My 2024 Training Recap (And Immediate Adjustments)
Fill the gaps
Better late than never!
This is the final piece of my 2024 review.
And while writing an annual review 4 weeks into the New Year may seem like a limp to the finish…
The delay turned into a huge strength.
How?
I cut the fluff and made this 100% actionable.
Instead of waxing on about all the things that happened in 2024…
I’m sharing the ONE SIGNLE ADJUSTMENT I’m making to my training.
And here’s another perk of the delayed release…
I’ve had time to test it. And guess what?
It’s working…
The Roadmap
I broke this piece down into 5 parts:
2024 Highlights (great)
2024 Data Review (not good)
The Power of Mini Metrics (good)
Psychological Gains (very good)
2 Secrets of My Current Process (great)
Let’s get to it and level up together.
#1: 2024 Highlights
I mean cmon…
What am I not gonna mention that I:
ran my first 100 miler (Great Divide 100)
set a 70.3 personal best (4:33 at Oregon 70.3)
qualified for the Ironman World Championships (Top 10 in my Age Group at Ironman Chattanooga)
It was a great year.
But when I looked back at my training log, something didn’t look right…
All data charts you’ll see in this piece come from my Training Peaks dashboard.
If you don’t have TP, you can still access this same info in your Strava “Progress” tab.
#2: “Fill The Gaps”
I looked back on my year and had one thought:
WTF are all these dips???
I started to count the weeks that were below my average.
1.. 2.. 3.. my mouth widened in disbelief and disgust as I counted all the way up to… 22!
(I understand that’s how averages work. I don’t care. Visually this looked inconsistent to me)
I thought back to each specific week…
Every dip had a “reason”:
sick
travel
first 100 mile taper/recovery
second 100 mile taper/recovery
70.3 and Ironman taper/recovery
more travel for biz and family
On one hand, it was all justified. And the result of doing really big stuff.
You need to taper for - and recover from - 100 milers and Ironmans.
But on the other hand, it was mindless and happening without awareness of the big picture.
Ok, so how to adjust?
I picked up the “Fill The Gaps” process from
.Here’s how I’m using it:
look at the past year’s data
do not try to do more big stuff
instead, bring the dips up to your average
Sounds a lot like… lower the bar, raise the execution.
And I’ve been training with this intention since mid-November.
Here are the deeper specifics of my strategy:
#3: Use Mini Metrics As Weekly Goals
I set 10 hours/week as my baseline swim, bike, run volume target.
(Hikes, strength, yoga and other activities are all bonus time)
But more importantly than the 10 hour mark, I set mini goals within it:
5 hours on the bike per week
2x swims and 5k distance per week
20 miles of running per week
I thought, “if I can hit those floors for swims and bikes, my 50 mile ultra run build will handle the rest - and hitting 10 hours will take care of itself.”
The results were crazy. Even better than I expected.
Check this out:
I ripped off the most consistent 8 week block in the last 54+ weeks.
And the individual swim, bike, run charts are even better:
Every one is a clear outlier compared to the rest of the year.
And here’s what’s wild…
The training stats aren’t even the best part.
My mindset has gone full beast mode.
I’m overflowing with Arnold Schwarzenegger-level training discipline and the boundless energy of a golden retriever puppy.
Yes, I’m crushing my own training. But the real power move?
I’ve made space for my wife to become her most consistent since becoming a mom - and I launched a writing workshop that’s growing into a whole new business.
My momentum feels straight up dangerous.
#4: Psychological Gains
Setting these mini metrics helped me show up for myself.
Here are 2 clear cut examples:
#1: Weekend Swims
3 of my last 9 weeks have needed weekend swims to hit my 2x and 5k yards.
(Christmas week, New Years week, travel week)
I wasn’t swimming on the weekend AT ALL last year.
Without the mini metric to hold me accountable, I would have:
bailed on the second swim
rationalized my dip in consistency
lost momentum and likely missed some of the 6 other weeks too
Instead, I got to the pool and felt like an absolute champion hitting my goal.
Same process has happened with the bike.
#2: Trainer Ride During The Eagles Game
It was 1 pm on Sunday afternoon and I was sitting on 3 hours and 48 minutes of weekly ride time, 1:12 short of my 5 hour goal.
I had just gotten back from the pool, which in itself was a heroic mental effort after a whole bunch of life adventure over the previous 3 days that I’ll share in a future post.
Anyway, the Eagles playoff game was about to kickoff and the couch was calling. I so badly wanted to just chill for the rest of the day.
But after 8 straight weeks of hitting my bike goal, I wasn’t about to let my streak die.
So what did I do?
Brought my bike trainer into the living room (from the garage) and rode easy for 1:15 while watching the game.
I felt like such a winner.
Permission To Make It Easy…
I need to add this part in.
Most of my swim and bike volume during this block has been EASY PEASY.
It’s just about getting it in.
Plenty of sessions have been pure recovery effort where I stay smooth and relaxed and let the time go by.
Some rides are intentional with elevation, cadence sets or drills.
But if my mind is fighting me and I’m just pushing to hit 5 hours, I have no problem riding easy on Tempus Fugit with my heart rate under 100.
Tribal Law: a well balanced plan includes training sessions that feel too easy
Now on to the final part…
#5: Two More Secrets Of My Process
Historically, I’ve let my mindset chill in December and January.
But that’s led to me not showing up as much as I think I am.
So I made 2 adjustments (beyond all that was mentioned above) to my process:
#1: I have a date on the calendar - and it’s soon
I’m running Elephant Mountain 50 mile ultra on Feb. 1.
This set up my run training to be super intentional, while letting bike and swim be more about low pressure, base volume.
#2: I am in process on a diet experiment
I’m about a month into Fruit Till Noon.
And while there are a bunch of physical benefits I’m seeing, the biggest is mindset.
My discipline and commitment to myself gets dialed up to 100 whenever I’m in a diet testing phase.
Wrapping It Up
So there you have it:
4 ways I’m leveling up from 2024 to 2025…
fill the gaps
mini metrics and weekly goals
early season date on the calendar
diet experiment
But I have to warn you with all of this stuff!!!
If you take this approach, you might end up…
getting jacked
shaving your head
running at midnight
skiing up mountains
Bonus Section and Resources
To read Part 1 and 2 of my 2024 recap, click the links below:
To join the FREE 3-part Tribal Writing Workshop I built, CLICK HERE.
And if you want support on a training/mindset process like this for yourself, I have 2 openings for 1 on 1 coaching.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO WORK WITH ME.
See you next time,
RVD
Yes!!
Crystal clear insights! 🤓💪