Category: Running

Nov 16 2025 2025-11-16 2026-01-04 by Ross

This Week in Training – Week 8: Burning Off the Static…

Posted in Cycling, Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Still pre-pre-base, but at least it’s feeling like forward motion.)

Solid week. Everything clicked pretty well — good runs, good swims, and even some decent time on the bike. Progress.

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 4,300 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 29 minutes
  • Notes: The second swim (Sunday) went a bit longer. I had that jittery, undifferentiated anxiety – the kind where it feels like every atom in my body is vibrating too fast. Swimming helps calm that. It’s one of the big reasons I exercise and why I feel better during marathon or Ironman training. I need that release.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 24.82 miles (15.82 outside)
  • Total Time: 1 hour 31 minutes
  • Notes: One Peloton ride (30 minutes) and one e-bike ride along the lakefront (1:01). The outdoor ride reminded me why I love this sport. The Peloton reminded me that convenience counts too.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 10.16 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
  • Notes: Both runs felt strong and smooth – no significant soreness, which is a nice change.

Relative Effort 📈

  • Total Weekly Effort: 534 (up from 494 last week, and above my typical weekly range)
  • Notes: Despite the higher effort, I’m not feeling beat up. I’ll call that a win.

Reflections ✍️

It was a good week. Balanced, productive, and even therapeutic. I don’t feel achy, just calm — the kind of calm that comes from moving enough to quiet the static. This is the version of training I like: not obsessive, not burnt out, just steady work and a clearer mind at the end of it.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Keep the swim consistency going.
  • Continue building the bike volume.
  • Hold steady on running — solid, not strained.
  • Stay in motion, stay sane.
  • Strong week before I have to adjust things for Thanksgiving vacation.

Nov 10 2025 2025-11-10 2026-01-04 by Ross

This Week in Training – Week 7: Finally on the Bike….

Posted in Cycling, Running, Swimming, Training

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Pre-base continues, now with added toe pain and Peloton pride.)

Finally got on a bike! Only took seven weeks and a bruised ego. I would’ve liked to get in a second swim, but I was out of town for the weekend. The good news: everything I did manage felt solid — even with a toe that’s still swollen and sore. It’s not broken, but it’s definitely not happy. Naturally, that didn’t stop me from running on it, because I’m stupid.

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 1
  • Total Distance: 2,050 yards
  • Total Time: 41 minutes
  • Notes: Quick session before heading out of town. Felt smooth, strong, and over too soon. I really wish I’d gotten in a second one.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 20.5 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Notes: Two rides this week — one 30-minute and one 40-minute. Both on the Peloton, but I’ll take it. Felt surprisingly good to spin the legs again after a long layoff.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 10.3 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 38 minutes
  • Notes: Both runs felt great. Toe hurt, but not enough to stop me (poor decision-making in action). Paces were steady, energy high.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: Minimal
  • Notes: Not much beyond push-ups and sit-ups, still trying to be careful with the wrist.

Reflections ✍️

All in all, a good week. Getting back on the bike felt like a win, even if it was the Peloton version of cycling. I would’ve liked another swim, but travel got in the way. I’ll probably start doubling up on some days to ensure I cover everything as training ramps up.

With the weather turning in Chicago, running outside is about to get interesting. I’ve got the day off for Veterans’ Day, so hopefully I can get out there in the cold — maybe even swim later if I’m feeling ambitious.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Try to get two swims again.
  • Keep building bike consistency.
  • Keep running if the weather cooperates.
  • Don’t break the toe (again).

Nov 03 2025 2025-11-03 2026-01-04 by Ross

This Week in Training – Week 6: The Toe Rebellion…

Posted in Running, Swimming, Training

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Now featuring an unscheduled “step-back” week, courtesy of one stubborn toe.)

Friday night, I jammed my toe badly — maybe even broke it. The timing was perfect, of course, right before the weekend. That turned this into an unplanned recovery week. I couldn’t run on Saturday or swim on Sunday, so I reluctantly took a couple of rest days.

Today I’m starting biking (finally), and I’ll see if I can run tomorrow. Two days off has me jittery and anxious. I need to move every day or I start climbing the walls.

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 1
  • Total Distance: 2,000 yards
  • Total Time: 41 minutes
  • Notes: Shorter session, but it felt good. Smooth pace, no shoulder pain, and the kind of easy rhythm I wish I could bottle.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0 (so far)
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: The bike is allegedly scheduled to begin this week. For real this time. Probably.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 7.12 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 9 minutes
  • Notes: Both runs felt strong — steady pacing, legs turning over well. The toe didn’t start rebelling until Friday night, so I got a couple of good sessions in first.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: Minimal
  • Notes: Toe injuries don’t pair well with planks, but I did what I could.

Reflections ✍️

Not the week I planned, but that’s how it goes. The toe derailed things a bit, and two rest days made me twitchy. Still, the runs were solid, and the swim felt smooth. Hoping this coming week marks the long-awaited actual start of the bike phase.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Get on the bike and stay there for at least two rides.
  • Test the toe with a short run.
  • Get back to daily movement (for sanity reasons).
  • Keep the perspective: it’s a process — even when the process involves stupid toe injuries.

Oct 26 2025 2025-10-26 2026-01-04 by Ross

This Week in Training – Week 5: Everything Hurts, but It’s Fine…

Posted in Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Still in the pre-pre-base phase. It’s a process.)

Everything hurts. My wrist (though that’s from playing guitar), my back, the back of my knee – all raising their little hands to remind me I’m not twenty anymore. Will I do anything about it? No. But I’ll definitely mention it here.

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 3,525 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
  • Notes: One of the swims was IM-heavy. No, I’m not about to whip out butterfly during a triathlon, but it breaks up the monotony and hits different muscles. Felt good to mix things up.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: Still zero. But I promise it’s coming this week. (I think.)

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 11.30 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 51 minutes
  • Notes: Solid runs. Still moving well despite the aches. Paces holding steady, energy decent, morale surprisingly high.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: Some
  • Notes: Push-ups and sit-ups again. The wrist makes that tricky, but I’m doing what I can. Every rep feels like character development.

Reflections ✍️

Everything hurts, but it’s the good kind of hurt (mostly). The training load feels sustainable even if my joints occasionally vote no. Despite the aches, I’m feeling positive — building this pre-pre-base nicely. It’s slow progress, but progress all the same.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Actually get on the bike. For real this time.
  • Keep swim volume consistent.
  • Baby the wrist, but don’t skip strength entirely.
  • Continue crawling toward the mythical “base phase.”

Oct 19 2025 2025-10-19 2025-10-19 by Ross

This Week in Training – Week 4: My Back is Crying…

Posted in Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Pre-pre-base prep… to get ready for pre-base… to someday start base. It’s a process.)

(Yes, I forgot to post Week 3. Let’s assume it was brilliant, productive, and pain-free. It wasn’t — but let’s pretend.)

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 5,650 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 57 minutes
  • Notes: The swims actually felt solid this week. I’m starting to get a bit of rhythm back, even if my shoulders are whispering “why?” after every set.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: Still nothing. Still my shame. The bike sits quietly in the corner, collecting dust and judging me.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 11.66 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
  • Notes: Stronger runs this week — paces improving, form better, confidence up. The morning-after stiffness? Also up.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: Some
  • Notes: Added push-ups and sit-ups, which technically makes me a strength athlete now. Everything hurts, so I guess it worked.

Relative Effort 📈

  • Total Weekly Effort: 584 (up from 365 last week)
  • Notes: That explains why I currently groan every time I bend, reach, or breathe.

Reflections ✍️

My body aches. Rolling out of bed feels like a warm-up set. Standing upright qualifies as a workout. I know I ramped up too fast. Will I take a rest week? No. Will I keep training like this and complain about it? Absolutely.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Maybe (finally) get on the bike.
  • Keep the swim momentum going.
  • Continue token strength work — push-ups, sit-ups, and maybe some stretching if I’m feeling wild.
  • Remember: this is still pre-pre-base to the pre-base phase. It’s a process.

 


Oct 05 2025 2025-10-05 2025-10-05 by Ross

This Week in Training – Slow and Steady Progress

Posted in Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 4,300 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Notes: The final swim on Sunday felt especially good. I’m starting to get some of that feel for the water back. Progress, little by little.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: Still nothing here. I need to stop procrastinating and get the bike back in the mix.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 7.89 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 19 minutes
  • Notes: Not a lot of mileage, but these runs felt strong for a change. Paces were better, effort felt smoother. That’s a win.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: 0
  • Notes: 100% failure on this front. Need to start carving out time for it.

Reflections ✍️

Even without much volume, this week felt better. The runs were solid, the swim is coming around, and I’m feeling more confident in my overall fitness. I’m building slower than ever before, but that’s okay — I’d rather move forward consistently than burn out.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Add two bike sessions.
  • Get in at least one strength workout.
  • Travel week — so aim for one swim and extra runs while out of town.
  • Keep the “slow and steady” approach — progress in feeling, not just numbers.

 


Sep 28 2025 2025-09-28 2025-09-28 by Ross

This Week in Training – Slow but Steady…

Posted in Exercise, Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 3,500 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
  • Notes: Nothing fancy, just steady swimming. It felt good to be consistent and rack up the yards.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: None this week. I need to start adding cycling back in soon — I can’t put it off much longer with IMWI on the horizon.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 9.80 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
  • Notes: Runs were longer than last week, but I wasn’t sore and the paces felt smooth. That’s progress.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: 0
  • Notes: None this week. I know I need to start including strength again.

Reflections ✍️

This was a nice build week. I’m making progress, but I’m deliberately building at a slower pace this time. With a year until IMWI, there’s no rush. The focus right now is on a solid, injury-free base. The rhythm feels good, but I need to expand it with cycling and some strength work.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Add cycling back into the mix (even short sessions).
  • Get at least one strength workout in.
  • Keep building slowly on the run while staying injury-free.