday: swim 1,500m
Tuesday: run 6 miles
Wednesday: swim 1,500m; bike 60minutes and strength train
Thursday: run 6 miles, bike 90minutes
Friday: swim 1,500m and strength train
Saturday: run 6 miles, bike 90 minutes
Sunday: long run 10 miles

Wish me luck :-)

Back to Running!

My hamstring was still bugging me after my nosedive in the mud on Sunday, so I skipped all my Tuesday to Thursday workouts and runs (Monday was a rest day). Cycled an hour on the trainer yesterday, and I'm about to go for a run now. It's a bit early (for me - 6:45) and a bit chilly (for me - -3C), so hopefully I won't be back in 10 minutes... Have a beautiful day!

Early morning musings on a rainy day.

[06:00] Alarm goes. I should get up and go for my run. 
[06:05] Hubby is not getting up either. Might as well stay in bed too then. I'll go run tonight at 6, before my phone date at 7 and our dinner at 8. Go back to sleep now.
[06:08] Whooops. I have to stay at school until 6pm, so no way I can get my workout done. Gotta get up.
(Me) I'm getting up now to go run.
(Hubby) Grunt. Grunt. Wake me up before you go. Grunt.
[06:12] Pfff. Scale has gone up again.
[06:15] What should I wear? Oh yeah. My awesome new Saucony reflective jacket (might as well give it the rain test), with my Azalea triathlon shirt.
[06:20] Food. To eat or not to eat? Eat. I'll have two slices of ontbijtkoek*
[06:24] What is the New York Times saying today? Cool. New opinion columns.
[06:38] Done with eating. I should probably go. Nah. What does CNN.com say?
[06:45] Oh. I have not checked people.com in a loooooooooooooong time. Pink looks so cute pregant. Hmm. It's still dark outside. No iPod.
[06:55] Fine, I'll get up now. I bet it's raining outside, but it's too dark to see. Maybe I can check the weather online. Oh, but if I do, I'll spend another 30 minutes reading blogs.
(Me) I'm going for my run now. ..
(Hubby) Enjoy your run, I'll see you soon.
[07:01] Where ARE my shoes? Oh, yes. By the door... Duh...
[07:06] What is taking the elevator so LONG?!**
[07:10] It's POURING!!! No way am I running.
(Hubby) Back so soon?
(Me) Yeah... It's really pouring out there.
(Hubby) That does it! Already giving up on your new training plan...
[07:16] He is right! If I give up now, I'm no longer gnarly. I can handle a bit of rain! Where is my cap?
(Me) Hmmm. You're right. Fine. I'll go! See you in an hour.
[07:19] Where ARE my shoes? Oh, yes. By the door... Duh...
[07:22] What is taking the elevator so LONG?!**
[07:24] Lucky me! The rain has gotten lighter. Why won't the garmin find the silly satellite so I can start running already?!
[07:25] Ok GO!
[07:34] First mile, easy peazy
[07:35] Argh! The buckets have started falling! Hard!!! Must avoid huge muddy puddle.
[07:36] Splash. Whoops. There goes the left shoe.
[07:37] Splash. Where did that puddle come from. There goes the right shoe.
[07:44] Am I the only gnarly person running in the complete dark, in the pounding rain, or am I the only stupid person running in the complete dark, in the pounding rain?
[07:43] Two miles down, three to go.
[08:15] Made. It. Home. Jacket soaked. Shoes soaked. Pants soaked. But t-shirt completely dry. Jacket awesome.
(Me) I'm back! Can you take a picture?
(Hubby) Why?
(Me) Cuz this was an epic ride and I am completely soaked.
(Hubby) Really? You don't look wet.

I promise, I was really soaked!

 *Dutch spice bread/cake, very light on the tummy, but good combo of fast and slow sugar.
** I always take the elevator down in the AM. No point in injuring myself by missing a step or two due to sleeplessness.

December 2010 and who knew I had it in me?

*** This is the last post in a series of 5 posts meant to catch up on five months of blogging absence*** 

December was my last month of prep for the Egmond aan Zee half marathon. I managed to run 128.4 miles according to my Garmin, my highest monthly mileage EVER. Mostly injury free too :-) We spent early December recovering from our many wonderful visitors, getting used to the piles and piles of snow that came down, and to prepare for our trip to the US.

Race of the Month: Run Into The New Year 5K
I love US races so much more than European ones. People are much relaxed and out to have a good time. So what better way to enter 2011 than a midnight 5K? So that's what I did. My in-laws joined me and walked the 1 mile while I ran the 5K. The run was entitled R.I.T.N.Y (run into the new year) and started at 11:59PM on December 31st. It was to benefit the Miracle League of the Triangle and took place on a parking lot in Cary. I had just run my last two long-ish runs of the Egmond aan Zee half marathon (January 9th) the days before so my legs were total jello. I wasn't planning on racing it hard, but it was a good opportunity to get a speed workout. I finished in 25:20, 12 seconds slower than my PR, so a good race in all. I was 3rd in my AG (30 to 39) so not shabby at all.

Wearing my Amsterdam marathon shirt

Finishing!

I was wearing my Amsterdam Marathon shirt, my new running skirt, and my new pair of shoes. I know, nothing new on race day, but this was just a good speed workout. I had to laugh (a bit) at the other runners who were looking funny at me, thinking I was underdressed. Most of them were running in compression cold wear, with multiple layers, gloves and ear muffs (?!). Obviously, 8C in the south is really cold! In contrast, this was my warmest run in at least 6 weeks...

Training this Month
Training this month was very gnarly! I managed 128.4(!!!) miles, despite the fact that there were snow and ice and sub-zero (celcsius) conditions at every single run! I think what helped is that I knew there would be no better days. When the weather is only 50% bad, it is easy to skip a run and wait for the next good day. When days are 90% bad, might as well suck it up and go ;-) So, except for three weekends, I did all of my runs in the dark and cold. My long runs were therefore special treats, as I could run in daylight with music (no music when it's dark). Some memorable long runs included a Monday night 8 miler (the ice on Sunday was too thick), 10, 11, and 13 milers in sunny snow and my last 11-miler on the Outerbanks.

The bike path I usually run on

When the weather gets nicer, I'll run IN the woods

Since everything around home is flat, I do hill repeats on the overpass

My 11-mile run on the Outerbanks, in the sun, was wonderful!

My shoes got old....

... so I got new ones, and it makes such a difference!

Travel for the Month

We kept things easy for the first part of the month, and then flew to the US to spend our 2-week vacation with my in-laws. Since the weather was pretty bad and we did not trust the Dutch railways (they are usually very reliable, but have been failing a bit too much lately), we spent the night at a new airport hotel, called the CitizenM. So far, there are only three hotels, Amsterdam city center, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Glasgow. The concept is pretty neat: high tech, high design, for a low price. The room is pretty small with a huge bed. However, since the toilet and shower have sliding doors, it doesn't feel very small. I would, however, not recommend you share a room with someone you are not very intimate with...

Citizen M hotel room

We got to NC on the 25th, just a few hours of a mega snow storm... I was looking forward to some nice warm runs in NC, but alas, that was not to be...

Waking up on the 26th...

I did run 4 miles in this...

Instead, I had a few cold runs, and some huge amounts of good food.

Hibachi at the Crabtree Valley Mall

Ridiculous Steak Sandwich at City Beverage, Durham, NC

Then, we lived it up at the Sanderling Resort & Spa on the Outerbanks

Sunrise (jetlag after effects)

Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with Creme Cheese

Frozen Water (Sand Side)

Anyone up for a swim skate?

Jockeye's Ridge

Lunch after the 11-miler

Followed, soon after, by dinner...

And yes, I did get completely wasted on one cosmopolitan...

This concludes the August to December review. Next up, regular blogging...

November 2010 and the Nijmegen Zevenheuvelenloop

*** This is post 4 in a series of 5 posts meant to catch up on five months of blogging absence***

Things got back on track (well almost) in November. I started getting inspired in my training, and I got better at fitting workouts in before and after work. I think I had trouble running in the dark in October, but by November I was used to it. I ran one 15K race, the Nijmegen zevenheuvelenloop, and it went well (finally). My parents and our best buddy from the US came to visit, so we had some delightful times with them.

Race of the Month: Nijmegen Zevenheuvelenloop (15K)

I entered this race on a whim. It just sounded like fun. Zevenheuvelenloop literally means: the run of the seven hills. Now, if you are familiar with the Netherlands, you will know that the Netherlands are FLAT. So I thought that the race was misnamed and the hills would be a bit of a joke. Ha. Ha. Ha. Those were real hills, but the race was still a ton of fun. Ondrej and Dan (our buddy from the States) came with me to Nijmegen. While they went in search for lunch, I went in search of the changing area. This race is huge (I think about 25,000 which in the Netherlands is huge). However, it was extremely well organized, with areas available for people to change and leave their (non-valuable) things. Once I got changed, I went to find the boyz and joined them for a drink (the non-alcoholic kind of course).

The Run

The start was freezing cold (another sub-zero day) so I kept all my clothes on. I really needed to use the restroom, but the lines were huge, and the smells terrible so I abstained. I was in the last start group, and the winner of the race (Leonard Komon) achieved his world record before our group even started...

The Elevation

The race itself was great. I started strong and kept a good pace. I felt I was giving it a hard effort but I was pretty consistent. There were indeed 7 real hills so it was hard to keep an even pace. My first two miles were sub-9 minutes (warming up). Mile 3 had a good hill and took me 9:17. Mile 4 was a bit congested and I was struggling to get some layers off (gloves and sweater). Miles 5, 6, and 7 were the bulk of the hills and took me 9:28, 9:19 and 9:31.  The last 2.35 miles were all downhill and took me 9:06 and 8:43 with the last little bit taking 8:53. I finished in 1:25:34 (1,149/2,133 in women up to 34 years old). It was not a great time, but it was the first race in a long time where I felt I was doing well. All good!

Looking pretty happy!

Training this Month

November training went pretty well. I came back from my Greek vacation rested and ready to resume training. I was looking forward to the hour changing, in the faint hope that there would be light in the morning again. That was not to be, so I just learned to suck it up and run no matter what the weather. I think this helped me keep on track with the running. Except for the couple of days after the zevenheuvelenloop, where I was battle a cold, I was very consistent with my runs, most of which took place before work. One memorable run was on Sunday 28 November. We went (again) to this little town that is simultaneously in the Netherlands and in Belgium. I did my long run (8 miles) of the week there, in freezing cold weather (-8C). However, despite the cold, the landscape was beautiful and the run felt (almost) easy. 

 

Two days later, I had my first run of the snow season. The Netherlands can be cold, yet rarely have a lot of snow. This year however we got piles and piles of it. 

I did not know it at the time, but November 30th was the first of many many snow runs. The slow paces tell the story...

Total running for November was 77 miles according to my log (80.2 according to Garmin, I round down on my log), and 30 miles of biking, no swimming. I gave up on the cross-training which I think is one of the reasons (along with faulty shoes) why I was on the verge of an injury.

Life and Home reports will have to wait, I forgot my pictures in Europe...  

Next and last in this series: December and the Run Into The New Year 5K