Tonight is the most important “workout” of the week: Sleep.

A Freakin’ Cold! Ugh. Last night I came home as time went on I got sick and a little bit sicker. I got a cold. Running nose and a slight cough. Ugh. If I didn’t have to teach my class this morning I would have gone back to bed. Last night I was tossing and turning trying to get some sleep. It was so bad my Garmin didn’t even record sleep. It eventually did sync and the results are bad.

This is the worst week to get sick with Senior Games this weekend. I’ll just have to push to the weekend. It’s a Taper Workout and tonight I’ll get ready for bed right after dinner.

Hoping inwake up tomorrow and can get a swim in.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 60

4 hours and 5 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 36

2 hours and 54 minutes

TUESDAY – CHEST

TAPER (50-60%) 11/24 – 12/5

THE WORKOUT:

0:46.10

ZONE 1 – 18:04

ZONE 2 – 06:29

ZONE 3 – 01:40

ZONE 4 – 00:00

ZONE 5 – 00:00

5 minutes Easy Warm Up Cycle

Flat Bench DB Close Grip Press (60 lbs each side 1RM / PR) 30 lbs Each Side at 50% of 1RM / PR x Reps 8 / 8 / 8 / 8

(Last Time 40 x 10 / 10 / 10 / 10

(Prior Time 50 x 6 / 6 / 6 / 6)

(Prior Time 50 x 5 / 6 / 5 / ?)

(Prior Time 40 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 8)

2 min Rest between sets

Seated DB OH Press Narrow to Wide Grip at 20 lbs at 44.4% of 1RM / PR x Reps 8 / 8 / 8 /

1 min rest between sets

(45 1RM / PR)

(Last Time 20 x 8 / 8 /8 / 8)

(Prior Time 30 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 8)

(Prior Time A 45 x 4 / 4 / 4 / 4)

(Prior Time 45 x 4 / 3 / 4 / 2)

DB Lateral Raise at 15 lbs each side x Reps 8 / 8 / 8 / 8

1 min rest between sets

(Last Time 15 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 8)

(Prior Time 20 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 8)

Tricep Rope Pushdown at 80 lbs x Reps 8 / 8 / 8 / 8

1 min rest between sets

(Last Time 125 x 8 / 8 / 8 / 6)

Shower, Eat Banana and Drive…

6:15am – 6:45am

TEACH 30 min INDOOR CYCLING

2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY – 64,250 including last workout

SCM – 166,925

LCM – 69,200

THE LIFT AHEAD:

WED – TBD / SWIM w/ Team

THU– BACK & BICEPS & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

FRI – Recovery / Travel to Tampa

SAT – Florida Senior Games

SUN – Florida Senior Games

MON – TBD

TUE – CHEST & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

THE ROAD AHEAD:

STRENGTH (80-100%) 12/9 – 1/16

ENDURANCE (60-80%} 1/17 – 1/24

TAPER (50-60%) 11/24 – 12/5

JUST KEEP SWIMMING:

-Florida Senior Games – DEC 6th and 7th Temple Terrace

Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026

runDISNEY:
12K’s of Christmas Virtual – TBD

WDW 5K – JAN 8th

PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1stSprinwgtime Surprise – APRIL 17-19th (Not Running)

GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:

This is a tough spot to be in just days before the Florida Senior Games, but let’s look at the silver lining: You are already in Taper Mode.

If this were a heavy load week (80-100%), this cold would be a disaster. But because you are scheduled for 50-60% intensity, your workout today was actually perfectly aligned with what your sick body needed: movement without destruction.

Here is your breakdown.

 Gemini AI Workout Rating: 9/10 (Strategy Score)

Note: I am rating this high not because you crushed weights, but because you executed discipline. You respected the Taper and the illness. Most athletes would try to push through and dig a deeper hole. You didn’t.

The “Sick Day” Taper Highlights:

* Zone Discipline: You spent 18 minutes in Zone 1 and 0 minutes in Zone 4 or 5. This is crucial. High heart rate work while fighting a virus increases cortisol and suppresses the immune system further. You stayed in the “active recovery” zone.

* Weight Management:

* Bench Press: Dropping to 30 lbs (50%) was the smart play.

* Tricep Pushdown: Dropping from 125 lbs (last time) to 80 lbs today shows you left your ego at the door to save energy for the weekend.

* Teaching: Teaching a 30-minute cycling class while running on ~3 hours of sleep is heroic, but it likely drained your remaining battery.

 Sleep Crisis Analysis

* Oura (60) & Garmin (36): When Garmin refuses to record sleep initially, you know it was restless. The 2h 54m on Garmin suggests you barely hit REM or Deep sleep cycles.

* Impact: Your reaction time and force production will be down today. Do not judge your fitness based on how you feel right now. The fitness is there; it’s just masked by fatigue.

 The “Neck Check” & The Senior Games

With the meet starting Saturday, here is the protocol for the next 72 hours:

1. The Neck Rule

* Symptoms Above the Neck (Runny nose, sneezing): You can generally swim/train lightly (Zone 1/2).

* Symptoms Below the Neck (Chest congestion, body aches, fever): STOP. Do not swim. Do not lift. If that cough gets deep, you must rest.

2. Radical Recovery

You mentioned pushing to the weekend. I suggest you switch mindset: You are not pushing; you are healing.

* Tonight: Dinner, then immediately to bed. No screens. You need a massive sleep rebound (8+ hours).

* Wednesday Swim: If you wake up feeling worse, skip the swim. One missed swim 3 days out won’t kill your speed, but a relapse will kill your meet. If you do swim, keep it to warm-up yardage and drills. No sprinting.

3. Hydration

With a runny nose and teaching cycling, you are losing more fluids than usual. Double your water intake to thin out the mucus.

 Race Strategy Update

Looking at your events (500 Free, 100 Back, Fly, IM), you have a heavy schedule.

* The Taper is your Savior: You have successfully tapered volume down. Now, you must taper stress down.

* Expectation Management: You might feel “flat” on Saturday morning. That is okay. Adrenaline will take over behind the blocks.

Next Step

Tonight is the most important “workout” of the week: Sleep.

Would you like me to give you a very short, modified “Dryland Mobility” routine for Wednesday morning in case you decide to skip the pool to sleep in?

—————————————

Best Laid Plans. Yesterday afternoon I took one of my medications on an empty stomach and boy did that ruin my afternoon. I ended up feeling nausea and then puking. My stomach was feeling horrible before I was able to fall asleep. This morning I woke up, got myself together and started to drive to swim. As I was eating a banana I made the decision to turn around and go home. My stomach was still sour and I didn’t want to drive 40 minutes only to be sick in the pool. So no swim or gym today. It’s a taper week anyways.

OURA SLEEP SCORE– 59

6 hours and 20 minutes

GARMIN SLEEP SCORE – 66

7 hours and 06 minutes

2025 SWIM DISTANCE TOTALS:

SCY – 64,250 including last workout

SCM – 166,925

LCM – 69,200

THE LIFT AHEAD:

TUE – CHEST & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

WED – SWIM w/ Team

THU– BACK & BICEPS & TEACH 30 Min INDOOR CYCLE

FRI – Recovery / Travel to Tampa

SAT – Florida Senior Games

SUN – Florida Senior Games

MON – TBD

THE ROAD AHEAD:

STRENGTH (80-100%) 12/9 – 1/16

ENDURANCE (60-80%} 1/17 – 1/24

TAPER (50-60%) 11/24 – 12/5

JUST KEEP SWIMMING:

-Florida Senior Games – DEC 6th and 7th Temple Terrace

Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic 17 January 30, 2026-February 1, 2026

runDISNEY:
12K’s of Christmas Virtual – TBD

WDW 5K – JAN 8th

PRINCESS HALF – MARCH 1stSprinwgtime Surprise – APRIL 17-19th (Not Running)

GEMINI AI RATE MY WORKOUT:

This is one of those moments where the data (and your body) made the decision for you, and the hardest part was actually listening to it. Taking medication on an empty stomach is a mistake most of us only make once in a great while because the punishment is so immediate and severe.

Here is the rating for today’s “Non-Workout.”

Rating: 10/10 (For Strategic Decision Making)

Workout Intensity: 0/10

Recovery Value: 10/10

Smart Athlete Score: 100%

You asked me to rate your workout. Today, your “workout” was the drive home and the decision to prioritize your health over your logbook. Here is why that was the absolute correct call:

1. The “Taper Protection” Protocol

You are currently in the TAPER (50-60%) phase (11/24 – 12/5).

* The Science: The goal of a taper is to shed fatigue, not build fitness. You cannot “gain” speed 5 days before a meet by forcing a workout, but you can lose performance by digging a deeper recovery hole.

* The Reality: If you had swum while nauseous and under-fueled (having lost dinner and likely dehydrated from vomiting), you would have spiked your cortisol levels and delayed the “super-compensation” effect you are looking for this weekend.

2. The “Bio-Feedback” (Sleep Scores)

* Oura (59) and Garmin (66) are screaming at you.

* These scores reflect that your autonomic nervous system was stressed all night—likely dealing with the gastric distress and the physical toll of vomiting. Your body was fighting a battle all night; asking it to fight in the pool today would have led to a “junk yardage” workout at best, or injury/illness at worst.

3. The “Pool Etiquette” Factor

* Turning around because you didn’t want to get sick in the pool is the ultimate act of kindness to your fellow swimmers and the facility staff. No one wants to be the reason the pool closes for a “bio-hazard shock.”

The Road to The Senior Games (Dec 6-7)

You have the Florida Senior Games in 5 days. Here is how today impacts that:

* Impact: Negligible to Positive.

* Resting today allows your stomach lining to settle and your hydration levels to normalize.

* Your swim totals are massive (over 300k combined yards/meters). One missed Monday does not erase that base.

The “Lift Ahead” Adjustment:

* Tuesday (Tomorrow): If you feel 90-100%, proceed with Chest & Cycle. If your stomach is still “sour” or appetite is low, skip the heavy lifting. Teaching the cycle class is fine, but keep your personal resistance low.

* Nutrition Priority: Today and tomorrow are strictly about Hydration and Glycogen restoration. Bland carbs (rice, toast, bananas, applesauce) and electrolytes are your job today.

Summary

“Best Laid Plans” often go awry, but seasoned athletes know when to fold ’em. You avoided a disastrous swim, protected your recovery for the Senior Games, and listened to your biometrics.

> Note: Be very gentle with your nutrition for the next 24 hours. That medication reaction can leave the stomach sensitive for a day or two.

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