π Personal Briefing - Sunday, May 24, 2026
Good morning. Here's your personal read.
πTraining
πToday's Plan
π― 10K - 2026-06-20 (27 days out) Phase: build β taper starts 2026-06-15 (22 days) This week: Two hard days (Monday tempo, Wednesday intervals) plus a Saturday long run; everything else easy. Next week: Finish taper and race-week shakeouts. Why today: Mon tempo and Wed intervals build race-specific fitness for the 10K; Sat long run builds durability; easy days protect the work. After this: Half Marathon on 2026-10-11 (140 days out)
π Today (Sunday): 22-min easy run Β· 8-min abs Β· 5-min stretch Target pace: 9:30β10:00/mi (Z2, conversational) Build phase easy day - aerobic base work for 10K.
Best window: Lunch - 84Β°F, sunny, wind 6 mph
πThis Week
Mon: 20-min tempo at Z3βZ4 Β· skip Β· 8-min stretch Β· pace 7:45β8:30/mi - Monday tempo - race-pace endurance, hard day #1 of the week Tue: 22-min easy run Β· 8-min abs Β· 5-min stretch Β· pace 9:30β10:00/mi - recovery from tempo
This week: 0 runs Β· 0.0 mi Β· 0 min Zone check: insufficient data this week (0 runs, 0 min) - keep building consistency before zone targets become meaningful.
Recent runs:
- Mon 05-18 Β· 2.8 mi Β· 22 min Β· 7:40/mi (Z4)
- Tue 05-19 Β· 2.6 mi Β· 22 min Β· 8:26/mi (Z3)
- Thu 05-21 Β· 1.3 mi Β· 11 min Β· 8:20/mi (Z3)
- Fri 05-22 Β· 2.7 mi Β· 26 min Β· 9:44/mi (easy)
- Sat 05-23 Β· 5.4 mi Β· 51 min Β· 9:30/mi (easy)
β 0 family walks this week - keep it up, those matter too.
βοΈNotre Dame Sports
π₯Lacrosse - Title Game Tomorrow
They got it done. No. 2 Notre Dame dismantled No. 6 Syracuse 15-7 in the semifinal yesterday, riding a 6-0 fourth-quarter run (three of those goals during a man-up advantage in the first 1:45 of the period) to its third national championship game in four years. Josh Yago went off - 3 goals, 4 assists - and Thomas Ricciardelli stood on his head with 14 saves. Luke Miller, Brock Behrman, and Max Busenkell each added two goals.
The final: Memorial Day, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN, Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. Opponent: No. 1 Princeton. The Tigers crushed Duke 14-7 in the early semi. Princeton is in its first NCAA final since 2002 (six all-time titles, last won in 2001). The all-time series between the two programs is just one game: ND won 8-5 at Princeton in the 2010 first round.
Big picture for ND: a win Monday gives Coach Kevin Corrigan (38th year) a third title in four years on top of the 2023 and 2024 back-to-backs. Real dynasty territory.
Upcoming:
- TOMORROW (Mon May 25, Memorial Day) - Men's NCAA Championship vs. No. 1 Princeton, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN (Scott Stadium, Charlottesville)
Last Result: Beat No. 6 Syracuse 15-7 in NCAA Semifinal (Sat May 23).
πFootball - Fakatou Prediction Flips, Vaughn Commits Tuesday
The Fakatou momentum has shifted. Rivals national analysts Steve Wiltfong and Adam Gorney both dropped predictions for 5-star DL Marcus Fakatou to Ohio State rather than Notre Dame. The timing is genuinely odd - these came right before Fakatou's official visit circuit (OSU May 29-31, Georgia June 1-3, Texas June 5-7, Oregon June 12-14, ND last on June 15-17). Coach Freeman has a strong closing track record with last-visit recruits, but the public picks now lean Buckeye. Worth watching how that develops over the next three weeks.
The other big date is Tuesday May 26 - Jackson Vaughn announces. The Bergen Catholic EDGE (4-star, reclassified from 2028 to 2027) is choosing among ND, LSU, Miami, Auburn, and South Carolina. Wiltfong calls Notre Dame the "heavy favorite." A commitment Tuesday would give the 2027 class another piece on the defensive line.
Top WR target Julius Jones Jr. (St. Thomas Aquinas, FL - No. 72 overall, No. 12 WR) remains the headliner of the official-visitor season, with Notre Dame still battling Oregon and considered the leader. OV is June 11-13, commitment June 23.
Upcoming:
- Tue May 26 - Jackson Vaughn (EDGE) commitment announcement
- June 11-13 - Julius Jones Jr. official visit; commits June 23
- June 15-17 - Marcus Fakatou (5-star DL) ND return visit
- Sun Sep 6 - vs. Wisconsin, Shamrock Series at Lambeau Field (season opener, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)
Last Result: Blue-Gold Game - Blue 41, Gold 40 (Sat Apr 25)
πWomen's Basketball
No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:
The 2026-27 roster is set, and the pipeline keeps strengthening. Hannah Hidalgo is back for her senior year - reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Nancy Lieberman Award winner, NCAA single-season steals record-holder, and now a three-time WBCA All-American (joining Skylar Diggins as the only ND players to do so). The incoming 2026 class ranks No. 5 nationally behind McDonald's All-Americans Jacy Abii and Jenica Lewis. And the 2027 class opened earlier this week with five-star PF Eve Long (6-3, Olathe KS, composite No. 12 overall) committing over Duke, UConn, UCLA, and Kansas.
Upcoming: Niele Ivey leads Team USA U18 at FIBA AmeriCup June 8-14 (Mexico). 2026-27 season opens Nov. 1 at the Eternal City Tip-off in Rome (Fox/FS1).
π΄Utah Utes
πFootball - Spring Notes from Scalley's Camp
Quiet weekend on the news front, but the through-line from Morgan Scalley's first spring camp is consistent: Devon Dampier looks comfortable, even after January sports hernia surgery. OC Kevin McGiven has been publicly pleased with his growth and decision-making - the framing is overtly NFL-prep. Last season's line (2,490 passing yards, 24:5 TD:INT, 835 rushing yards, 10 rushing TDs on an 11-2 team) is the floor; Scalley wants Dampier sharper as a passer.
At running back, Daniel Bray has been the spring's standout per RB coach Mark Atuaia, alongside Wayshawn Parker. Different vibe in practice too - music on the field, the kind of small Scalley-era changes that signal the Whittingham reset is real.
On the recruiting board, OL coach Jordan Gross still has the focus event next weekend: top-30 interior OL Gecova Doyal's official visit May 29-31 (finalists: Utah, UCLA, Oregon, Washington). Then 3-star OL Tye Kennedy (Mountain View HS, AZ) visits June 5 ahead of a July 1 announcement. Utah still has zero 2027 OL commitments.
Upcoming:
- May 29-31 - Gecova Doyal (top-30 OL) official visit
- June 5 - Tye Kennedy (3-star OL) visit
- Thu Sept 3 - vs. Idaho (Morgan Scalley's Rice-Eccles debut, season opener)
- Sept 12 - vs. Arkansas (Rice-Eccles)
π€ΈGymnastics
No news to report! Here's recent information in case you missed a previous newsletter:
Deep offseason. Utah finished 2026 ranked 10th nationally, missing the NCAA Championship by 0.125 at the Corvallis Regional Final - ending the program's 49-year streak at nationals. Avery Neff swept Big 12 Gymnast of the Year (NQS leader on vault 9.920, bars 9.935, beam 9.925, AA 39.630) and finished 7th AA, 4th floor at NCAAs as an individual qualifier. Ana Padurariu took Big 12 Specialist of the Year. The program added bars coach Steve Arkell (USA National Team) in April; Olympic silver medalist Grace McCallum is now Student Assistant. Carly Dockendorf is extended through 2031.
Upcoming: 2027 season opens January.
π°Ohio State Buckeyes
πFootball - Vegas Loves the Buckeyes
Betting markets dropped early lines and Ohio State sits as the CFP national title favorite on both DraftKings (+650) and FanDuel (+550), plus the favorite to win the Big Ten. Game-by-game: 49.5-point favorite over Ball State in the opener (DraftKings), 1.5-point underdog at both Texas and Indiana, and 12.5-point favorite vs. Michigan in The Game (FanDuel). The schedule is genuinely brutal - home games vs. Oregon and Michigan plus road trips to Texas, USC, Indiana, and Iowa - and the market is still calling them the best team in the country.
On the recruiting board, the big near-term date is May 29: 5-star RB David Gabriel-Georges is in Columbus for his official visit. A reminder that the Fakatou predictions out of Rivals just flipped to Ohio State this week - the June 1-3 OV is the swing weekend for him, with ND still getting last-look on June 15-17.
The 2027 class continues to fill out. 4-star EDGE Wyatt Smith (No. 78 overall, No. 11 edge, St. Thomas Aquinas FL - son of former Mizzou/49ers star Justin Smith) committed May 17, picking OSU over Missouri, Notre Dame, and Indiana. He's the 12th 2027 commit, joining 5-star DE DJ Jacobs and 5-star WR Jamier Brown as the headliners.
Upcoming:
- May 29 - David Gabriel-Georges (5-star RB) official visit
- May 29-31 - Marcus Fakatou (5-star DL) official visit
- Sept 5 - vs. Ball State (season opener)
- Sept 12 - at Texas, 7:30 p.m. ABC
ποΈTreasure Valley
π½οΈFood & Drink
The week's headline opening - The Boise Post - is now operating on the 16th floor of the AC Hotel/Element by Marriott downtown. Pennbridge Hospitality is calling it the "crown jewel" of the hotel, with sweeping foothills and downtown views and a "glocal" menu. Worth a slot on the next downtown date-night list.
The Eagle openings remain on track for late May: Vessel Kitchen (Utah-based protein bowl chain, first ID location at 55 E. State St.) and The STIL + Bumble Coffee combo at 101 E. Riverside Dr. The Cellars at River's Edge wine bar (Nampa, Sol Invictus Vineyard team in a 1921 farmhouse) was targeting May 22. And Solovey Kitchen Cafe - the smoked-salmon TikTok guy - is opening late May in downtown Nampa.
πEvents & Things to Do
- TODAY (Sun May 24), 1:05 p.m. - Boise Hawks vs. Ogden Raptors matinee at Memorial Stadium. Kids Club Sunday + Dollar Dog Day ($1 hot dogs all game).
- TODAY (Sun May 24), 11 a.m.β6 p.m. - 7th Annual Car Show at Expo Idaho. Lowriders, classics, bikes, vendors, food, live music.
- TODAY (Sun May 24), 7:30 p.m. - Idaho Shakespeare Festival family night of Macbeth. Free for kids 5 and under, lawn tickets from $26.
- TODAY (Sun May 24) - Warhawk Air Museum Memorial Day Flyover (Nampa). $5 admission, food trucks. Flyover path covers Nampa, Meridian, Eagle, and Boise.
- Monday May 25 (Memorial Day):
- Idaho State Veterans Cemetery (Boise) ceremony 10β11 a.m.
- Morris Hill Cemetery ceremony 10:45 a.m. (Civil War Volunteers - brief presentation, 21-gun salute, taps)
- Kleiner Park (Meridian) Rock of Honor Veterans Memorial ceremony 11 a.m.βnoon
- Fort Boise Military Reserve Cemetery ceremony 11:45 a.m.
- City of Boise turns on park splash pads and fountains for the season (through Labor Day, Sept 7).
- Meridian Speedway evening of racing - NASCAR Modifieds, Latemodels, Pro 4's, Mini Stocks, Winged Sprintcars.
Weather today: Sunny, high 87Β°F, low 61Β°F, light WNW wind 5-10 mph, 0% precipitation. Morning run window stays comfortable until about 10 a.m.; after that it climbs fast.
π°Local Headlines
- Cactus Southwest Kitchen & Bar incoming downtown. BoiseDev confirmed a new downtown restaurant/bar named Cactus is in the works - same name as the 90-year-old Cactus Bar (first opened 1936). They'll coexist; the original Cactus Bar is staying put.
- Boise River gets a B-minus. Idaho Rivers United released its first community-led report card on the Boise River, flagging growth-related trash issues as the main drag on the grade.
- Boise Greek Fest, Fri-Sat May 29-30, 11 a.m.β9 p.m. Gyros, spanakopita, baklava - worth blocking on next weekend's calendar.
- Outdoor municipal pools open Wed May 27 at 1 p.m. - Borah, Fairmont, Ivywild, and the Natatorium & Hydrotube.
πWorth Reading
- Notre Dame defeats Syracuse 15-7, advances to NCAA championship - WNDU on yesterday's semifinal, the 6-0 fourth quarter, and the Yago/Ricciardelli lines.
- Irish Dominate Syracuse to Advance to National Championship - official ND athletics recap with confirmed 1 p.m. ET / ESPN / Scott Stadium for Monday.
- Notre Dame predicted to miss out on 5-star Fakatou - but the timing is odd - A to Z Sports on the Wiltfong/Gorney picks flipping to Ohio State.
- Four-Star DE Wyatt Smith Commits to Ohio State - Eleven Warriors on the May 17 commit and Larry Johnson's pitch.
- Ohio State Opens as 49.5-Point Favorite Over Ball State - early Vegas lines across the schedule.
- New 16th-floor restaurant opens downtown with expansive views - BoiseDev's photo tour of The Boise Post.
- Memorial Day Weekend in Boise with Kids (2026) - full family weekend guide with Warhawk flyover, splash pads, and museum picks.
Generated on Sunday, May 24, 2026