December was a very busy month. My clients kept me extremely busy (translation business has seen some recovery), but I did very well with my training too – I was able to spare enough time to prepare for my Norseman race.
Just like November, it was a “forget-the-bike” month. Temperatures were constantly below zero with lows at -15 °C. I have seen some people using the treadmill in the gym, but I never do that – extra clothing gives me some relief.
So, here is the summary for December:
- Running: 27 times, 230 km (-10 km compared with November)
- Swimming: 21 times, 34 km (+8 km)
- Strength training: 26 (+7) times, 29 hours
- Total: 48,000 calories spent (+8,000)
I reduced the running session length. Before, I was running about 12 km per session. Now I run 8.3 km. I have been focusing on the swimming part. After taking some lessons, I was able to improve my technique and cut the 2 km time by 5 minutes. Currently, I regularly swim 2 km under 39 minutes. If I reached the 36 minute mark before Norseman, I would be happy. I think the wetsuit will give me another few minutes extra as well as (hopefully) some favorable currents in the Norwegian fjord.
I have been eating well, got rid of some fat, and put on muscle. Coached strength training in the gym proves to be very beneficial.
I plan to continue the hard-core training until January 20th, when I am flying to Japan to gather with my family after nearly 4 months of separation. Due to limited swimming opportunities, I will exchange some swimming sessions for running, just to keep my body fit and ready for re-starting the full swimming training at the beginning of April upon my coming back home.
So far, so good. Some people are saying that I started too soon, but I read from various sources that Norseman requires a thorough year-round preparation. At least, I can still enjoy my training and teasing the body.
The January summary and update will follow from Kobayashi, Japan! No more freezing temperatures…
