Last week is an emotional blur.

Hours of time surrendered to a thousand tiny cardboard pieces — each one different but also, somehow, the same.

A whimsical endeavor slowly descending into maddening futility and a test mental endurance.

Our confidence wavering but our determination hardening into stubbornness.

Test, reject, test again.

We were not to be beaten by a box that mocked us — “ages 9 and up.”

The last piece in place — Mickey’s right ear. Finally victory. Sweet victory.

Somewhere in the distance, another puzzle waits.

(Made possible by alcohol. Alcohol — making everything better since, well, always.)

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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I realize that up to this point in The Triathlife that Jen was more akin to the faceless/voiceless sitcom characters like Vera Peterson, Maris Crane, Bob Sacamano or Ugly Naked Guy. But assure you, she is very real and will be the keyboard surfer behind The Triathlife’s newest feature — “Not Done Yet!”

I’ll let Jen explain the rest. Hurray Jen!!!

Not Done Yet! x 365 – Day 1

It’s my birthday. I won’t say which one because, if we’re honest, there’s still a good deal of ageism in the workplace and I’d like to protect myself from that. But it’s safe to say I’m smack dab in the middle of “midlife.” And with that comes an assumption that I am slowing down…that “my best years are behind me”….certainly as it pertains to endurance sports, but about many other things as well.

And given that it’s been nearly 10 years (!!) since my last triathlon – which was a big PR at Ironman Chattanooga in September 2016 – it would be easy to go along with societal expectations and just slow down. Spend more time on the couch and less time on my bike. Spend more sleeping in and less time in the basement strength training. More time driving and less time walking or running. But I’m here to say “I appreciate your advice, but no thanks” to all of that.

I’m not sure where the last 10 years have gone – we bought a house; I got into gardening; we lost a dog and got a puppy (hi George!); I fell while running and had an acute shoulder dislocation which required surgery; health challenges for both Jon and I – and suddenly I have lost touch with triathlon. I’ve kept up with my running and have continued to dabble with racing the half-marathon distance, but my triathlon days appeared to be over.

But as 2025 comes quickly to a close, I’ve realized that I’m NOT DONE YET. Somewhere over this past 10 years, I’ve also lost a part of me. Something that makes me feel strong and alive…triathlon training and racing. So, on this X? birthday, I am committing to ME for the next 365 days. This is not about performance goals, because that is not me and I am not a front of pack athlete. This is about prioritizing myself (versus what everyone else expects from me) and doing the work to become the strongest, fittest midlife bad-ass lady that I can be. I will be a guest contributor on The Triathlife to keep myself accountable.

Day 1 starts today. With a 50’ steady state trainer ride and 30’ strength session. Let’s go!

-Jen

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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Gratitude

I’ve been thinking about what it means to live The Triathlife — as midlifers juggling training, careers, family…and maybe literally juggling.

And since it’s Thanksgiving — and this may be a little junior varsity of me — I’d like to acrostically express my GRATITUDE for…

The Triathlife mindset:

G rowing through every challenge and bump in the road
R ecommiting to fitness goals — one workout at a time
A ppreciating every gain—big and small, inside and out
T raining with purpose
I nspiration — drawing on the strength of others
T rusting the process, even on the tough days
U plifting words for your training partners, for strangers…for yourself
D are to try, dare to fail, dare to succeed
E mbracing the lifestyle… The Triathlife

Midlife:

G race — giving it to others and to yourself
R ecognizing your never gonna be perfect and you’re not gonna stop growing
A ligning with curiosity
T aking on new challenges
I nviting fun into your life
T urning midlife into a new beginning
U nbreakable joy and spirit
D etermination to create something new
E xperiencing growth at any age

This crazy sport of triathlon:

G oggles, gear, and early-morning grit
R ides that end in coffee
A ches…be they intentional (like DOMS) or stoopid (like “all I did was sneeze!”)
T ransitions be they in life, careers or during a race (T1 and T2 free speed, baby!)
I ntervals that push us past comfort (but suck all the same)
T raining miles that turn into strength and fitness
U ps and downs that test and shape our resilience
D eep breaths before the start line (and “Deep Thoughts” by Jack Handy)
E arned post race pizza and beer :)

Happy Thanksgiving, Triathlifers. 🦃💛🏊‍♂️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♂️

But before you go…the greatest Thanksgiving sitcom episode ever.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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For the balance of the summer the side walks were crawling with these creatures. Females mostly. Always in pairs. Accessorized with golden doodles. Fueled by Starbucks.

By September their numbers had dwindled inexplicably. Now, as we arrive on December’s doorstep, they have all but gone.

But where? Hibernation?

My suspicion is that a majority of the weighted vests have found their way to the island of misfit fitness fads (boy, say that 5 times fast)…to join their tribal mates the Shake Weight, Thighmaster and the Electric Ab Stimulator.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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Friday afternoon in the Y locker room…gathering my gear to adios following a swimmy…I accidentally overhear the hushed tones of what I quickly sussed out was a rather ominous phone conversation…

It’s the end of the year and overall production is way down. I think I need to let some guys go…

Oooph…”layoffs”…I thought. I’ve been on both sides of layoffs…being laid off and doing the laying off. Both suck (obviously the former worse than the latter)…it was putting a pit in my stomach so I hastened my readiness to vacate the locker room. And just I was leaving…

Who do you think I could get for DK Metcalf?

Dude was talking about his fantasy football team!

Good gravy.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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I have a list of half baked ideas on my legal pad. Not sure if any of these will turn into full bits.

Feels like I’m working out a comedy set on an open mic night at Zanies.

• Cycling Cinema™️ 🎦 - now this will definitely need to turn into a full post. But I’m not finished with the movie. I had Coach Lizard move my long workouts to Wednesdays for the near term. So I had a two hour trainer ride (+ a 20 minute run off the bike) today that I was reserving for Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. I neglected to check the run time of 2:49 so I’m not quite finished. I prolly should have held onto this one for a longer ride. I was at the theatre in 1996 for opening night of the original Mission Impossible. Sheesh almost 30 years. I am really enjoying this one…all the full circle story lines / characters.

• Tis the season. It’s cold. It gets dark at 4-f*cking-30. More time indoors. The holidays. Comfort food. Alcohol. All reasons why I give myself fitness and training challenges to get me over the winter hump. Without a race carrot to chase after I need to keep moving and keep motivated.

• Speaking of getting dark early…most of the year we love to eat dinner quickly and then get out for a long walk with George before hitting the wrapper. During the winter you can imagine this becoming more challenging. First there’s the whole it’s dark a lot thing…but being runner/triathletes we are well equipped with headlamps and reflective clothing (George even has his own blinky lights). Much like my posting streak, I am trying to keep our after dinner walk streak going. George still has to attend to his business anyhow and he’s a bit of a sniffer and dawdler anyway…might as well make a walk out of it.

• BUT…..when you add dark + snow and or ice? Recipe for bad things. I mean, not for the quadruped but for the lone female biped in our pack…not being cruel or judgy…she’s just not good with slippery footing. I blame a childhood which was void of pond hockey (in moon boots) or that long strip of playground ice where kids line up and take turns sliding across…on two feet or two knees or one ass. We were a better people when we let our kids run feral. Sure there were more scrapes and broken bones but that’s life, yes?

• Dare I wade into more “weighty” issues so to speak? GLP-1 anyone?

• 6/7. It’s not funny. It was never funny. It needs to stop.

• With the colder weather I am in full blown drinking hot water all the time again like my Grandma used to. The only true use for stainless steel bottles (be it Stanley or Yeti or my brand loyal…Gatorade 32 oz). I walk around the house with this massive bottle. I take it with me to the pool for warm sips between sets…I’m not kidding. I can’t be drinking coffee all the time…and I refuse to drink dirty brown water the most folks refer to as, tea. Hot water is just the best. Seriously. You need to try it.

• Mark Allen (legendary Triathlete and coach) just dropped this substack jewel - 5 tips for men who shave their legs. Swimmers do it (faster in the pool). Pro cyclists do it (aerodynamics — proven fact — and easier to deal with road rash). And most triathletes do it. I used to do it. Mark says it’s about attention to the details…I say it one less detail to have to pay attention to. Plus I don’t think Jen likes it. So that’s the marital trump card.

• It’s almost Thanksgiving week…and you know what that means?! WKRP In Cincinnati turkey drop (IYKYK).

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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I’m not done yet!

I found myself slumming it around LinkedIn yesterday….and to be honest….yuck. LinkedIn is currently little more than Facebook dressed in khaki pants.

Most posts are virtue signaling…to promote “my personal brand” — humble brag, humble brag, humble brag. There’s still bit of news and industry information to be extracted…and the occasional real networking opportunities. But little else.

I’m really over it and desperately want to write a final sign-off and work summary…pushing aside all of the algorithm optimization gobbledygook. I already edited it down a fair bit…oh sorry to pivot but Pete Holmes has this great bit about the word “edited” :)

But back to LinkedIn…there was this fleeting moment that I wanted back in…seeing all these advertising things and I wanted a little piece of the action. Fortunately that moment passed quickly…re-reminding myself that I need to let go. I’m starting over (professionally speaking) and I need to keep focusing on that.

The whole starting over theme must be boiling just beneath the surface for me lately because it’s coming up a lot in my writing. It’s hitting me professionally…which is why I’ve been extremely sensitive to thinking about other mid-lifers and their personal fitness goals.

Not only writing about but also making sure that I am doing little things like offering encouraging words to runners and walkers on the Prairie Path or the swimmers and aqua joggers at the pool. Personal fitness can be a lonely and intimidating place. I don’t want anyone to feel anything other than welcome and empowered.

Starting over or just starting for the first time shouldn’t feel intimating or hard. It’s proof you haven’t given up on yourself.

Midlife takes away plenty but what it does give us is perspective — that starting and restarting is always better than stopping forever…that something is better than nothing.

I’m not done yet.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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First steps

Today Jen went with me to the Y to share a swim lane.

This used to be a regular thing back in the day. She was always way more serious and disciplined about swimming than I was. For the longest time I was a bit of a spaz in the pool. I really tried to cheat my way around putting in the work. She was always a steady presence…doing all the little things required to become a competent and strong swimmer.

A few years ago while out on an early March run, Jen had a crazy hard fall on the pavement…slipping on some black ice…ultimately ending up in the ER with a torn rotator cuff and labrum (we have matching shoulder labrum surgery scars…awwww….aren’t we cute?!).

It takes a lot of bravery to get back at it. Today was her first step.

This week, give yourself permission to take one step.
Not the whole staircase.
Not the perfect plan.
Just one step.

Forward is forward.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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What would Morgan Freeman do? The man who played God in “Evan Almighty” shared some sage advise with People given to him by the ageless Clint Eastwood…

"‘don’t let the old man in’ — keep moving; that is the secret to it all”

Freeman (88) appears in the latest “Now You See Me” movies — Now You See Me: Now You Don’t — in theaters this weekend. Like his pal, Eastwood, Freeman is living up to another of his more iconic cinema quotes from the Shawshank Redemption…”Get busy living…or get busy dying” (and yes I know that Tim Robbins said it first). He doesn’t appear to be slowing down. As the man said — keep moving. That’s the secret.

In Dr Peter Attia we trust

I am a fan of Dr. Peter Attia.

You many have heard him on Rich Roll or Joe Rogan or seen him on on Nat Geo’s Limitless as he guided Thor (Chris Hemsworth) through a gauntlet of challenges to gain insights into longevity. Or perhaps you saw him a couple weeks ago in this lengthy segment on 60 Minutes.

These last few years Dr Attia has been having quite a moment as longevity has become one of the hottest health topics du jour.

And rightly so…that is his life’s work.

Not that I would ever compare myself to the good doctor but I have long been making the same off handed comment in regard to why I do all this endurance stuff (and written it here more than a few times) — that one of my biggest goals in this life is that someday I would toe the line at an Ironman race and be the oldest age group male.

I don’t dream of being the fastest….I want to be the oldest.

And to be honest I’ve only joked in so much as to not sound absolutely insane. But rest assured that is very much a goal of mine. So even before Dr Peter Attia entered my informational orbit, I’ve pondered longevity and have been inspired by people out getting it done long after most folks have resigned themselves to an end of life full of saying things like, “I’m much too old for that.”

And I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones. I am entering mid-life already on the go. But if you haven’t started or want to begin again, well, now is the time.

Longevity is a long game, and midlife is when the training truly counts. The habits we build today — strength, stamina, consistency — determine the quality of our decades ahead. Yes decades!

For those of us in The Triathlife, that means the race toward a longer, stronger life starts right now. Who’s with me?

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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Scientific America says it take 21 days to create a habit (not to be confused with the approx 2 years it took for J.R.R. Tolkien to create “The Hobbit”…but i digest).

I haven’t read the full article and am not ready to expound any further, I just needed “a way in” to today’s post. I posted the link above read it for yourself. Or for your elf…if you have an elf. I

am currently on my first cocktail…none of this is going to get any better.

But like last Saturday I left this to the last second. And I didn’t want to break the streak because, as Scientific America says, it take 21 days to create a habit. This is day 19…I am only two away from creating a habit and filling my Substack punch card for free sub.

Again, I didn’t read the article so I’m not certain they covered Substack in their data analysis. But their literal title is called “Scientific America”…so lets assume that they covered any kind of repeated behavior in their study of science-y things.

And since this is still The Triathlife…I should report on endurancey things…I ran 7 miles this morning. First run in three weeks. Felt great. Even with the tweak to my external oblique (see yesterday’s post). Prolly the last short sleeve/shorts run of the winter. We had a oddly warm day today starting with 58 in the morning with a high of 71 this afternoon. It’s all downhill from here…but EVERYONE was out today either raking leaves or putting up Christmas. Like everyone got the suburban person things to do memo.

Ok…day 19 in the books. I’m coming for you, habit!

Schmitty out.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

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This has nothing to do with anything today but this morning I showed up to the gym for a quick swimmy and upon entering the locker room my olfactorys were met with a plume of cinnamon spice. Come to find out the urinals had been dressed with new and, dare I say, holiday scented splash guards (???). The locker room has never smelled so…ye old candle shoppy. I give it a couple days of flush cycles for it to smell like someone peed on a scented candle. Until then, it is a welcome change to an otherwise scent that can best be described as “dank.”

But that’s not why you called…

I think I’ve complained about this before but I really wish my injuries came with better stories.

Like last year when I tweaked my SI joint…I was getting up from the toilet while we were on vacation (that’s right…I’m looking right at you).

My current ailment is a deep pull in what I think is my exterior oblique on my right side…that I tweaked while seated on our back stairs…while twisting my torso to put George’s harness on.

Not exactly an act of machismo.

I am an ugly arm bruise away from having to get one of those “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” buttons.

What’s even more fun about an “injury” like this is how quickly your body educates you on what this muscle is used for. It’s not keeping me from riding the trainer. It was a little tricky in the pool (think hip rotation) but it shows up when I need to take a step sideways or when George pulls ever so slightly on the leash while we’re out for a walk. Oh and it showed up plenty doing the leaves the last two days.

Thing is…it was not that long ago that I had injuries that were legit. A stress fracture in my femur from too many run miles — my femur! Do you know how hard that is to do? And, having completed 3 Ironman Races in a 5 year span, in 2016 my labrum (shoulder) finally gave way. And I put off surgery until AFTER Ironman Chattanooga.

Behold my injury prowess!!!

But now? Now I become incapacitated upon rising from the commode.

And it’s not that I want to be injured. I mean it sucks. And with each passing year, it takes just that much longer to heal and recover.

But I am in dire need of some story embellishment.

Or at least one of those grab bars next to the toilet.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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I came across this dude yesterday on Instagram (@notdeadyet_life). I’m still figuring him out so please don’t mistake this post for a reco. That said, Not Dead Yet is a community that is —

“Helping High Performers Rewire Their Mindset and habits to eliminating Imposter Syndrome.”

Ok. Sounds cool.

And there are probably some nuggets to be gained within his feed. I gave a follow and I’m going to dig around to see if I can find out a bit more.

But he also seems like an alpha…and alphas always trigger my contrarian nature….see, I’m more the kid in the back of class cracking wise. Still, I really like this post…and it’s a good state of mind to put ourselves in…especially in mid-life when kids / family / community / work already take up so much of the life pie.

What is your floor? What is your ceiling?

However you define your fitness or fitness goals…whether you’ve been doing it for a short time or a long time…whether you are just beginning or beginning again…we should all have our floors and ceilings. As coach Lizard will remind me on occasion…something is better than nothing.

Being an endurance athlete I have a high ceiling for certain activities. My personal Xanadu is a 4-6 hour ride on a warm Sunday morning with at least one refuel stop and a coffee stop. My floor is 20 minutes of strength work in the basement. There was a time when my floor was way to high…and that just means I would skip. Meaning, if I can’t get out for my full hour run then what’s the point of even starting.

Being new to this framework I can see setting the ceiling to set limits…like I could do this all day if I were a selfish masochist. But the floor is the more critical component… it’s there as an accountable push to at least do something (again, something is better than nothing).

Too many times we set our floors too high. So we end up not showing up at all. So our fitness goals never get off the ground or they just fizzle out.

The key to consistency isn’t perfection.

The key to consistency is showing up….and most importantly, showing up for yourself.

We can do it. You got this.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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Fair warning…this is a shitty post. I thought I had something but I wrote myself into a cul-de-sac that I can’t get out of. So I’m just going to leave it here. This is one of those getting to see how the sausage is made kinda things. I had an idea…earlier in the day it sounded kinda quirky in my head…but when I sat down to the keyboard….well I’m just hitting a wall…I can’t even come up with something sassy or pithy. Blargh.

Ok, tomorrow is another day and I promise to do better.

There are a few things I don’t miss about advertising. Most of which have to do with clients (sorry, clients). Like unnecessary last second revisions, surprise budget cuts and the late-on-a-summer-Friday urgent request when no one is around…are just a few that roll right off my sleeve.

Another thing I don’t miss is the afternoon slump. And boy would I get it bad. Especially during the height of triathlon training in the middle of the year…crawling out of the wrapper on most mornings before 4:30am.

Being in project management I had control of meetings and calendars and would do whatever I could to avoid scheduling anything on either side of the 2pm hour mostly because I just couldn’t function. At one particular agency, I would typically grab a co-worker and we would walk a couple blocks to get coffee because it brought some levity, fresh air, and, most importantly, a critical caffeine boost.

I thought maybe that slumpy feeling would go away now that I’m not working, in between careers semi-retired. But it hasn’t. It hits just the same.

That’s it. That’s the post.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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A few weeks back your endurance pal, Schmitty, laced up his kicks for the Hot Cider Hustle 8 Miler. Not really a race that was even on my radar. This was Jen’s fall “A” race. I was running for the finishers coffee mug. But Jen had an IT band flare up and this left me with the decision whether or not to run. Again, I wanted the mug and the registration was a sunk cost. And honestly, Danada Forest Preserve is only a 15 minute drive for me and Coach Lizard was prolly going to give me 8-10 miles to run that morning regardless. So let’s do the hustle!

• The race was set to go off at 8:30am. I got up at an unreasonably early off-season hour…but also incredibly reasonable for a race…that is only 15 minutes away (advantage of racing small and local). More than enough time for coffee, a full pregame breakfast, and even time to take George for his morning constitutional.

Advantage: George 🐶💩

• On sight parking is slim but doable if you time it right. I timed it poorly and was directed to way far away parking to get bussed back to the start. One of my red hot trigger issues is not having control of my situation. Over the years I’ve honed my pregame craft by controlling the controllables. Off site parking and bus transport was handing over a controllable. And these were school busses. School. Busses. Now I know…what’s the big deal? Having lived in Chicago for over 25 years, public transport is a part of daily living. But it’s not the bus part. It’s the school part. Still not with me? How do I put this without inciting an angry mob…I don’t have kids…so a solitary kid is cute and funny and easy to deal with. But a whole congregate of little ones? Well that’s a recipe for a giant petri dish of super germs. And riding in a yellow tube that transports mass quantities of these tiny germ factories on a daily basis? Well, they just don’t make hand sanitizer strong enough. Yeah, I went there. I know. Sorry. I’m sure your kids are just darling.

Advantage: Super germs 🦠🚌

• Anywho…I waited in my car until what I felt was the absolute last bus making it to the race start. I was proud of my veteran move to eliminate having to stand around in the morning cold arriving just as they finished the anthem singing.

• Since it was just me and because I am of wee stature I was able to weave my way pretty far forward just as the gun went off…but not nearly far enough. This was a WALK/run 5k and 8 miler….allowing for strollers and kids of all ages. And, seriously, more power to all of you…but maybe if you have a stroller…and you’re walking….you don’t go off with the front pack.

• The 5k was an out and back so I patiently made my way around walkers, baby strollers and lots of littles for those first 1.5 miles. The 8 miler takes full advantage of the the forest preserve trails and my resulting Garmin map looks like someone who is right handed, drew an ampersand (&) with their left hand. Pretty fun course on a beautiful morning.

• I ran my first 4miles at an 8:20-8:25 pace and the last 4 at a sub 8:00 pace…pretty good effort for the old man…completely untrained for any kind of speed.

• The race finishes around a legit grass horse track…a total ankle breaker and honestly really difficult to run on. Power to the equine.

Advantage: Strollers 🍼 and Horses 🐎

• Got my mug, collected my Affy Tapple and loaded myself back onto the germ tube school bus to be taken back to my car. I was met at home with a congratulatory cinnamon roll and freshly made coffee.

Advantage: ☕️

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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What is Cycling Cinema™️

Indoor cycling trainer rides…most folks hate em…I just love em. Saddle up the trainer and fire up the Apple TV and I am at once whisked away by a carefully curated list of small screen delights and feature length motion picture shows.

I may not always watch the latest or the most popular but by the Hammer of Thor they will be reviewed and brought to you here on Cycling Cinema™️

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

PG-13 ‧ 2025 ‧ Action/Sci-fi ‧ 1h 55m

(WARNING: SPOILERS AND NERDERY AWAIT ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE)

Let’s be honest. Outside of 2024’s “Deadpool and Wolverine” the past 4 or 5 years has been a rocky road for the MCU. Even 2025’s full slate…Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and this most recent offering “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” have been met with tepid response. Admittedly, not every movie in the Infinity Saga was a banger (I’m looking right at you Captain Marvel), but there were more home runs than not. The last few years just feels like watching small ball for a team that hits them out of the park at a very high percentage.

Sports metaphors aside, lets have a look at “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and see if the movie can live up to this space exploring team’s moniker.

At the helm is Director, Matt Shakman — known most notably to MCU fans for his work on WandaVision. I believe this to be his first go at the silver screen though his body of television work is quite impressive. That said, I don’t feel like I missed out having not seen it in the theatre.

Fantastic Four is an ensemble of characters and the cast was equally so with Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch and Ebon Moss‑Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing. All solid. Nothing to write home about but no one outshone the other. Solid acting all across the board, even among the supporting cast.

Outside of the cast the biggest star of the film was truly the production design — muy mucho retro cool — thanks to Kasra Farahani who was responsible for the “fantastic” 1960s meets space-age aesthetic (Farahani previously did production design for Loki — MCU Television — which was equally impressive in its retro chic vibe). If you are a fan of futuristic mid-century modern…this movie is a visual treat.

Cycling Cinema™️ Grade — 2.75 Water Bottles (B - - )

Story wise — they squeezed and squeezed the lemon to get every last usable drop of liquid to make it to a full glass of two hour run time clocking in at 1:55. This is notable as the MCU has previously required incredible bladder discipline from its audience. This movie had a heavy editing hand..and even though it was wound incredibly tight, it still lagged a bit in the middle.

Visual FX — Marvel fired long time Executive Producer Victoria Alonso a few years back. She was Marvel’s chief visual effects poo-bah for a lion share of the MCU films. Alonso also had an iron fist reputation for grinding on her vendors…but the work was always really tight. In her absence, there have been some noticeable gaps. To their credit in F4 they blew the budget on Ben (The Thing) — and he looked, um, fantastic. Seriously. But good gravy I could practically see the green screen during the climactic baby resurrects his mommy near the movie’s end. It was rather off putting. And this was Marvel’s summer tent pole. Very disappointing…if one can be disappointed by such things.

As a love letter to Jack Kirby…this movie had it in spades (there is no MCU or Marvel for that matter without Jack Kirby though Stan Lee got most of the love). Shakman and team took The Fantastic Four back to Jack’s original vision from the comic book. So the cast and crew deserve a lot of credit for honoring the integrity of it’s origins and it’s creator — the movie is called “First Steps” after all.

The Triathlife gives “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” 2.75 out of 5 water bottles.

Until next time…the cycling trainer is closed.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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Editors note: In the very real and most likely case that you missed my earlier post about “streaking”….this is Day 13 in my substack posting streak. Because like in any endeavor, consistency is key, writing is like building a muscle and a third thing because you should always have three things when making of a list.

I’d like to introduce Gene Bruckert.

I don’t know him but thanks to Harvey Lewis (king of the backyard ultra) who posted Gene’s accomplishment this morning from the Tunnel Hill 100.

Gene finished the 50 miler this morning. He knocked out the marathon portion in 7.5 hours…tooks some naps….slowed the second half….and ultimately cam across in a time of 24:03:04.

I want to be Gene when I grow up. No need for speed. Just getting it done. And to think he didn’t pick up ultras until he was in his 70s. And he’s done 100s of them.

None of us have any excuses. It just takes starting. Or starting again. Just show up every day for something, anything. Do NOT strive for perfection. Strive for consistency.

Congrats Gene! On to the next one.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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It’s the off-season baby!

Ok…little more…today is the most epic of shit fall days…cold, rain, and wet leaves. But today I made dinner…pork tenderloin (grilled in the rain) with a brown sugar and dijon rub + baked applesauce + mashed potatoes (frozen but c’mon I only have so much time). Top it off with post dinner cocktails and we have a pretty good fall Saturday all things considered.

It is currently shitting rain outside and I have to get George out for night time business. I’d complain more but I’m not the one who has to pee outside in the cold and wet.

Day 12. Not a banner post but it counts. Cheers!

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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Been busy the last few days…and I have to get up sooper early tomorrow. I normally work through something to write about during the day but today I just have a bunch of little somethings…so this or that it is.

And if you’re of a certain age you may have gotten all these references….

Doo dah dipitty

• This week I started in on all the things I would do in the “off season”…most notably getting back to strength training at least 3 days a week. And now I have the DOMS. Legs mostly because getting closer to my last three races of the season I skipped over legs in favor of keeping them fresh from the extra endurance work. And DOMS sucks the older you get. I still like it…it means I did the work…but it also feels achy and achy feel sick. Youth sheds DOMS like youth sheds a hangover. But by midlife but DOMS and hangovers just suck exponentially so.

• We live in an area ripe with trees. Like tall mature trees of every variety. AND ALL THE LEAVES. So late October and all November it’s leaf blower season! And my corner lot is a leaf vortex. No matter the wind direction, my yard becomes a collection bin for the neighborhood. I spent two days this week cleaning my yard…mulching, mowing and bagging…and it still looks like I didn’t do anything. Remember this scene in “The Santa Clause” with Tim Allen. Yeah if feels like that.

  

• Jen is wanting to get back into the pool and I’m excited to be swimming with her again. But my pool is a 20 minute drive so that pool doesn’t work with her schedule. So we’re fishing around and I think we’re going to go to the Y here in town. They just did a serious renovation and for a Y its kinda nice…and it has the two things I need in the winter…an indoor pool and treadmills. But it will be a learning curve….because I’ve been swimming at this other pool for the last five years and I know all the things. I know the vibe each day of the week…the best time to go….who I’ll see and who I’m avoiding. Routine. That’s about to change. And we fear change.
  

• I really think I was sick. Don’t tell Jen. I really can’t have her being right. I’m finally feeling better and my workouts are returning to feeling normal (can’t stop won’t stop). But I haven’t run since that trail race two weeks ago. Normally I would feel really bad about this. But I don’t. Been doing more biking and that allowed me to crush the latest seasons of “Slow Horses” (Apple TV) and “The Diplomat” (Netflix). And I have a back log of movies. Looking forward to even more bike miles and getting back to writing Cycling Cinema™️ again.

  

• At the risk of sounding sooper old, we had soup and sandwiches tonight for dinner. It’s our new cold weather Friday night thing. Always a hot sandwich…meat, cheese and some sort of freshly prepared spread. Throw them on the griddle and it’s like having a deli melt. Enter a bottle of wine and whatever show we are currently watching and boom…a midlifer’s Friday night date night. Comfort food when it’s not so comfortable outside.

Doo dah dipitty

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

Subscribe now

Editors note: In the very real and most likely case that you missed my earlier post about “streaking”….this is Day 10 in my substack posting streak. Because like in any endeavor, consistency is key, writing is like building a muscle and a third thing because you should always have three things when making of a list.

Hot (subway) take alert!

Des is one of my favorite runners because of her bravery and grit…and the fact that she loves coffee and bourbon…. but that doesn’t even factor into the equation…ok so maybe it does a little: 🥃 ☕️

But who can forget the abhorrent conditions during the 2018 Boston Marathon where she took the women’s title. In weather made only for the hardest runners, it only makes sense that Des won on that day.

Des also thinks that marathons are overrated. And I agree. As she says in this clip from @subwaytakes ()

If you are out there running that is a huge accomplishment!

And she’s right.

A very Schmitty hot take alert

And I think we have social media to blame somewhat (record scratch — yup here we go…another old guy blaming the socials again).

Marathons — specifically the marathon majors — have ridden the pendulum swing back to favorability. Not that long ago, Marathons were on the down swing but then COVID things and now the younger millennials and zoomers (and even some endurance boomerang olds) are creating a bit of an endurance renaissance. And I like this new vibe quite frankly.

But it feels like the creator crowd is jumping directly from couch to marathon/Ironman…because those are the big shiny tokens. And I admit, somewhat, that I might be suffering from algorithm blindness. But while the creators are taking the fast highway to glory they’re missing out on all the little fun, quirky stops and localized flavor of the scenic backroads.

Whether my poorly formulated hypothesis is correct (having spent all of these 20 minutes thinking about it) I truly believe that the spirit of the endurance community is better found and experienced at your local run/tri clubs, your local events and all the smaller market races.

When I was still sniffing around the marathon circuit I really dug the smaller market races like Indianapolis, Fox Valley (west Chicago suburbs) and even the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon — back when it was a little point to point event starting line north of the city in the Grafton High School parking lot (side note: when I ran it in 2011 Bart Yasso was the honorary starter…and you and I can be best friends if you know who Bart Yasso is and have run Yasso 800s during your track workouts).

In fact, with Jen talking about getting back into triathlon again we plan on racing locally again next year by checking out some of the smaller short distance triathlons in the area. It’s not all about Ironman after all.

I think Des would agree.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

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I was listening to a podcast…

This baseball season I started listening to the podcast - “Is this a great game or what” hosted by Jeff and Tim Kurkjian (kirk-jan) — father and son. Tim of course (or maybe not of course) is a long time baseball writer and broadcaster for ESPN (priors include Sports Illustrated, The Baltimore Sun and the Dallas Morning News). Tim is a walking encyclopedia of baseball…and not just history — teams, players, statistics — but also random statistical oddities which baseball lends itself too. Jeff and Tim have taken to calling them Quirk-jians as a play on their last names. I delight in these oddities. For example (I am picking one that is somewhat universally relatable)…there have been two 18 inning world series games in history…both won by the LA Dodgers…and Brad Paisley sang the national anthem at both. Fun, right? Ok so my fun is a pretty low bar.

Sidebar that really only means anything to me but I am noting it anyway:

During the 2010s I used to get through my work afternoons listening to ESPN radio — most notably at the time — The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz,. The best part of the week during the summer months was when Tim Kurkjian would join for his segment talking all things baseball. Tim is a very easy laugh. And the Le Batard show loves to make Tim laugh. And they would do so by playing this audio meme game…so and so looks in sports (players, coaches or officials) looks like this or that person in mundane or ridiculous situations.

But that’s not why you called….

With the baseball season behind us Tim and Jeff are doing the last couple of wrap up shows for the season and today they invited Ken Rosenthal (Fox Baseball, MLB, The Athletic) another long time baseball writer. Tim and Ken met each other while working at the Baltimore Sun in the 80s. And during today’s pod they inevitably swapped and shared stories about their earliest days in the business…Tim, covering the Baltimore Orioles for the morning edition and Ken covering the Orioles for the evening edition…and this is where I start to miss newspapers.

All the news that’s fit to print

If you grew up near a major metro there was probably more than one newspaper in town. General rule of thumb…one paper would lay claim as the morning paper and one the evening. Though some papers had both an AM and a PM edition of some sort. Growing up in Michigan, my family was a Detroit News family. The News was primarily an afternoon/evening paper, though they did have a morning edition. When I was but a wee lad, the folded girth of the daily Detroit News newspaper would make the current Sunday Chicago Tribune or Sunday NY Times editions blush with size envy. Completely full, top to bottom, and edge to edge, daily sections — local news, global news, business, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, classifieds, comics, weather! In fact, as I was wrapping up college and hitting the job market…there was no LinkedIn or Indeed…I poured over the classified section of both Detroit newspapers (News and FreePress) and would respond to want ads for advertising agencies…by mailing (with a stamp!) my cover letter and resume…resumes that I had printed at the local printer on fancy stock— in bulk.

I got my first gig in advertising responding to a want ad from the classifieds section of the Detroit News. So you can see why I would have a certain pang and nostalgia for ye old daily broadsheet.

About The Triathlife?

Hi, I’m Schmitty. But I’m not The Triathlife…the Triathlife is all of us midlifers out there “gettin it done.”

Personally, I’ve spent 30+ years in endurance sports...training, racing, coaching and blogging.

Wanna be part of The Triathlife? Subscribe now to participate…comments, dad jokes, questions, emojis of disgust?

Subscribe now