So it Begins...

Last week was my second week back in triathlon training mode, and it was full of wins, hard work, and a few lessons from my shins! 

Monday, October 5, 2026

Run-Walk + 1,400-Yard Swim

 On Monday, I was back on the trail doing a run-walk. It lasted just ten minutes—the exact time prescribed by my coach. My shins hate me right now; I get awful shin splints and constantly have to remind myself to start slow. More importantly, though, is what happened after that: 1,400 yards in the pool. 

The blackfish is back, baby!  Swimming is second nature to me, and other than my 2X compression shorts being a little too big and wanting to slide down on every strong wall push-off, the swim was awesome. The 200 warm-up went down without a single stop—not bad for having been out of the pool for three years! On the 500 primary set, I paused after 250 yards (I won’t lie), but I was off the wall again before you could say boo. The only thing that bothered me was the kick drills, which barked at the shins, but I was in my natural element and feeling great.

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 

Bike Saddle + 20-Minute Core Work

Put a Little Tabasco On It: A 59-minute ride that alternated between cranking out 5 to 6-minute spins on the drop bars and hitting VO2 Max Repeaters! Coach was really happy with my ride, stating that I "rode it like a boss!" 

Core Work: 20 minutes turned into an hour and change as Clayton and I worked through modifications. The Pilates-style roll-up is tough for a bellied man, so we focused on finding our way through the movement safely and effectively.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 

Rest Day

Love them!!

Thursday, October 8, 2026

10-Minute Metabolic Match + Full-Body Massage

Did a 10-minute walk-run out on the trail, followed immediately by an hour and a half full-body deep tissue massage. 

OMG, did I ever need it.

My shins were still complaining—feeling a bit better than Tuesday, but still barking. Meghan did an incredible job as always!

Friday, October 9, 2026

Rest Day (Sort Of!)

Resting from workouts, but not resting the mind. I spent the day drafting a brand-new short story! Keep an eye out for upcoming dark fiction drafts right here under: Things That Go Bump In The Night.

Saturday, October 10, 2026 

LDSR + Lower-Base Work / Leg Day

• LDSR: Long Distance Slow Ride! Hour and fifteen on the bike, low gear, low heart rate, fast cadence! 12-miles
• Lower-Base Work or Leg Day: Yes, legs followed an hour and fifteen minutes of cycling. At least my legs were warmed up. I worked my legs for 56 minutes on Saturday. Two-a-days are starting to become my new normal. Was supposed to spend 30 minutes on the base, but again feeling my way through new exercises made it a bit longer. Doing lunges and yoga poses is hard for me, but the stretches felt great. Overall, it was good hard work.

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Hills: Outdoor Run

Found a local hill and spent 29 minutes working it. Started with a very slow 10-minute warm-up, which really helped my shins. After that, I did 10 minutes of intervals: jogging 1 minute uphill, then walking 1 minute back down. It was tough, but I am going to turn myself into a runner one of these days! Wrapped up with a 10-minute cool-down.

Monday, October 12, 2026

11-Minute Metabolic Match + 1,200 Yard in the Pool

Back to the pool today! I started with an 11-minute run-walk, which turned into 21 minutes total after adding a 5-minute warm-up and cool-down. Water time felt great, but my body was definitely carrying fatigue, making the 1,200 yards today feel harder than last Monday’s 1,400. I kept my rest intervals tight at 20 seconds this time around, which combined with the overall workload leading up to today made it a grind. Not complaining—just stating the facts! 

Highlight of the morning: Tested out my new jammers. Having a drawstring made pushing off the wall hard felt much better. I didn't almost bare my butt to the entire pool today!

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