Ran my game this morning and it went great. Amazing what just a few notes and story beats can do when you have players that are willing and active role players. Some fun new lore drops for the world and some fun quick combat with giant insects made for a good session
February 13, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Ran my game this morning and it went great. Amazing what just a few notes and story beats can do when you have players that are willing and active role players. Some fun new lore drops for the world and some fun quick combat with giant insects made for a good session
Writers block for dnd sucks. It is tough when you feel like you are letting down your players as a dm if you dont have anything. Starting small with just an npc name or one enemy stat block cns be a way to break out of a funk. Be creative use a source book and flip to a random page. Will it work?
February 12, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Writers block for dnd sucks. It is tough when you feel like you are letting down your players as a dm if you dont have anything. Starting small with just an npc name or one enemy stat block cns be a way to break out of a funk. Be creative use a source book and flip to a random page. Will it work?
Momentum continues to build with morning practices 16 today which is easily a morning practice record for attendance. I will be interested to see if it maintains when the weather gets a bit worse but currently it is a ton of fun to get to work with everyone each morning
February 12, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Momentum continues to build with morning practices 16 today which is easily a morning practice record for attendance. I will be interested to see if it maintains when the weather gets a bit worse but currently it is a ton of fun to get to work with everyone each morning
Very good momentum to start high school swim at morning practice 12 then 14 athletes attending would easily be attendance records for the morning assuming the numbers stay consistent. Also promising is the 15 boys that are registered which would make this the largest boys team in about 8 years.
February 10, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Very good momentum to start high school swim at morning practice 12 then 14 athletes attending would easily be attendance records for the morning assuming the numbers stay consistent. Also promising is the 15 boys that are registered which would make this the largest boys team in about 8 years.
Main Set Monday
Simple set today with a combination of kicking and speed
100 kick
2x50 sprint kick
10x50 swim 3,7,10 all out
200 smooth
Repeat
Work on maintaining distance per stroke throughout the 50s even on the sprints.
Simple set today with a combination of kicking and speed
100 kick
2x50 sprint kick
10x50 swim 3,7,10 all out
200 smooth
Repeat
Work on maintaining distance per stroke throughout the 50s even on the sprints.
February 9, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Main Set Monday
Simple set today with a combination of kicking and speed
100 kick
2x50 sprint kick
10x50 swim 3,7,10 all out
200 smooth
Repeat
Work on maintaining distance per stroke throughout the 50s even on the sprints.
Simple set today with a combination of kicking and speed
100 kick
2x50 sprint kick
10x50 swim 3,7,10 all out
200 smooth
Repeat
Work on maintaining distance per stroke throughout the 50s even on the sprints.
Sports has an interesting way of setting your mood. Not a great sports day personally but it is a good reminder that even great athletes have bad days so it is totally okay as a young athlete to have struggles as well. Keep pushing through and find success.
February 9, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Sports has an interesting way of setting your mood. Not a great sports day personally but it is a good reminder that even great athletes have bad days so it is totally okay as a young athlete to have struggles as well. Keep pushing through and find success.
Some great racing today at the block party with several athletes getting new championship meet cuts. Getting the opportunity to race more often is paying off as even the athletes that didn't go best times were competitive and certainly brought a great attitude in the morning.
February 8, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Some great racing today at the block party with several athletes getting new championship meet cuts. Getting the opportunity to race more often is paying off as even the athletes that didn't go best times were competitive and certainly brought a great attitude in the morning.
Friday is a great opportunity to reset and and rethink how the week went in terms of work, school, social, sport, ect. Take what went well and build upon those victories and reset the things that didn't go as well. Positive outlook does a lot for your own mental health and weekly resets can help.
February 6, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Friday is a great opportunity to reset and and rethink how the week went in terms of work, school, social, sport, ect. Take what went well and build upon those victories and reset the things that didn't go as well. Positive outlook does a lot for your own mental health and weekly resets can help.
When creating battle maps for dnd think about creating interesting terrain obstacles or benefits for your players. If all your maps are just simple one dimensional spaces it really doesn't add that much from theater of the mind. When players can interact with the map in creative ways combat is fun
February 5, 2026 at 9:11 PM
When creating battle maps for dnd think about creating interesting terrain obstacles or benefits for your players. If all your maps are just simple one dimensional spaces it really doesn't add that much from theater of the mind. When players can interact with the map in creative ways combat is fun
Things are starting to flow the right way in swim. 5 weeks out to championships and kids are starting to hit paces and energy is high. Maybe it is the good weather or juat kids deciding to lock in at the correct time but practice has been pretty fun to run the past two weeks.
February 5, 2026 at 5:02 AM
Things are starting to flow the right way in swim. 5 weeks out to championships and kids are starting to hit paces and energy is high. Maybe it is the good weather or juat kids deciding to lock in at the correct time but practice has been pretty fun to run the past two weeks.
Both my dnd games are hitting travel sequences and new zones to explore at the same time. This is pretty exciting in terms of game prep as both areas are different and allow my imagination to run wild.
Planning for new places PCs havent ever been is a great opportunity to bring depth to the world
Planning for new places PCs havent ever been is a great opportunity to bring depth to the world
February 3, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Both my dnd games are hitting travel sequences and new zones to explore at the same time. This is pretty exciting in terms of game prep as both areas are different and allow my imagination to run wild.
Planning for new places PCs havent ever been is a great opportunity to bring depth to the world
Planning for new places PCs havent ever been is a great opportunity to bring depth to the world
Main set Monday
200 swim DPS on 3:10
200 swim strong on 2:40
100 fast kick on 2:00
2x50 fast choice equipment on :50
2 or 3 rounds.
Focus is on being able to push the kick in the back half of races. With championship meets and the start of high school swim rapidly approaching kicking is a focus
200 swim DPS on 3:10
200 swim strong on 2:40
100 fast kick on 2:00
2x50 fast choice equipment on :50
2 or 3 rounds.
Focus is on being able to push the kick in the back half of races. With championship meets and the start of high school swim rapidly approaching kicking is a focus
February 2, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Main set Monday
200 swim DPS on 3:10
200 swim strong on 2:40
100 fast kick on 2:00
2x50 fast choice equipment on :50
2 or 3 rounds.
Focus is on being able to push the kick in the back half of races. With championship meets and the start of high school swim rapidly approaching kicking is a focus
200 swim DPS on 3:10
200 swim strong on 2:40
100 fast kick on 2:00
2x50 fast choice equipment on :50
2 or 3 rounds.
Focus is on being able to push the kick in the back half of races. With championship meets and the start of high school swim rapidly approaching kicking is a focus
There are a lot of different ways to run a dnd game. Some people have maps and minis for everything while others purely run theater of the mind. I played an in person game on Friday night purely theater of the mind and it went very well. Combats were very smooth and it was a blast to play again
February 1, 2026 at 10:05 PM
There are a lot of different ways to run a dnd game. Some people have maps and minis for everything while others purely run theater of the mind. I played an in person game on Friday night purely theater of the mind and it went very well. Combats were very smooth and it was a blast to play again
Retention of athletes is an important metric in all of youth sports. Swimming is interesting because recently retention has been an issue for USA swimming as a whole along with local clubs at an LSC level. In northern California the problem becomes more complicated
January 31, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Retention of athletes is an important metric in all of youth sports. Swimming is interesting because recently retention has been an issue for USA swimming as a whole along with local clubs at an LSC level. In northern California the problem becomes more complicated
Don't underestimate the benefit working out has on your mental health. The endorphins you get from working out will certainly help get you in a better mood and perhaps snowball into a better day.
January 30, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Don't underestimate the benefit working out has on your mental health. The endorphins you get from working out will certainly help get you in a better mood and perhaps snowball into a better day.
Pretty rapid turnaround on dnd sessions this week with one game Friday and the other on Monday that I DM and a game I play in on Saturday. Won't say no to playing more dnd ever but it does mean I need to streamline the planning process especially Friday to Monday. I expect a travel session
January 29, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Pretty rapid turnaround on dnd sessions this week with one game Friday and the other on Monday that I DM and a game I play in on Saturday. Won't say no to playing more dnd ever but it does mean I need to streamline the planning process especially Friday to Monday. I expect a travel session
Workout Wednesday
Broken 200 IM set that I got from a coaching conference
25 fly
75 (25 fly/50back)
75 (50breast/25free)
25 free
Rest
50 fly
100 (50fly/50back)
50 free
Rest
75 (50fly/25 back)
50 (25 back/25 breast)
75 (25 breast/50 free)
Repeat
Broken 200 IM set that I got from a coaching conference
25 fly
75 (25 fly/50back)
75 (50breast/25free)
25 free
Rest
50 fly
100 (50fly/50back)
50 free
Rest
75 (50fly/25 back)
50 (25 back/25 breast)
75 (25 breast/50 free)
Repeat
January 28, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Workout Wednesday
Broken 200 IM set that I got from a coaching conference
25 fly
75 (25 fly/50back)
75 (50breast/25free)
25 free
Rest
50 fly
100 (50fly/50back)
50 free
Rest
75 (50fly/25 back)
50 (25 back/25 breast)
75 (25 breast/50 free)
Repeat
Broken 200 IM set that I got from a coaching conference
25 fly
75 (25 fly/50back)
75 (50breast/25free)
25 free
Rest
50 fly
100 (50fly/50back)
50 free
Rest
75 (50fly/25 back)
50 (25 back/25 breast)
75 (25 breast/50 free)
Repeat
TTRPG Tuesday
Making magic items for players is something I enjoy doing because I feel like it allows players to create something that ties to a backstory while allowing characters to have something unique to their character. Some items are simple like a trinket with minor magical ability
Making magic items for players is something I enjoy doing because I feel like it allows players to create something that ties to a backstory while allowing characters to have something unique to their character. Some items are simple like a trinket with minor magical ability
January 27, 2026 at 6:41 PM
TTRPG Tuesday
Making magic items for players is something I enjoy doing because I feel like it allows players to create something that ties to a backstory while allowing characters to have something unique to their character. Some items are simple like a trinket with minor magical ability
Making magic items for players is something I enjoy doing because I feel like it allows players to create something that ties to a backstory while allowing characters to have something unique to their character. Some items are simple like a trinket with minor magical ability
Main set Monday
12x200
1 Free/1 IM
2 Free/ 2 IM
3 Free/ 3 IM
Sometimes you need hard sets to push athletes and let them realize they can succeed even when the set is difficult. I wouldn't do this sort of thing every week but having this as a Monday challenge set can let athletes achieve more
12x200
1 Free/1 IM
2 Free/ 2 IM
3 Free/ 3 IM
Sometimes you need hard sets to push athletes and let them realize they can succeed even when the set is difficult. I wouldn't do this sort of thing every week but having this as a Monday challenge set can let athletes achieve more
January 26, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Main set Monday
12x200
1 Free/1 IM
2 Free/ 2 IM
3 Free/ 3 IM
Sometimes you need hard sets to push athletes and let them realize they can succeed even when the set is difficult. I wouldn't do this sort of thing every week but having this as a Monday challenge set can let athletes achieve more
12x200
1 Free/1 IM
2 Free/ 2 IM
3 Free/ 3 IM
Sometimes you need hard sets to push athletes and let them realize they can succeed even when the set is difficult. I wouldn't do this sort of thing every week but having this as a Monday challenge set can let athletes achieve more
Don't underestimate how much bad luck can derail what should be an easy and quick encounter. I had planned what I thought would be a one turn or maybe two encounter to culminate a dungeon devel with some bugs guarding the last bit of treasure. This ended up being a 6 turn fight because my players
January 25, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Don't underestimate how much bad luck can derail what should be an easy and quick encounter. I had planned what I thought would be a one turn or maybe two encounter to culminate a dungeon devel with some bugs guarding the last bit of treasure. This ended up being a 6 turn fight because my players
Remember "why" is important for sports, jobs, hobbies, ect. Don't let a routine eliminate what makes you want to do things. Knowing why allows for a reset and a new sense of purpose. The why can and probably should change over time but needing a reason never does.
January 24, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Remember "why" is important for sports, jobs, hobbies, ect. Don't let a routine eliminate what makes you want to do things. Knowing why allows for a reset and a new sense of purpose. The why can and probably should change over time but needing a reason never does.
Worldbuilding in TTRPGs is interesting because there are lots of different opinions on the topic. My personal style is actually outside in which I imagine many people don't like. I create a global situation then work my way back to where characters start. This allows me to have world events
January 23, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Worldbuilding in TTRPGs is interesting because there are lots of different opinions on the topic. My personal style is actually outside in which I imagine many people don't like. I create a global situation then work my way back to where characters start. This allows me to have world events
Really fun dnd session this morning. Ran with minimal prep and allowed my players to just explore the capital city they were in. Lots of great RP and a natural exploration allowed the city to come alive. Also, players have been discussing trying to play more often than once every two weeks.
January 22, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Really fun dnd session this morning. Ran with minimal prep and allowed my players to just explore the capital city they were in. Lots of great RP and a natural exploration allowed the city to come alive. Also, players have been discussing trying to play more often than once every two weeks.
Team time trial meet today. Always a stressful time for me when I am coaching because I dont know how people will do and it really is completely out of my control. However, I think these monthly check in meets are really important to see how the team is doing and if you need to change up training
January 21, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Team time trial meet today. Always a stressful time for me when I am coaching because I dont know how people will do and it really is completely out of my control. However, I think these monthly check in meets are really important to see how the team is doing and if you need to change up training
Sometimes game prep or workout prep gets difficult because you have too many ideas or just have a mental block. The best way to get through this is to start writing something...sometimes that is enough to get something flowing. Or look to find inspiration in something completely unrelated.
January 20, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Sometimes game prep or workout prep gets difficult because you have too many ideas or just have a mental block. The best way to get through this is to start writing something...sometimes that is enough to get something flowing. Or look to find inspiration in something completely unrelated.