Solid week. No complaints. Everything came together nicely and the workouts felt strong across the board.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 2
• Total Distance: 5,025 yards
• Total Time: 1 hour 34 minutes

Both swims felt strong. The second one came shortly after a six-mile run, which made it a bit spicy. Still got through it just fine.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 4 (spread over three days because I split one 60-minute ride into two 30-minute commutes)
• Total Distance: 67.3 miles
• Total Time: 4 hours 29 minutes

Yes, I know. 4:29. Had I realized that while riding, I would’ve stayed on the bike another minute just to clean that up.

The big ride this week was today’s 40-mile ride in 2:40. I finally broke out the road bike again. It took a block or two to remember how it felt compared to the e-bike, but after that, it was smooth sailing. Really happy to have it back in the rotation.  Today’s long ride was a bit slower than I’d like, but 15% of that was a strong wind and 85% was having to stop at WAY too many stop lights.  As much as I can, I’ll be driving out of town to bike.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 4 (including one 15-minute brick run)
• Total Distance: 16.7 miles
• Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Slightly short compared to the plan. Two of the weekday runs were supposed to be 60 minutes, but I just don’t have that kind of time during the workday. I made them both 45 minutes instead and moved on.

Total Training Time 🧮

• Total Duration: 8 hours 48 minutes

TrainingPeaks Metrics 📈

• Fitness: 69
• Fatigue: 143 (rest day tomorrow!)
• Form: -74

So the numbers say I’m going hard, flirting with overload, and accumulating fatigue.

Reflections ✍️

This is definitely a harder program than I’ve done in the past, and the training volume has almost doubled compared to earlier in the cycle. Surprisingly, I actually feel pretty good.

Fatigue is climbing, though, so tomorrow’s rest day will be welcome. The goal now is to keep stacking solid weeks without tipping over the edge.

Base Phase Week 8: strong work, still moving forward.

Solid week. Amazingly, I feel great this afternoon. This was a full week—I made all my planned workouts. That felt good, but it also meant a big jump in training load, which is not the wisest thing. I’ll keep an eye on it.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 2
• Total Distance: 5,000 yards
• Total Time: 1 hour 31 minutes

This is where I technically “lose” time compared to the training plan. The plan calls for 2,500 yards in 60 minutes, and I usually knock it out in about 45. So it looks like I’m shorting the duration, but I’m not losing sleep over it.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 3 (including a brick)
• Total Distance: 61.7 miles
• Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes

The long ride was two hours yesterday in the cold and rain. Somewhere along the lakefront, I discovered a 13.1-mile race was going on that I didn’t know about.

Then, at literally the farthest point of the out-and-back, my chain dropped and wedged itself hard into the front cassette. It took some work (and a fair amount of grease) to get it loose and back on.

Still, it was a good ride. I don’t mind training in bad weather. I have no idea what race-day conditions will look like, so: train for the weather.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 4 (including one off the bike)
• Total Distance: 18.4 miles
• Total Time: 3 hours 1 minute

Yes, I’m absolutely counting that extra minute.

This was a huge jump in mileage—borderline How Not to Train-level jump—but it felt good while doing it. We’ll see how the body responds over the next few days.

Total Training Time 🧮

• Total Duration: 8 hours 17 minutes

TrainingPeaks Metrics 📈

• Fitness: 56 (up from 39)
• Fatigue: 128 (up from 64… gulp)
• Form: -54

So the numbers basically say:

• Fitness: Going hard
• Fatigue: Increasing fatigue (duh)
• Form: Overloading

I probably should have scaled things back a bit, but I felt good throughout the week.

Reflections ✍️

The tricky part next week is that the training load actually increases again. That’s going to be a challenge. I need to find a way to build in a dedicated rest day, but scheduling swims around pool availability makes that tough.

Monday is supposed to be the rest day, but it’s also a great day to swim. Of course it is.

And just to make things more interesting, the two weeks after next are both build weeks.

Sheesh.

Still… 23 weeks until race day. Plenty of time to keep building—hopefully a little more smoothly than this week.

Decent enough week, though I missed a few workouts — mostly out of concern for overtraining. Time-wise, I still hit my mark thanks to skiing, which also absolutely cashed my legs. So overall… I’ll call it a win.

This was supposed to be a step-back ski week, but the snow conditions are terrible. Fortunately, I’ve got a mountain bike, Peloton access, and a pool out here. I can do just about everything except run (no shoes), which is not ideal but manageable.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 2 (missed 1)
• Total Distance: 42.6 miles
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Solid rides. Nothing crazy, but good time in the saddle.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 2 (missed 1, shortened 1… yikes)
• Total Distance: 9.26 miles
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This is where things slipped a bit. Missing one and cutting another short isn’t ideal, but again — part of managing fatigue.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 1 (missed 1)
• Total Distance: 2,500 yards
• Total Time: 50 minutes

Another missed workout here. Hoping to make this up a bit in the coming week.

Cross-Training : Skiing🎿

• Workouts: 1 day (Snowbird)
• Total Distance: 14.8 miles
• Total Time: 3 hours

Legs felt it. Skiing counts.

Total Training Time 🧮

• Total Time This Week: 7 hours 30 minutes

TrainingPeaks Metrics 📈

• Fitness: 37 (small gain)
• Fatigue: 78 (hmm…)
• Form: -35 (geez)

Those numbers basically confirm what I felt — I’m training hard. Maybe a bit too hard for this point in the cycle.

Reflections ✍️

This was one of those weeks where the plan met reality. I didn’t hit everything, but I didn’t ignore what my body was telling me either. That matters more right now.

Looking ahead, I may need to acknowledge two things:

1. My age
2. The fact that I’m still working full-time during the school year

That probably means dialing back duration and/or intensity slightly for now, then ramping more aggressively once summer hits and I have more flexibility.

A smoother base phase and a steeper build might be the smarter play.

Not perfect. But still moving forward.

This entry will look a little different than the previous ones because I switched tracking platforms this week. Up until now, I’ve been using Strava, but I’m moving back to TrainingPeaks for Ironman training. It’s what I used the last three times I trained for IMWI. It has more bells and whistles and—if I can figure it out—might even have my old workouts that I can copy forward.

With that change noted, this was a good, solid week where I hit about 90% of the plan. The only thing I missed was a 15-minute run off the bike.

Total planned training time was 7:00, and I finished at 6:41, which I’ll happily take. Fifteen minutes of that gap was the missed brick run, and the rest was just being a few minutes short on swims that were distance-based anyway.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 2
• Total Distance: 4,850 yards
• Total Time: 1:25

Both swims felt good. Nothing heroic, just steady work and decent rhythm in the water.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 4
• Total Distance: 47.1 miles

Also felt good. Once I get back from Spring Break, I’ll switch back to the road bike. For now I don’t mind using the e-mountain bike because it keeps me solidly in Zone 2, which is exactly where I want to be during base.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 3
• Total Distance: 13.6 miles
• Total Time: 2:16

This was a nice jump from last week’s 10 miles, and I definitely felt it. Today’s six miler was basically slow miles, slower miles, slowest miles. But it got done, and I immediately followed it with a 2,500-yard swim, which is the kind of back-to-back work that builds durability.

Total Training Time 🧮

• Total Time This Week: 6 hours 41 minutes (out of 7:00 planned)

TrainingPeaks Metrics 📈

Because of the switch to TrainingPeaks, I don’t have a comparable relative effort score this week. TrainingPeaks uses a different system:

• Fitness: 35
• Fatigue: 70
• Form: -9

Since I don’t have historical data loaded yet, those numbers don’t mean much on their own. What I really care about is the trend—the week-to-week deltas—not the raw numbers.

Reflections ✍️

Overall, this was a very solid base week. Good volume, most of the workouts completed, and no real signs of overreaching. The runs felt a little heavy, but that’s expected with the mileage bump.

Once I get back from Spring Break, the plan is simple:

• move back onto the road bike,
• keep stacking Zone 2 time,
• and keep nudging the run mileage upward without forcing it.

Base Phase Week 4: steady progress.

IMWI ’26 Training Post

I didn’t push things this week, but I still got in some good workouts. Sometimes the smart move is backing off a bit rather than forcing progress. Base phase has been feeling more like a build phase lately, and I’d rather slow that down than risk digging a hole this early.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 2
• Total Distance: 10.63 miles
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

This is where I missed the bigger workout. I was supposed to run another six miles on Friday, which would’ve put me three miles ahead of last week. But it was pouring rain, and I don’t like treadmills. Since I already jumped three miles the week before, I’m okay not progressing as much this time around.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 1
• Total Distance: 2,000 yards
• Total Time: 41 minutes

Another missed workout here (today). My wrists are killing me, so discretion seemed like the better option. The last thing I want is to push through something small and turn it into something bigger.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 5
• Total Distance: 60.67 miles
• Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes

This is why I don’t mind missing the run and swim. I added more cycling. Nothing taxing — two were commute days, which still works out to about an hour in Zone 2 for the day. The long ride yesterday was two hours with 91% in Zone 2, exactly what base training is supposed to look like.

Total Training Time 🧮

• Total Time This Week: 6 hours 16 minutes

Relative Effort 📈

• Total Weekly Effort: 622

That’s actually a drop from the last two weeks, but it landed right in my training zone instead of way above it. That’s a good thing. I don’t want to overtrain in the first month of base.

Reflections ✍️

Overall, this was a smart week. Not perfect, but controlled. I’m building fitness without forcing the numbers upward every single week. That’s how you make it through a long training cycle without breaking down.

Next week should be another solid one.

Moving up a bit. Not dramatically, but enough to feel it.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 3
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Total Distance: 13.75 miles

That’s a decent percentage jump from last week’s ~10 miles. It felt manageable. The longer run (6 miles) was along the Charles River in Boston, which made it far more enjoyable than grinding it out in the Chicago cold. Scenic miles count double.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 3
• E-Bike Distance: 24.73 miles
• Peloton Distance: 9 miles
• Total Bike Distance: 33.73 miles
• Total Bike Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

The long ride was 1:30 on the e-bike. The other two were Peloton rides totaling an hour. A good mix for this stage — outside time when possible, controlled effort inside when needed.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 2
• Total Distance: 3,000 yards
• Total Time: 1 hour 4 minutes

Swim volume was a bit low. I’ll add some distance this week, even though it’s another slight build. No need to rush it — especially after the broken arm.

🧮 Total Training Time

• Total Time This Week: 5 hours 49 minutes

Not insignificant. Especially while still teaching full-time, but it’s just over an hour off my target.  Most of that is the swim.  I should be swimming 5000 yards per week and gave myselt one hour each workout.  I’m doing half as much.

Relative Effort 📈

• Total Weekly Effort: 766 (up from 672)

That’s a noticeable jump — and that’s with missing one bike ride. I don’t love missing workouts, but early in base, especially coming off injury, I’d rather miss one or two and layer them back in later than push too hard and lose weeks.

Injury prevention > perfection.

Reflections ✍️

This was a solid step forward. I’m building again, but it feels controlled. I’m not wrecked. I’m not dragging.

Also — I’m still working. I don’t want every free minute outside of school to be swallowed by training. Once school’s out, I’ll have the flexibility to train more freely. For now, it’s about balance.

Progress is trending up. Effort is trending up. Fitness is trending up.

Base Phase Week 2: in the books.

Generally, I felt great this week. Workouts were solid and didn’t feel like chores, which is always a good sign. Somehow, I still managed to miss one bike, though I got everything else done — and even added a little extra to the longest run of the week. Next week I’ll repeat this week and actually hit everything. After tha,t I’m heading out of town, so it’ll be more of a step-back week, though two days of skiing should be a nice change of pace.

Friday night, before bed, I made what was clearly a mistake. I laughed hysterically at an Instagram reel — a woman falling down stairs, perfectly synced to the drum fill in In the Air Tonight. I must’ve watched it fifty times. Naturally, God, karma, the universe, randomness — pick your explanation — did not appreciate that.

Today, with about 0.1 miles left in my run, I tripped on a busted stretch of sidewalk (which I’m officially adding to my ever-growing list of things I hate about Chicago) and went down hard. Both wrists, one elbow, and a knee are bruised and/or bloody. Don’t worry. I will learn absolutely nothing from this.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 2
• Total Distance: 2,500 yards
• Total Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
• Notes: Felt great in the water. Best swims I’ve had in a while. That said, swimming back-to-back days gave me strong high school swim team vibes. I’m not a fan, but I’m also at the mercy of the pool schedule. I’ll need to adjust the plan to account for that.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 3
• Total Distance: 37.77 miles
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Notes: Solid rides across the board. Nothing dramatic, just consistent work.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 4 (including one off the bike)
• Total Distance: 15.20 miles
• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Notes: Added a bit to the long run and felt good doing it. Even the fall didn’t undo the overall positive feel of the week.

Strength / Mobility 💪

• Workouts: I’m adding in flexibility, so far it’s about 10 minutes per day.
• Notes: Falling does not count as plyometrics.

Relative Effort 📈

• Total Weekly Effort: 739
• Notes: Up from 662, 633, and 619 the last three weeks. That’s real progress.

Reflections ✍️

Despite the sidewalk incident, this was a very good week. I felt strong, motivated, and capable. My Strava fitness score is now up to 103 — up 21% over the last 30 days, 78% over the last 90, 34% over the last six months, and 16% over the past year.

The chart still looks like a mountain range — up and down, peaks and valleys. I’d like it to be more consistent. That’s a big reason I’m training for another Ironman: the structure. The routine. The guardrails that keep progress moving forward even when motivation wobbles, or sidewalks betray me.

Next week should be another solid one. And I promise nothing about avoiding Instagram reels involving people falling down.  I could watch those ALL day.

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(One workout short, but not one workout too many.)

So close. I missed just one workout this week, and I’m okay with it. Relative effort was already higher than the week before, and I finally listened to what my body was telling me.

I took Sunday off from a swim for two reasons:

1. My wife flaked on me.
2. I hadn’t had a real rest day in over a week and I felt every bit of that.

Given my gym’s pool schedule, I wouldn’t have had a rest day for a while if I didn’t take one when it presented itself. Taking Sunday made sense, even if it left me a little short on paper.

Run 🏃

• Workouts: 4 (including the brick)
• Total Distance: 12.20 miles
• Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
• Notes: Felt good overall. This is where the relative effort bumped up — I made sure to complete all the planned runs, and it showed in a good way.

Bike 🚴

• Workouts: 3
• Total Distance: 37.40 miles
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Notes: Solid, steady riding. Nothing flashy, just consistent work that’s starting to stack up.

Swim 🏊

• Workouts: 1
• Total Distance: 2,500 yards
• Total Time: 51 minutes
• Notes: This is where I fell short. I wanted two swims, got one. Oh well. I’ll get them next week.

Strength / Mobility 💪

• Workouts: None
• Notes: Still living dangerously.

Reflections ✍️

This was one of those weeks where the numbers don’t tell the whole story. I missed a workout, but I also avoided digging myself into a hole. Taking a rest day wasn’t weakness — it was timing and self-awareness.

The overall trend is still positive. Fitness is building, motivation is there, and I’m getting better at distinguishing between lazy and actually tired. That feels like progress too.

To help get in all the workouts, I’m going to try to bike to work more.  Sure it’ll be a commute “workout” but it’s saddle time.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

• Get both swims in.
• Keep run consistency high.
• Maintain bike volume.
• Take a rest day before my body demands one.

Close enough. I’m good with this.