Bouncing back from setbacks: December 2023 training log
December involved several setbacks. I had to reduce mileage because of an injury and because I didn’t feel well. My resting heart rate spiked considerably and took several days to drop back down to normal. Training felt horrible.
My mileage dropped from roughly 100KM/week to 40-50KM/week for the first two weeks of December. On the bright side, my body had some time to recover from my November training cycle.
I did my best to bounce back from these setbacks, and finished this week with 120 KM of mileage. I felt relatively good, and am looking forward to resting tomorrow. I mostly ran in Zone 2, and threw in some threshold sessions at the end of certain runs. I did a lot of double runs, and ran roughly 20 KM per day on most days.
I also had the chance to visit Sedona, which was very cool. The drive up from Phoenix to Sedona was interesting, and I had never seen similar landscapes. See below for some pictures of Sedona.
Generally, I find that hiking is slow and relatively boring. I prefer to run, bike, or swim. But I hiked a lot this month and am starting to enjoy it. I feel as though it is a nice way to recover from hard week of training.
My goal for next week is to run roughly 100 - 120 KM, mostly in Zone 2. Pools are closed for most of the week, but I do want to get in some swims before the new year. I don’t think I will do much speed training. I mostly want to maintain volume and avoid injury. I also want to stretch more to maintain flexibility, and do more core work.
All views expressed in this blog are my own and do not constitute any form of medical, nutritional, physiotherapy, or other type of advice. They do not represent — and are not endorsed by — any academic institution.
