Kansas 70.3 Training… One month down, four to go

One month of solid training is officially in the books for me. I somehow managed not to run any races or do anything foolish considering the racing schedule that is ahead of me. Although I feel as though I'm in mediocre shape, I think it is healthy to acknowledge the small achievements so far:

1. Completing two months of swimming lessons without frustration while building additional confidence that my 70.3 goal is more attainable than ever.
2. Taking two weeks OFF. No running, no swimming, no biking. Emotionally, I was a monster, but physically, I am refreshed and ready to get focused on the next six months. I never took a day off after the Chicago marathon and by the middle of December, I was exhausted to say the very least.
3. Cutting my mile time in the pool down to 44 minutes. (Don't laugh!) When this journey started I couldn't dream of swimming that far and halfway through swimming lessons, I was splashing through a mile no faster than 50 minutes. 
4. Keeping up with 3 two-a-days per week during the entire month of January (about 9 long workouts per week total).

February promises to be an interesting month of training as I was coaxed (quite easily) into signing up for the New Orleans half marathon this weekend. I haven't ran over 8 miles since October so I am relying solely on my overall fitness. Later on in the month, I'm doing the JCC Indoor Tri, which is a 500 yard swim, 8 mile ride on a spin bike, and 2 mile run on the upstairs track. Coming up is a bit of a rest week after 13.1 and then workouts will get longer leading up to finally being able to get outside to ride during March. (Spring!!!!!!!!)