There’s a group of 23 boys over at Benilde-St. Margaret’s who have blown me away over the past 3 months.

On November 24, 2025 they gathered for their first workout of the 2025-2026 swim season.

By my count, they have done 82 practices — swimming or lifting — since that date.

In hours, that’s 145 hours.

And none of this includes the intense efforts they’ve given at swim meets over the season.

My 5-year-old son got a new bike last night.

Like, a big kid bike.

7 gears.

Hand brakes.

It even has a kickstand.

I’m not sure how this one is going to land.

On Saturday, I shared my thinking with a good friend I’m coaching with this year: “Jeez, Reed!”

He then followed up with this quote:

"The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness." 
—Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory

Hey, if nothing else, it may get you thinking.

Maybe, like me, we need moments to jolt us out of our stupor.

I’ve been praying a lot lately.

I’ve also been reading a lot lately.

And, at least for me, some pretty heavy stuff — stuff that is really challenging me and growing my faith.

• A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson

• Letting Go by David R. Hawkins

• Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins

• Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

I can’t tell if the praying led to the reading, or the reading led to the praying.

Either way, the combination of the two is really stirring something inside of me that seems to be altering my thoughts and actions.

Last Thursday, I decided to finally jump on my bike trainer.

I’ve had a growing internal pull to get back on the bike for over a month now — however, there has been no action.

Creating change and building new habits is tricky work.

Especially when we’re stuck in a system that, for all intents and purposes, is working.

For me, without question, I swim Monday through Friday, and then run on Saturday.

I’ve got a great fitness routine going — and a deep connection with the people I swim with.

On the daily, I’m honoring two values of mine: health/fitness & community/connection.

I looked at my older son this morning and asked, “Do you think I can also write a blog post today?”

This was right after my wife had asked me what I had on the docket today.

My son: “Yeah!”

Me: “Yeah, me, too!”

It’s 2:15pm as I write this line. I need to leave the McDonald’s that I’m sitting at around 2:45pm to get to a swim practice that I’m coaching.

Here’s a favorite quote of mine from Steve Hardison: “The failure to commit is the high-cost of low living.”

I better get typing.

I recently sat down with my wife to watch tick, tick…Boom!

The film chronicles the struggles of Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent, as an aspiring composer in New York City.

There’s a scene toward the end of the movie that made me give an audible, “Huh!”

After finding a tiny bit of success with a preview of a musical that he created, Larson is seen anxiously pacing back and forth in his apartment.

The phone rings.

It’s his agent, Rosa.

As the old adage goes, the end is the beginning.

One phase’s conclusion births a new start.

I’m going to run with that as I start punching the keys around a musing on peak performance.

Like last week, I’m stuck with a blinking cursor on a blank page.

Writing goes like that for me: at times, the ideas are exploding in my brain — and then, there are periods where I feel like I’ve got nothing.

So, if the end is the beginning, here’s where we ended last week:

Once you start, don’t quit — momentum is the best mind-altering drug.

I’ve been watching the cursor blink on this screen for way too long.

It’s a new year and I’ve put pressure on myself to have something profound to say.

Oh, how pressure can stifle us — how it removes the joy, freedom, and play.

I remember a concept from a sport psychology course outlining levels of arousal and attentional fields…

Yesterday was movie day at the Steele household.

Our oldest son had a minor surgery on Tuesday, and the two of us spent the afternoon recovering while watching The Mighty Ducks movie.

He’s recovering like a champ and, per usual, a kid-friendly movie proved so insightful.

I’ve got goals on my mind, and it’s not because of the New Year.

Alongside four other coaches, I recently started coaching a boys high school swim team. We kicked off last Monday and managed to cobble together a wonky week with Thanksgiving.

Week 2 started yesterday, and I was in charge of leading the team through a goal-setting process.

I owe an update.

I didn’t reach my goal.

I wasn’t even close.

5:18.54.

I’ve been in a funk since.

Here’s how I remember it: The 2024 Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI was hyped to be a battle of the ages. Three former World Champions in one race — plus a deep field behind them.

My wife and I wanted to watch the race.

Challenge: watching an 8-hour race with two boys under the age of 3 wasn’t happening.

“Let’s have a party!” I proposed.

And that was the origin of the 1st Ever Scoot-athlon on Saturday, October 26, 2024.

Admittedly, selfish origins. But, something much bigger than me emerged.

I did something yesterday at swim practice that I’ve NEVER done before!

Since August I’ve been going hard in the pool. You see, I knew the first swim meet of the Minnesota Masters Swimming season was on October 12.

I had 9 weeks to get in really good shape — and make a go at a goal that I’ve held for 15 years: break 5 minutes in the 500-yard freestyle.

So, I created a plan around the following mindset…

Friday morning around 6:25am, our swim coach turned around the whiteboard to reveal the workout for the day. It was a simple workout. All we had to do was get in 500 yards — 20 lengths of the pool — before 7am. The only ask:

All 20 lengths had to be an all-out sprint

Our coach didn’t care how we did it. I looked at the time, quickly did the math, and threw out…

I’m fascinated by the mind. It’s one of our greatest tools. And one of our greatest inhibitors. Like a muscle, it has to be worked. I was reminded of this over the past few days. On Monday, I listened to Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom podcast where he was speaking with David Goggins. Like David Goggins does…

August is coming to a close, which means that mixing things up with the young pups is about to end.

As I mentioned last week, every August a number of college swimmers join us for our masters swim practices.

I’ve had the opportunity to swim in the same lane with these kids the whole month.

They’ve taught me a bunch.

In August we’re gifted with college swimmers joining us for our masters swim practices — they’re fast.

A new one showed up on Monday.

I automatically stepped back to let the college swimmer lead.

Part way through the practice my coach said…

Resistance has been a beast in my life lately. Thank God for camping. What’s camping got to do with resistance? I’ll take a stab.

I never sleep all that well when I camp — especially the first night. This past Saturday was no different…

June 2012. I was in the Boundary Waters with my friend, Greg, and a couple of his college buddies, Chris and Kyle, for Greg’s bachelor party. I remember waking up early and being the first one out of the tent. There was a bite in the air, but the sun coming up to reveal the reflections on the lake provided a sense of warmth. I grabbed a camping chair…