This Week in Training – Week 14: Holiday Logistics
IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Travel, compromises, and listening to the body… mostly.)
This was a tricky week thanks to Christmas travel. I didn’t have access to a bike or a pool for part of it, which forced some adjustments. I ended up biking less than I should have. I technically still have time today to squeeze something in, but I’m already above last week’s relative effort, and I’m hurting. No sense digging a deeper hole this early.
Swim 🏊
- Workouts: 2
- Total Distance: 4,450 yards
- Total Time: 1 hour 31 minutes
- Notes: Good swims when I could get them in. Solid volume considering travel, and probably the most consistent part of the week.
Bike 🚴
- Workouts: 1
- Total Distance: 9.94 miles
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Notes: Yikes. Just one ride — the bike leg of a bike-run. Not ideal, but that’s travel for you.
Run 🏃
- Workouts: 3 (including one off the bike)
- Total Distance: 13.51 miles
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Notes: One of the runs was a 60-minute Peloton run where I forgot to turn on GPS. I counted the mileage based on another 60-minute run from the week. Overall, this was a jump in run distance, and it shows.
Strength / Mobility 💪
- Workouts: 2
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Notes: Finally did some stretching using the Peloton app. It’s not much, but it’s something — and something is better than nothing.
Relative Effort 📈
- Total Weekly Effort: 633
- Notes: Up again, driven mainly through increased run distance. I’m feeling it.
Reflections ✍️
This week was about managing constraints. Travel limited options, and I made the best of what I had. The run volume crept up a bit too much, so I’ll pull back slightly on total distance going forward while adding a third run to maintain frequency rather than load.
I’m off work this coming week, which should help a lot. The plan is to step back slightly for a week or two, but actually hit every planned workout. That feels sustainable — and realistic.
I’m also starting to focus more on weight after some borderline blood numbers at my annual physical. Nothing dramatic, just another reminder that training and health are connected, whether I like it or not.
I feel optimistic, even if my legs, back, and wrists hurt so badly at night that rolling over in bed feels like a competitive sport. That’s part of the process too.
Goals for Next Week 🎯
- Step back slightly, but hit every planned workout.
- Balance run volume with frequency.
- Keep swimming consistently.
- Lean into recovery and mobility.
Still building. Still learning. Still moving forward — carefully.