The Workshop
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Personal Briefing

🌅Personal Briefing - Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Good morning. Here's your personal read.

🏃Training

🏃Today's Plan

🎯 5K - 2026-05-02 (3 days out) Phase: taper → race week starts 2026-04-30 (1 day) This week: Cut volume, one short race-pace pickup early in the week, then easy only the final 3 days. Next week: Finish taper and race-week shakeouts. Why today: Work is done - short pickups keep the legs sharp without digging in before the 5K. After this: 10K on 2026-06-20 (52 days out)

🏃 Today (Wednesday): 12-min easy run · 10-min abs · 5-min stretch Target pace: 9:30–10:00/mi (Z2, conversational) Final 3 days before 5K - easy only, no hard efforts.

📊This Week

Thu: 15-min easy shakeout · skip · 10-min stretch + dynamic warmup · pace 9:45–10:15/mi - shakeout before 5K Fri: 15-min easy shakeout · skip · 10-min stretch + dynamic warmup · pace 9:45–10:15/mi - shakeout before 5K

This week: 2 runs · 2.0 mi · 16 min Zone check: 25% easy - ⚠️ concern (taper target ≥80%). Easy days are still too fast, RT. Slow to 9:30+/mi on easy days.

Recent runs:

  • Wed 04-22 · 1.1 mi · 9 min · 8:16/mi (Z3)
  • Thu 04-23 · 1.1 mi · 9 min · 8:19/mi (Z3)
  • Sat 04-25 · 3.2 mi · 32 min · 10:11/mi (easy)
  • Mon 04-27 · 0.8 mi · 6 min · 7:22/mi (Z4)
  • Tue 04-28 · 1.2 mi · 10 min · 8:20/mi (Z3)

✓ Nice walk yesterday (30 min). 2 family walks this week - lifestyle win, not a run substitute.

☘️Notre Dame Sports

🏈Football

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

The story of the offseason remains 2027 four-star safety Zayden Gamble committing on Saturday over Miami, Florida, and Ohio State - the 10th 2027 commit and the fourth defensive back in the class. Gamble's a Fort Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) prospect ranked No. 13 nationally at safety, and he pulled the trigger after just one campus visit on March 21.

The other carryover line is the NFL draft tail: TE Eli Raridon's third-round pick by New England kept the program's tight end draft streak alive (every TE1 over the last 20 years has now been drafted), and undrafted free agents Jalen Stroman (49ers) and Aamil Wagner (still negotiating a UDFA home this week) close out the post-draft scramble. The Blue-Gold 41-40 walk-off was Saturday - CJ Carr cemented as QB1, Hebert ahead of Grubbs in the backup race, Devin Fitzgerald the breakout receiver.

Upcoming:

  • Sun Sep 6 - vs. Wisconsin, Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field (season opener)

Last Result: Blue-Gold Game - Blue 41, Gold 40 (Sat Apr 25)

🏀Women's Basketball

KK Bransford has transferred to UCLA, the Bruins announced Monday - the most notable WBB story of the week. Bransford, a 2022 McDonald's All-American out of Cincinnati, leaves Notre Dame after averaging 7.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 1.1 spg as a senior; she'd entered the portal earlier this month and started nine of her 24 games for the Irish in 2025-26. UCLA coach Cori Close said publicly after the national title that she wanted five transfers - Bransford is the fifth, joining North Carolina's Elina Aarnisalo, Arkansas's Bonnie Deas, TCU's Donovyn Hunter, and Iowa State's Addy Brown. Bransford never quite found a consistent role in South Bend; the move to a defending champion gives her a fresh start.

The upside for Niele Ivey: the 2026-27 roster work is essentially done without Bransford. The portal additions (Anaya Hardy from Louisville, Madison St. Rose from Princeton) and the No. 1 high school class - Jacy Abii and Jenica Lewis (both McDonald's All-Americans), Bella Ragone, Amari Byles - are already locked in. Ivey, meanwhile, is preparing to coach Team USA's U18 squad at the FIBA AmeriCup June 8-14 with Michigan State's Robyn Fralick and Cal's Charmin Smith on her staff.

Upcoming: Summer workouts begin in late May.

🥍Lacrosse

Men's lacrosse is two days from the ACC Tournament semifinal with No. 4 Virginia in Charlotte. The Irish are now the consensus No. 1 in the country in the USILA poll (28 of 30 first-place votes) at 10-1, and their lone loss was to this same Virginia team - an 11-9 setback in Charlottesville on March 28. The schedule has been brutal in a good way: seven ranked wins on the résumé heading in. Friday at 5 p.m. ET on ACC Network at American Legion Memorial Stadium.

Women's lacrosse continues to wait on the NCAA selection show this Sunday. The Irish (12-5, 6-4 ACC) are out of the ACC Tournament after the 12-9 quarterfinal loss to Clemson on April 23 - the question is still whether the body of work survives the QF exit without leading scorer Kate Timarky.

Upcoming:

  • Men: Fri May 1 - vs. No. 4 Virginia, ACC Tournament Semifinal, 5:00 p.m. ET (ACC Network), Charlotte
  • Women: Sun May 3 - NCAA Selection Show, 9:00 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

Last Result:

  • Men: Beat Syracuse 16-11 (Sat Apr 25)
  • Women: Lost to Clemson 12-9 in ACC Quarterfinals (Thu Apr 23)

📋Around the Program

  • Baseball topped Central Michigan 5-3 last night at Frank Eck - the Chippewas struck for two in the first, but the Irish answered and Oisin Lee closed out the ninth for the save. Milwaukee comes tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET (ACCNX) for the second of the midweek pair before the regular season finale stretch.
  • Softball ran its winning streak to five with a 13-5 run-rule win over UIC at Melissa Cook last night (5 innings) - the team's third three-homer game since 2023. Sydny Poeck went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a homer; Lily Hagan added her seventh of the year and three RBIs the day after picking up ACC Freshman of the Week; Tenley Sweet also went deep. The Irish are now 24-27 (11-13 ACC) and host DePaul tonight before the ACC Tournament (May 6-9 at Virginia).
  • Men's tennis NCAA opener: Friday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. ET in Champaign - No. 23 overall seed Notre Dame (21-7) draws No. 24 Vanderbilt (17-12) in the first round of the NCAA Championship. Coach Ryan Sachire's first NCAA appearance since 2022.

🔴Utah Utes

🏈Football

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

Monday's headline was director of football sports performance Greg Argust resigning months after being promoted to the role on January 7. Steve Saunders (formerly of the Baltimore Ravens) was elevated to take over - part of a broader S&C shake-up the program has been working through this offseason. The bigger picture: spring practice closed without a spring game, Devon Dampier's command of Kevin McGiven's installed offense is the offseason's most-watched variable, and the rebuilt offensive line under coach Jordan Gross is the ceiling-defining unknown for 2026.

Recent transfer-portal additions to flag: Tanner Cragun has returned to Utah following a year at UTEP, Will Monney is in from Oklahoma State, and Noah Bennee (23 catches, 264 yards at Weber State in 2025) joins receiver Braeden Pegan as the depth boost the wideout room needed.

Upcoming:

  • Sept. 3 - vs. Idaho (season opener, Rice-Eccles)

🤸Gymnastics

The athletics department published its 2026 Final Analysis yesterday, closing the books on the season that ended without a National Championship qualification - the first time in 49 consecutive years the program missed nationals after falling .125 of a point short at the Corvallis Regional Final. The headlines from the season-ending honors that did come through: Avery Neff was named WCGA North Central Region Gymnast of the Year, Big 12 Gymnast of the Year, and team MVP; Ana Padurariu was Big 12 Specialist of the Year; Neff and Ella Zirbes earned four total NCAA All-America honors competing as individuals at the National Championship Semifinals on April 16. The program also won the Big 12 regular season and conference titles for the second straight year - a six-year consecutive-conference-title streak.

The 2027 reset rests on the full-team return of three All-Americans (Makenna Smith, Avery Neff, Ella Zirbes) plus regular-season All-American Camie Winger, with five-star Bailey Stroud headlining the incoming freshman class and 2027 verbal commits Gabrielle Black, Ayla Miller, Madison Denlinger, and Emma Howells in the recruiting pipeline.

Upcoming: 2027 season begins in January.

📋Around the Program

  • Men's golf wraps up the Big 12 Championship today at Prairie Dunes (Hutchinson, Kan.) - the final 18-hole round goes off this morning on ESPN+. The Utes were T-11th at 17-over 577 after Day 1's 36 holes (tied with Kansas State); Tuesday's third-round standings haven't filtered through coverage yet. Oklahoma State led the field at -14 entering Tuesday.
  • Softball edged Utah Valley 8-4 at Dumke last night - Shonty Passi's grand slam in the fourth inning fueled a six-run rally after UVU jumped out 3-0. Pitcher Raci Miranda retired nine of ten over her final three frames. The Utes (33-18-1) host No. 19/20 Arizona for senior weekend Friday-Sunday to close the regular season.
  • Men's basketball roster nearly set after Monday's addition of Weber State 6-9 forward Malek Gomma (8.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg). Craig Smith's offseason rebuild now sits at four transfers - Gomma, TJ Burch (Wright State), Taison Chatman (Ohio State), Jackson Holcombe (Utah Valley) - plus Israeli guard Noam Yaacov, German forward Alec Anigbata, and Austrian big Fynn Schott alongside returners Lucas Langarita and Babacar Faye.

🌰Ohio State Buckeyes

🏈Football

No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:

The most recent commit was 2027 four-star OL Davis Seaman Monday afternoon - a 6-foot-5, 285-pound interior lineman from Bishop Watterson HS in Columbus, ranked No. 21 nationally at IOL by 247Sports composite. Ohio State beat out Penn State, Auburn, and Tennessee. Seaman is the 11th 2027 commit and the fifth offensive lineman in the class - Tyler Bowen's recruiting run continues to look like one of the more durable wins of the post-draft cycle.

Yesterday's BucksInsider piece was a way-too-early look at the 2027 NFL Draft class, with Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin headlining the projected first-round group. The credential keeps building: 25 NFL picks across 2025-26 (tied all-time with Georgia), four picks in the first 11 in 2026 (first time in 59 years), and Ryan Day saying publicly the program's culture is the strongest he's seen.

Upcoming:

  • Aug 30 - season opener (Week 1, opponent TBD on schedule)

📋Around the Program

  • Softball series loss at No. 14 Oregon last weekend (April 24-26) - the Buckeyes dropped Saturday's game 13-6 and Sunday's 8-0 (run-rule) to close the regular-season trip. The team turns the page to the Big Ten Tournament with seeding still being sorted.
  • Recruiting note for ND fans: Saturday's Zayden Gamble pledge to the Irish was a Buckeyes loss - Ohio State was one of the four finalists.

🏔️Treasure Valley

🍽️Food & Drink

A couple of recent debuts to flag from late April:

  • Bluebird Social, a new outdoor venue along Shoreline Drive on the Greenbelt, opened around April 24.
  • Walkin Takos, the local food truck, transitioned into a brick-and-mortar location around April 24.

The 2026 pipeline still in motion in the background:

  • The Boise Post rooftop atop the AC/Element on Grove tracking for spring.
  • Boise Thai Noodle House at 908 W. Main targeting spring.
  • Hemlock steakhouse moving into the old Richard's space.
  • Coa Cantina in Barber Valley, Cán Coctelería speakeasy above Amano, Bobby's Cafe in the old Original Sunrise space, and Idaho Burrito all opening this spring.
  • Handel's Ice Cream first Idaho location, late spring/early summer at 1581 E. State Street, Eagle.
  • The Village at Meridian expansion - Apple, Pottery Barn, Tecovas, Tempur-Pedic, Gorjana, Culinary Dropout, The Capital Grille, Paris Baguette, and Flower Child all confirmed in the pipeline.

🎉Events & Things to Do

  • Tonight (Wed Apr 29): Terror at the Ballroom at Shrine Social Club, 6 p.m. (with Pain of Truth, End It, Start Today, Witness Chamber). August Burns Red, The Amity Affliction, Boundaries, and HEAVENSGATE at Revolution Concert House, Garden City, 6:30 p.m. ND softball hosts DePaul tonight (TV-appropriate from afar).
  • Thu Apr 30: Built to Spill at the Ballroom at Shrine Social Club, 7 p.m. (with LOOLOWNINGEN and Braided Waves). Dead Meadow at the Basement, 7:30 p.m. Griffin House at the Sapphire Room (Riverside Hotel). Drunk Shakespeare at the Morrison Center, 5 p.m. Nick Griffin at the Comedy Lounge, 7 p.m.
  • Fri May 1: Mersiv at Knitting Factory, 8:30 p.m.
  • Sat May 2: Saint Alphonsus Capitol Classic Kids Run returns to downtown Boise - family-friendly run on the same race day you're tapering toward. Capital City Public Market continues its Saturday season at The Grove, 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Music in the Park at the Gene Harris Bandshell (Julia Davis), 3:30–8:00 p.m. Race day for the 5K.

📰Local Headlines

  • Boise's First Thursdays moving to Cherie Buckner-Webb Park beginning in May. The free monthly downtown event series will run there as part of America 250 programming through the summer.
  • Boise County water-safety push. Officials are warning of an unusually early recreation season after a noticeable spike in emergency calls last week - including a Sunday rescue of a hiker with a broken leg on Minneha Creek Trail by Boise County Search and Rescue (dirt bike past the locked gate, UTV out). Worth keeping in mind as the rivers warm.
  • Idaho Gives this weekend. The Boise Farmers Market is running special promotions tied to the statewide fundraiser - your reminder if you're in the giving mood Saturday.
  • Carryover reminders: Apple's permits filed at The Village at Meridian (still no opening date); former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne memorial details still pending - flags remain at half-staff.

🔗Worth Reading

Generated on Wednesday, April 29, 2026

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