fitness

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Although the novelty will wear off quickly, fun to have a proper winter run

A snowy pathway lined with bare trees is shown alongside running statistics indicating a distance of 15.22 km in Toronto with an average pace of 5'59/km.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ I’ve been using the new Workout Buddy on my recent runs, including letting it select my music. Every kilometre, I receive updates on my pace and heart rate, along with contextual information like recent elevation gains or total distance. While I can easily see most of this on my watch, the regular updates are helpful, especially now that I’m wearing long sleeves and gloves.

The Workout Buddy’s voice is quite natural, encouraging without being annoying.

The music choices were all good, well-aligned with my tastes and suitable for running.

Overall, this is promising, except for the hallucinations. My watch kept announcing songs that it definitely wasn’t playing. These were good songs, mind you, just not what I was actually hearing. Furthermore, there was a perplexing inability to read the watch display. For example, it cheerfully congratulated me on having run for 50 minutes when the watch actually showed 73. Then, it got increasingly inaccurate, repeatedly congratulating me for a 50-minute run over the next 15 minutes.

There’s potential here, but it needs to be more accurate. I’ll continue letting it pick music, but I’ll keep a skeptical ear out for its announcements.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Just as I’m thinking through my next training plan, GΓΆran Winblad offers wise advice about increasing running mileage.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ First snowy run of the season. I’d only just started wearing long pants last weekend!

A snow-covered path winds through a forest of bare, snow-dusted trees.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Well, there’s a week that hasn’t gone to plan. Try again next week!

A smartphone screen displays a running distance tracker app showing a total of 0.00 km for the week with options to view all running metrics.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ I’ve done this route dozens of times, but always counter clockwise. This was the first time clockwise and it is interesting how different the route seems when going in the opposite direction.

A serene landscape of a grassy field with trees under a partly cloudy sky is overlaid with data from a running app, showing details of a workout.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ I’d planned for a longer run, but allergies kept me up too long last night

Cloudy sky and rocky shoreline captured during an outdoor running session with stats overlayed.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Clouds on today’s run, instead of smoke. Much better

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ The lake is the only cool place around here and I’m grateful for it

A serene lake under a partly cloudy sky is shown, with open water swim statistics overlayed, including distance, time, and average pace.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ A sobering war memorial on today’s run. Likely a large proportion of the young men in the area are inscribed on it

A stone monument stands under a stone archway in a grassy outdoor setting, surrounded by tombstones, with fitness tracking data overlay.

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ Nice to be back in a lake

A serene open water swim is taking place in a picturesque lake surrounded by lush trees, with performance metrics displayed at the bottom.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Hazy out there from the forest fires on today’s run

A misty outdoor landscape features a marshy area and trees in the background, with overlaid text detailing a running activity summary.

After three weeks with a Readiness to Train score around two, I’m glad to be back in the green. Time to get active again!

A smart watch display shows a fitness progress chart with a motivational message and a highlighted peak on Thursday.

Tall Trees Muskoka. πŸ“

Reflecting on yesterday’s stomach troubles, I have to consider the deep fried butter tart I had the night before the race. A delicious concoction of a butter tart, wrapped in a cinnamon coated churro, topped with vanilla ice cream. Not traditional triathlon nutrition, but I’ve decided it prevented anything worse from happening, rather than contributing to the trouble.

Me sitting at a table, smiling, and holding a spoon near a dessert topped with ice cream.

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈπŸš΄πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ I do these things because they’re hard. This was was the hardest yet: ridiculous humidity and some bad nausea on the bike made this one a struggle. 45 minutes slower than my last two attempts and every minute was earned. But, this is likely the one I’ll remember most.

A person wearing a red shirt and white cap is holding up an Ironman Muskoka Canada medal.

Family Place Restaurant. πŸ“

Race fuel

A hearty breakfast platter featuring pancakes topped with bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, toast, and an orange slice.

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈπŸš΄πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ I’m always worried that I’m forgetting something. Pictures like these help, plus a packing list in Apple Notes

A table displays various athletic gear including cycling shoes, a helmet, a jersey, a cap, sports bottles, and nutrition supplements.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈπŸš΄πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Milton Duathlon 2025

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Part of the appeal of triathlons for me is that you need to stay adaptive and resilient, always adjusting to race conditions and feedback from your body.

Today was a good example. Cold weather and intense winds led to the swim being cancelled. So, the triathlon became a duathlon. Although I missed the swim, it was the right call. Still, it takes a moment to recalibrate to starting with a run, adjusting your transition strategy, and sorting out a pace target.

The winds made the ride rather harrowing, lots of gusts, plus a headwind for the big escarpment climb πŸ₯΅. Then on a steep descent, we got buffeted around while peaking at 70 km/hr. After one particularly strong gust, a rider behind me shouted out some profanity that was totally warranted.

At least the second run was mostly well sheltered and I could push the pace a bit.

Overall, still lots of fun though. This is my fourth time racing this event and they’ve all been well done.

A person wearing sunglasses and a cap is smiling, with a medal around their neck, giving a thumbs-up gesture outside a visitor center.A map highlights a duathlon route near Campbellville, with details on distance, duration, and calories burned.A happy golden retriever with a leash lies on a sunny pavement next to a person.

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈπŸš΄πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ First race of the season tomorrow!

I actually enjoy this part β€” the setup. Laying out all the gear, checking the list, thinking through the transitions. There’s a quiet focus to it. A bit of nervous energy, sure, but also a sense of calm from knowing I’ve put in the work.

Getting everything ready is more than just packing β€” it’s part of the ritual. It helps me visualize the day ahead and ease into race mode. Time to trust the training and enjoy the race.

Triathlon gear is organized on a table, including a wetsuit, cycling helmet, running shoes, wetsuit, and various accessories.

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πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Nice break after several days of rain for today’s long run

A serene outdoor scene of a lake surrounded by greenery is overlaid with running statistics, including distance, time, and average pace.

A new feature in HealthFit shows that I’ve been pushing the training too hard. A better balance would be 80% in low aerobic. Although I feel okay, I’ll fit in more recovery runs and rides

Training load focus from April 4 to May 1, 2025, displays 8% anaerobic, 59% high aerobic, and 34% low aerobic activities.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Recovery run

A sunset sky with orange and pink hues looms over a residential street lined with trees, displaying running stats for a 7.45 km outdoor run.

Monarch Park. πŸ“

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Track Tuesday: 3x 1 mile + 3x 800m

Track under a well lit dome

Riverdale Collegiate Institute. πŸ“

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ Mixed intervals

Indoor pool with lane markers and flags

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Much better weather today than yesterday for a run

A sunlit forest trail on a clear day with text overlay showing details of a half marathon distance, time, and pace.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ I don’t have a bike at the in-law’s. So out for another run

A serene riverside landscape is overlaid with outdoor running statistics, including distance, time, and average pace.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Pool is closed today, so swapped in a long run

A narrow forest trail stretches into the distance under an overcast sky, displaying details of an outdoor running session with metrics for distance, time, and average pace.

Riverdale Collegiate Institute. πŸ“

πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ Night swim

Swimming pool with lane markers and hanging turnaround flags

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ Tried a new route on today’s run

A serene river scene with distant church spires and a fitness app overlay displaying half marathon statistics.

πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ πŸ‘ to shorts πŸ‘Ž to wind and rain on today’s run

A running route map through Cambridge, highlighted in orange, shows details such as distance, time, and average pace.