This Week in Training – Week 9: The Turkey Trot Shuffle…
IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Still pre-base, still moving forward, still calling commutes “training.”)
Life got in the way this week, so I ended up one workout short. A few other sessions ran long, though, so it all balances out time-wise. The week wrapped up with a 10K Turkey Trot – not a race effort, as my pace made clear, but longer than my usual runs, so I’ll count it as a win.
Swim 🏊
- Workouts: 1
- Total Distance: 2,000 yards
- Total Time: 39 minutes
- Notes: This was the missing workout. I would’ve liked a second swim, but time didn’t cooperate. Felt fine in the water – need more of it.
Bike 🚴
- Workouts: 3 (sort of)
- Total Distance: 25.46 miles
- Total Time: 1 hour 47 minutes
- Notes: Mostly commuting rides – to work, back, and a round trip to packet pickup. Not “workouts” in the strict sense, but still time in the saddle, and it all adds up.
Run 🏃
- Workouts: 2
- Total Distance: 11.18 miles
- Total Time: 1 hour 51 minutes
- Notes: The week ended with the 10K Turkey Trot. I wasn’t racing, but it was nice to stretch the distance beyond my usual five miles. Felt steady throughout.
Strength/Other 💪
- Workouts: None
- Notes: I keep saying I’ll start yoga. Maybe this coming week will finally be the one.
Relative Effort 📈
- Total Weekly Effort: 552 (up again from 534 last week)
- Notes: Effort trending up even with one fewer session – proof that commuting miles and a 10K trot count for something.
Reflections ✍️
Even with life intruding, I’m happy with the week. I stayed consistent, ran a little longer, and logged solid time on the bike. The trend line is moving in the right direction, and that’s enough.
Next week will be tricky since I’m traveling, but I’ll swim before we leave and should have access to a cruiser bike. We’ll see how it goes. If I have to swap a workout for yoga, so be it — probably overdue anyway.
Goals for Next Week 🎯
- Swim before heading out of town.
- Get in any ride — even a cruiser counts.
- Run when and where I can.
- Substitute yoga if needed (and maybe pretend I planned it that way).