Overall, this was a pretty typical week—and that’s a good thing. The routine is settling in and consistency is starting to stack up. I did set some new milestones, a new PR for my 5k and a new record elevation gain on the bike.
What Happened?
I got in just about all my planned workouts. Tuesday night I wasn’t feeling up to it, so I skipped that session. Wednesday I still wasn’t feeling great, but since it was a work-from-home day, I had some flexibility. After trivia, I made it to the gym and got a solid portion of the missed workout done. By Thursday morning, I was back on track and finished my strength training session, doubling up with the planned leg day.
Otherwise, things went mostly according to plan. Sunday’s bike ride didn’t go exactly how I hoped. I made it to the main high point I was aiming for, but I had planned to push on to additional view points. Shortly after leaving the first point, I got a flat tire. I repaired it, but that changed the rest of the ride. I also learned that the road was open earlier than expected due to Easter and cars were allowed starting at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 1 p.m. Between the traffic and having already used my spare tube, I decided not to push my luck and headed back down. Not the full plan, but I still hit the primary objective.
What Worked?
The routine is working. Having a consistent structure gives me enough flexibility to adapt when needed like shifting Wednesday’s recovery day into more of a recovery or partial workout day. The work from home setup helps too, even if I didn’t fully take advantage of it this week.
The biggest win: my 5K time trial. It went better than I expected, significantly better. I set new all time personal bests in: 800 meter, kilometer, mile and 5 kilometer distances. TrainingPeaks also tracks 400 meter, it was my best for 2026 and my 5th best overall. After a strong test the previous week, I wanted to break my 5k pace at 15:39 minutes per mile and managed 14:37 minutes per mile.
What Didn’t?
Daily steps are still the weak point. I’m not drastically under, but I’m not consistently hitting my targets either: Run days are typically no problem. Gym days are close, but usually require an extra 10-minute or so walk. Cycling days and rest days, I’m not even close. I would love to hit 10,000 steps a day every day, but right now I’m focused on averaging 10,000 steps per day, using the Garmin monthly challenges as a point of reference. I ended up doing extra walking Sunday night to get closer, but will still look at a more regular routine of walking to help bridge the gap.
What am I going to do about it?
This one’s straightforward: I need to plan for steps instead of hoping they happen. Add short walks where it makes sense. Be more intentional on rest and cycling days. Use gym days as an easy opportunity to tack on extra movement. I’m heading into a relatively calm stretch for a couple weeks, which should help maintain consistency.
I have also used the 5k time trial numbers to update my paces for my training runs and factor it into my pacing strategy for Pat’s run. That strategy isn’t really sorted out yet, but having the achievement behind me will surely help. Weather will be a big factor, then it seems like we always start walking since there are so many people, so close together, then I’ll start running too fast, then I’ll get hot. This is how the past 3 years have played out, my goal is to go in with a better plan to keep a more sustainable pace, though there is only so much I can do about the people around me.
What do the numbers say?
This week came with another good movement, I’m down 1.4 pounds. That also means another small adjustment downward in my daily WW points target. Honestly, I’m fine with that. I’ve been doing well within the system, and it makes sense physiologically—your basal metabolic rate drops as you lose weight, so naturally you need fewer calories to keep progressing. At the same time, you’re learning more of what does and doesn’t work for both points and keeping you fueled.
The scale is great but the bigger realization this week was seeing it in the mirror and recognizing just how far things have come. I’ve now lost over 85 pounds. That’s the kind of number that doesn’t always register day-to-day, because the changes happen gradually. But zooming out, it’s significant. I’ve taken progress pictures throughout most of this journey, but I haven’t really done anything with them yet. They’ve just been… there. I think it’s time to change that. What I’d like to do is put together some kind of visual timeline, maybe a simple slideshow or even a flipbook-style video. Something that lets me actually see the progression in a way that day-to-day life doesn’t show. Not necessarily to share publicly, but to better internalize the progress. When you’re in it every day, it’s easy to miss how much has changed. That’s something I’m planning to work on possibly during my vacation in a couple of weeks when I have a bit more time to organize photos and get everything backed up and accessible.
Summary
This was a solid week. Not perfect, but consistent and consistency is what matters most. The 5K time trial stands out as a clear signal that training is working. Now it’s about continuing to build, staying healthy, and tightening up the small gaps like daily activity.
This week feels good—not just because of the continued weight loss, but because things are starting to connect. The system is working. The habits are sticking. And the results are adding up in ways that are becoming harder to ignore. Now it’s about continuing that consistency and maybe taking a moment to actually see the progress that’s already happened.