January... or how I overcame cabin fever

January was a very good month training wise, I came very close to 40 hours total. Here's the numbers:

Summary
7,000 yds swimming - 2 1/2 hours - Ouch... still not very good
378 miles biking - 21 hours, much of this is MTB, and the miles are converted to effort
75 miles running - 7 1/2 hours.

Obviously, a focus on the bike which has been real helpful in building my base endurance. Additionally, it's helping me lose some weight and round into better shape. I have another 15 pounds or so to go before I hit my planned race weight. As I've mentioned, lots of time on the mountain bike, and its been a lot of fun. I can feel the mountain biking do a lot for my cardiovascular system, although it definitely still feels different when I get on the triathlon bike.

Swimming is going to be an issue pretty soon, although I'm reasonably confident that I can stretch it out once I can get outdoors to swim. I'm trying to maintain my feel for the water, and then I'll just have to ramp up the endurance later when I get a chance. Still waiting to hear back from the swim coach.

Running is progressing well, I think it will be more of a focus for February and I've been considering a 1/2 marathon at the end of the month. That would be a pretty solid test for me to ensure I'm in at least as good a shape as I was for Hartford this past summer. We'll see, this may get added to the schedule.

Looking forward to a good February!