Mallorca is Starting to Feel Real

We’re almost 1 month into 2026, and with that… Mallorca suddenly feels real.

It’s now just 14 weeks away, and it’s no longer this “next year” event floating somewhere in the distant future. It’s close enough to count down in weeks instead of months, close enough that I can actually picture the day — the nerves, the water, the bike course, the run, the finish line.

And if I’m being honest… I’m feeling it.

There’s this mix of excitement and pressure that’s hard to describe unless you’ve trained for something like this. I’m excited — genuinely — but I also worry. I worry about my training, about whether I’ll be ready, and about whether I’m doing enough of the right things to put myself in the best position when race day comes.

But there’s also something else beneath all of that. A reason. A deeper motivation that keeps pulling me forward when the workouts are hard, when my confidence dips, and when the countdown feels like it’s moving a little too fast.

This Isn’t Just for Me

I’m doing this for Alex and Jason.

And I don’t mean that in a vague “motivation quote” kind of way. I mean it in the most real way possible.

When I’m training, when I’m pushing through the uncomfortable parts, when I don’t feel strong — I think about them. And sometimes I do more than think about them. I glance down and see their names tattooed on my arm, a quiet reminder that this isn’t just about me.

This race has become more than a personal goal. It’s a commitment to show up, to follow through, and to prove — to myself and to them — that hard things are worth chasing.

Consistency is My Anchor

One thing I keep coming back to is this: I am showing up.

I’ve been staying consistent. I’m not missing sessions. I’m doing the work even when I don’t feel like it, even when I’d rather sleep in or take it easy. It’s not always perfect training, but it’s training — and it’s forward progress.

Some days it feels like I’m building momentum, and other days it feels like I’m just barely holding it together. But consistency doesn’t require perfection. It requires commitment.

And right now, commitment is what I’m leaning on.

The Bike: What I’m Excited About… and What I Fear

The bike portion of the event is the part I’m most looking forward to.

I love the idea of it — the miles, the scenery, the rhythm of staying steady and controlled. Mallorca is supposed to be beautiful, and the bike course is such a major part of what makes this race special.

But the bike is also the part that worries me the most.

It’ll be the longest part of my entire day, and it’s the section that will shape everything that comes after it. How well I handle the bike will have a huge impact on the run. And the run, from everything I’ve learned so far, is where the truth comes out.

The Mountain is Taking Everything I Have

So far, in all my virtual sessions, I’m noticing something pretty clearly:

I use up most of what energy I have just getting up and over the mountain.

It’s not just physical fatigue — it’s the way that climb drains the tank. By the time I crest the top, it feels like I’m working on borrowed energy. And that’s what makes the bike intimidating: it’s not just one hard section. It’s hard sections followed by more racing.

That’s where strategy matters.
That’s where discipline matters.

Nutrition and Fluids: The Invisible Battle

I also know I still need to improve one of the least exciting, but most critical parts of the entire event:

Staying on top of fluids and nutrition.

It’s easy to think you’ll drink enough.
It’s easy to assume you’ll fuel on time.

But when you’re focused on effort and cadence and getting over a climb, it’s unbelievably easy to fall behind — and once you’re behind, catching up isn’t simple. It’s not like flipping a switch. It turns into damage control, and damage control costs energy.

And if I start the run already depleted — not just from effort but from missed fueling — the run becomes survival instead of execution.

I Don’t Just Want to Finish

The truth is… I don’t just want to finish this race.

I want to finish for Alex and Jason.

I want to show up for them — not only at the start line, but throughout the entire day. I want to handle the hard moments well. I want to keep going when everything in me wants to slow down. I want to be able to look back and know I gave them my best.

Not perfect.
Not flawless.
But honest effort — full heart.

The kind of effort that says: this mattered… and you mattered… and I showed up.

Fourteen Weeks Doesn’t Feel Like Much

That timeline keeps hitting me.

Fourteen weeks sounds like time… until it doesn’t.

Suddenly it feels like the countdown is moving faster than I expected. There’s still a lot I want to fine-tune. A lot I want to figure out. A lot I want to prove to myself in training before I toe that starting line.

Because this isn’t just about checking a box or earning a medal.

It’s about doing something hard on purpose.
It’s about becoming someone who finishes what he starts.
It’s about chasing a goal and refusing to let fear decide the outcome.

So yes — Mallorca is starting to feel real.

And maybe that’s exactly what it’s supposed to feel like at this point in the journey.

Because the nerves?
They mean it matters.

And the work?
The work is happening right now.

One session at a time.

For them.