December Training: Consistency

My only goal for December was consistency. It turned out to be my best running month of the year. Who knew consistency was so important? (I am joking). You can always follow me on Strava if you are interested.

It always feels weird writing a December recap. Sometimes I feel like I should lump it in with the 2022 Recap, and I think I’ve in previous years I’ve done that before.

But this year, my December training was better than the rest of the months, so it deserves a recap.

Miles Run: 360
Shortest Run: 2.2 miles
Longest Run: 14 miles
Range of Paces: 6:55-14:30-untimed
Workouts:
2X10 minutes hard
3-mile tempo
20X1 minute hard
10X2 minute hard
Races: Crystal Cove 15k (1:40.19)
Swimming: 1X
Snowshoeing: 2X

Thoughts:

The month went well. I did most of my workouts on the trails. It was significantly slower (some hard efforts were at an 8-minute pace on uphill trails. But I did them and am fitter than when I started the month. Honestly, I didn’t think that was possible. It felt like 2022 was just a constant state of getting more unfit. The only race I did was the Cyrstal Cove 15k. I didn’t plan any, but I was tired of the constant cold and wind, so I went down to the warmer Laguna Beach. It was a fun and challenging trail race.

Since I bumped up mileage in December, my workouts stayed the same, if not decreased in time. I still did one workout a week (that averaged out to be around 20 minutes). Almost all of my workouts were done on trails or hills. This kept my body healthier and gave me less to compare myself to. Mentally and physically, it was good for me.

In general, it was a boring but productive month. Usually how I like December with the holidays being so busy.

I want to make time for strength training and swimming in January. My main pool was closed most of December, so I didn’t get to swim as I would like. The goal in January is at least once a week. I have two races, a 10k on Saturday and the Rose Bowl Half on Jan 15. I am excited to see how the Rose Bowl Half goes because I feel like I’m fitter than in the last few months. Honestly, I will be excited about anything faster than San Jose or Wineshine. A dream goal would be under 1:35, but I’ll take anything under 1:40.