fitness

🏃‍♂️ 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.

🏃‍♂️ Just as I’m thinking through my next training plan, Göran Winblad offers wise advice about increasing running mileage.

YouTube Video

🏃‍♂️ 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.

Tall Trees Muskoka. 📍

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.

🏊‍♂️🚴🏃‍♂️ 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.

🏊‍♂️🚴🏃‍♂️ 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.

🏊‍♂️🚴🏃‍♂️ First race of the season tomorrow!

I actually enjoy this part — 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 — 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.

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.