Lap the Lake Training Log:

Sick, Scared, and Still Standing

Last week was supposed to be another big block of training. Instead, it brought me to my knees.

Coming off Labor Day, I felt strong. I had been stacking consistent weeks of swimming, running, and biking, and I could see the finish line of this training block taking shape. My confidence was high, my body was responding, and the momentum felt real. Then like flipping a switch, I woke up the next morning with a cough that spiraled into a full body shutdown.

Monday September 1st

It started small, something I thought would pass with a hot shower and a little grit. But each day the sickness unfolded into a new layer of misery. First the cough, then a splitting migraine, then body aches so sharp I could barely move, then cramps that stole whatever strength I had left. And the worst part was the endless flood of mucus that made it feel like I was drowning on dry land. Each morning I woke up hoping it was gone, but instead it was like Groundhog Day, the same miserable cycle starting over again.

The midweek blues set it fast

I woke up feeling defeated. Of all the times to get sick, why now? Why here, when I’m just weeks away from the biggest swim of my life? My mind went to the darkest places. What if I lose everything I’ve built? What if this is the thing that keeps me from finishing Lap the Lake? What if I let everybody down? The physical pain was one thing, but the mental fight was worse. Confidence slipped through my fingers with each day I stayed out of the water. It’s a helpless feeling, watching your body say “no” when your mind is screaming “go.”

By midweek, I was crumbling. I sat down with Rikki and asked her what I hadn’t wanted to admit out loud: if it was even worth it for me to keep pushing forward with this training, with the storytelling, with the mission itself. She didn’t hesitate. “You’ve worked so hard, it will get better. Your body just needs rest.” Simple words, but they hit me like a life raft. That was the lifeline I needed to keep going. She believed in me so I had to believe in myself.

I listened to my body

So I rested. Monday through Thursday I barely left the house except to shuffle from bed to desk. I slept whenever my body told me to, but in the in-between I found myself pouring into the other side of this journey, the behind-the-scenes grind. I caught up on blogs. I wrote articles. I finalized interviews and pre-swim checks. I organized logistics and schedules. I secured more sponsorships. I even managed to get ahead on social media. It wasn’t the training block I had envisioned, but looking back, it was exactly the week I needed. The physical work paused, but the mission was growing stronger.

First day back in the pool

By Thursday I couldn’t take the uncertainty anymore. I had to know what was left in the tank. I made it to the pool, nervous, even scared of the workout. Five days away felt like a lifetime. I haven't taken 5 days off in a row in over a decade. But I told myself it didn’t matter how ugly it was—at some point, I had to get back in. The workout was nothing fancy: 4,000 yards, easy pace, all freestyle. Breathing felt fine. My lungs reminded me they weren’t at 100%, and I had to stop a few times to clear everything out. But stroke after stroke, I realized something that caught me off guard. I hadn’t lost it. My endurance was still there. My body remembered. All those months of training hadn’t vanished in a handful of sick days.

When I finally touched the wall on that final set, sat in the sauna, and stretched out, I felt something I hadn’t felt all week—relief. Hope. A small but undeniable win.

A lesson I needed to learn

The lesson wasn’t about sickness. It wasn’t even about training. It was about perspective. Some days you wake up feeling invincible. Other days your body slams on the brakes and there’s nothing you can do but stop. Some things are simply out of your control, no matter how hard you try. What matters is how you respond.

This time, I didn’t spiral. I didn’t throw in the towel in frustration or let the doubt consume me. Instead, I stayed patient, leaned on my support system, and trusted that my body wouldn’t betray me after five months and one week of relentless work.

For me, that’s growth. That’s a step forward. That’s a WIN.

If I’ve learned anything through this, it’s that I’m stronger than I give myself credit for. A few days of sickness won’t undo everything I’ve built. The lake will still be there. The lap is still waiting. And I'm stronger mentally than I was a week ago. I have a new found confidence and I'm excited to make history.

Thank you everyone for the support and I will see you back her for an exciting update tomorrow morning about the swim. We are less than 10 days out!!

Jace