Fitting in my training these past few weeks has been a challenge. I’m transitioning jobs, which means juggling handovers and prepping for the new role. A part of my responsibility for the role I’m exiting is coordinating a video project, which means spending a couple of days on set. Add in waiting around for new gear deliveries, and my schedule has felt pretty out of my control.

And if that wasn’t enough—cue the bad weather. An atmospheric river is rolling through, so outdoor training? Not ideal. Plus, a few of my usual pools are closed for annual maintenance, making swim sessions even trickier to fit in.

With all this chaos, my training has definitely taken a backseat. But I’m still managing two workouts per discipline each week, thanks to a whole lot of flexibility—constantly shifting my schedule based on time, energy, and what’s actually available. Sometimes, that means doubling up on workouts.

Over the past couple of weeks, my biggest workouts have been a 30-minute run test and an 800-meter swim test. I covered 5.65 km in 30 minutes, averaging a 5:19 pace on the run. For the swim, I finished 800m in 17:47, which breaks down to 2:13 per 100m.

As for the bike… I should probably do a new FTP test. My Coros watch says 204 watts, and that seems about right—but it wouldn’t hurt to check.

Right now, swimming is easily my favorite—it feels like a little escape. Since it takes some effort just to get to the pool, by the time I finally dive in, everything else just fades away.

Running, on the other hand, is the sport I’m squeezing in wherever I can. It’s the easiest to be flexible with, so I just fit it in when and where it works.

And cycling? Honestly, I’m not loving it lately. Between the weather and fatigue, I’ve been stuck riding indoors at night while my dog sleeps, and it’s just… boring. Not being able to ride outside hasn’t helped either. Hopefully, that changes once things settle down.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that flexibility is key. Not just for training, but for keeping triathlon sustainable with real life. Sometimes, that means doubling up—on workouts and daily tasks. If I’m driving to swim, I’ll grab groceries on the way back. I’m running or biking, I’ll plan a route that lets me run an errand.Training isn’t just about squeezing things in—it’s about making my life flow.

And flexibility isn’t just about right now—it’s about the whole year. It’s easy to stress about hitting every workout when it’s scheduled, but going too hard too soon leads to burnout. Right now, I’m just getting used to this new training load, setting a new baseline, and making sure that I can sustain this pace for the rest of the year.

This ride is a good example of all that. I biked from Mount Pleasant to Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park to help my wife return a race tag for a half marathon. It was a fun ride… until I had to weave through the seawall mid-race. But hey, that’s all part of being flexible.

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