On September 17, 2025, I became the first to complete a 17-mile open-water swim around Lake Wawasee. Nine hours and 20 minutes of endurance, hypothermia, and pure grit — cheered on by over 300 people from docks and boats. This Lap the Lake journey is more than a swim — it’s the beginning of my book, Beyond the Buoy, a mile-by-mile story of pushing past limits and making history.

. The south shore was a grind of silence, weeds, and whispers of doubt.

The dock was cold. The water colder. One kiss, one breath — and I slipped into the silence of Lake Wawasee.

Last week brought me to my knees. An upper respiratory infection hit me like a full-body shutdown—coughs, migraines, body aches, and endless mucus that left me feeling defeated and terrified I was losing everything I’d built. Each day out of the water felt like confidence slipping away.

This Labor Day weekend was a rollercoaster — from fog-covered sunrise swims on glassy Lake Wawasee to the roar of cheers from strangers on their docks, to crashing hard just two days later with sickness that forced me to stop. Training isn’t always clean or easy, and this log captures the raw truth of what it looks like to chase big goals while balancing community, family, and recovery.

Training log for August 26–27, featuring brand photoshoots, a track workout, trail running in the rain at Chain O’ Lakes, an 8k swim, surfing behind a new Malibu Wakesetter, mobility work, and podcasting. Discover the realness of daily endurance training, balancing running, swimming, recovery, and storytelling with vulnerability and inspiration.

Choppy water, hard miles, and homemade pizza. From a sunrise swim in 10-knot winds to a 20-mile ride fueled by Red Bull and Starbursts, today’s training mixed grit, family, and fun. Every stroke, every mile, and every laugh is bringing Lap the Lake 2025 closer.

Running doesn’t just strengthen your lungs — it sharpens your soul. Out there, with no crowd, no applause, and nothing but your footsteps and the voice in your head, you learn who you really are. It’s not about cardio. It’s about character.