My training plan started last week--the Monday before Thanksgiving. In the past I have used the holidays as a great excuse to be lazy, skip workouts and just relax. Then the New Year rolls around and I have to start all over again and get back into shape.

This time I was determined to try harder: It worked the first half of the week when my job still added structure to my day and I could do my workouts at lunch. I even felt good about doing the Monday runeven though it was late and dark, and doing the Tuesday swimeven though it was overcast and cold.

Then Wednesday came and I had every intention to do the bike workout...BUT...my family was in town for the holidays, and when I am with my family I have a hard time pulling away from all the fun. The closest I came to exercise while they were here was during our outing at the park. We had handstand competitions and sprint races, we played Frisbee and we had a slackline  set up--nylon webbing stretched between two trees that you can balance on and practice walking across. But does any of that count as exercise if you are doing the activity with a beer in your hand?

My family left yesterday and this morning I got up early to do my swim before work. It felt good to get back on my own schedule and I am hoping that I can find a good rhythm over the next month to help me cruise through Christmas/New Years/My birthday week at the end of December.