After a busy stretch, this week was about pulling back—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally too. The arrival of a new baby has shifted a lot of routines, and it’s been hard to find one-on-one time with my older son. This week, with my wife and the baby away at camp, I had a rare window to focus just on him.

We spent our days outside, hiking through forest trails, stopping at every interesting bug or rock, and just moving at his pace. The long hike on Thursday wasn’t “training,” but it was a real effort—and far more meaningful. Evenings were for coding. We tinkered with Godot and started building a simple platformer game together. It’s still early, but the joy of watching him figure things out reminded me why I started programming in the first place.

Training volume was higher than I expected for a recovery week, but most of it was low intensity and felt restorative. HRV trends and RHR drops suggest my body responded well. This was a different kind of training—one for the mind and for connection—and I’m grateful for it.

Weekly Training Summary: 2025-06-23 to 2025-06-29

Total Duration: 6 hours 36 minutes
Total Distance: 51.4 kilometers
Total TSS: 175

HRV avg: 41.5  RHR avg: 64.3 bpm  Weight avg: 73.2 kg

Wellness Trends:

• HRV rose steadily through the week, peaking at 48.9 on Sunday
• Resting HR dropped from 67 to 61 bpm, a good recovery signal
• Sleep averaged just over 7 hours per night, with one short night Friday

Activity Highlights:

• 2025-06-24 to 06-26: Three short easy runs (total 9 km)
• 2025-06-26: Four-hour hike in a local nature reserve
• 2025-06-30: Easy tempo ride, 31.4 km, 95 TSS (included here for completeness)

Looking Ahead

With recovery week behind, it’s time to start ramping back up:

• July 1–2: Long endurance ride and easy run
• July 3: Threshold intervals return
• July 6: Another run to reinforce consistency

The structure returns gradually, but the focus stays on keeping things sustainable. It’s not just about the numbers—it’s about showing up with energy, staying connected to the “why,” and building fitness for the long haul.