Belt Slipping. Momentum Holding.

My treadmill belt is on borrowed time.

I was hoping to squeeze one more season out of it, but every run lately has felt like a gamble. I tried a temporary patch—Flex Seal across the top layer—but the real issue is underneath. The two-ply base is separating, starting to ride unevenly on the roller, creating heat and friction. Not exactly the kind of mechanical variable you want at 8+ mph. 

I finally broke down and ordered a new belt.

Of course, replacing it is its own project. Nothing about treadmill ownership is ever just “simple maintenance.”

Because of that, my mileage took a slight hit—and I’ve been getting outside more. In February I logged 10 treadmill runs and 11 outdoor runs. There’s always a small adjustment period when switching surfaces. The loading is different. The stride feels different. The legs remind you they prefer consistency. But I’m mostly through that transition now and things are settling back into rhythm.

I did hit a slump the last week of February—just one mile total from Monday through Thursday. Energy dipped. Motivation lagged. It happens.

But I reset over the weekend and knocked out 7.23 miles in exactly one hour—an 8:18 pace that felt controlled and sustainable. Not forced. Not survival mode. Just steady.

Despite the late-month wobble, I still closed February at 103.05 miles, hitting the 100-mile goal for the second month in a row. And February isn’t exactly an easy month to stack mileage:

• Fewer days

• Winter weather

• A failing treadmill belt

• And fitness still rebuilding from November and December

Given all that, I’d say I’m in a solid position moving forward.

Track season starts for the kids next week, which always adds another layer of energy and motivation. There’s something about being around the track, watching them grind through reps, that makes it easier to lace up your own shoes.

The belt might be failing.

But the momentum isn’t.

On to March.

First Miles Back Outside

This weekend finally cracked the door open to outdoor running again, and I didn’t waste the opportunity.

Saturday, with the sun out and the temperature hovering around 32 degrees, I headed outside for an 8-mile run. I went out strong but controlled, opening with a 7:53 first mile, then settled in right around 8:00 pace for the rest of the run, finishing at 7:57 average.

By mile six, I could clearly feel the difference between treadmill miles and road miles. My legs were fatiguing in a way they simply haven’t been indoors. The heart rate told the same story — sitting in the 160s and creeping into the 170s, I was clearly red-lining more than intended. It was a harder effort than planned, but once I got rolling, I didn’t really want to back off.

What’s interesting is that, despite the numbers, it never felt bad. There was no sharp discomfort, no sense of damage being done. If I hadn’t been wearing a heart-rate monitor, I probably wouldn’t have labeled it a high-impact run at all. It just felt like running fast again after a long stretch of restraint.

Sunday backed that up in a reassuring way. I logged just over four miles, starting with an easy mile alongside Maya, then finishing with 3.25 miles at Donovan Park. I ran entirely by feel on a hilly cross-country course and averaged 8:12 pace. Despite Saturday’s effort, Sunday felt smoother and more relaxed, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

Monday morning I was back on the treadmill, and surprisingly, I was perfectly content to set it at 6.5 mph. The run was smooth, controlled, and almost enjoyable, even with some lingering leg fatigue. That was probably the biggest positive sign of the weekend — the hard effort didn’t linger or derail the next run.

All told, I’m now at 41+ miles for February through the 9th, which puts me well on pace for 100+ miles on the month. This week includes work travel, so mileage may dip a bit, but I’m hoping to still squeeze in a run or two to keep the rhythm intact.

Overall, I’m satisfied with how the weekend played out. I got a legitimately hard effort in, recovered well, and didn’t feel like it took much out of me long-term. If there’s one small critique, it’s that I would’ve liked the pace to be a bit faster relative to the heart rate — but context matters. That was my first outdoor run, in cold conditions, and the fastest sustained pace I’ve run in quite a while.

If the aerobic base I’ve been building does what it’s supposed to do, the speed and threshold pace should come around quickly now that I’m finally back on the roads.

Takeaway: Winter fitness is real, but it still needs a few honest miles outside to fully show itself.

January Wrapped, February in Sight

January is officially in the books, and it was a solid one. I logged 117.55 miles, which would’ve ranked as my second-highest monthly total last year—a nice reminder that consistency still works.

I closed the month with a 7.05-mile run in just over an hour (8:38 pace), then rolled straight into February with 9 easy miles at a 9:06 pace. Back-to-back longer days earned me a rest day today, which still leaves a very manageable math problem: 91 miles over the next 26 days to hit 100 for February. That’s 3.5 miles a day—and the real goal is to push my bread-and-butter run days closer to five miles, which should make the hundred feel almost inevitable, especially with some longer weekend runs mixed in.

Those long runs really seem to be the secret sauce right now. The fitness is starting to show up, and keeping things easy has my legs feeling surprisingly cooperative. The bonus motivation? The Christmas weight is finally starting to peel off, which never hurts when you’re trying to stay locked in.

At the moment, I’m relying pretty heavily on the treadmill to keep this whole thing afloat. The belt is clearly on borrowed time, and I’ve resorted to Flex Seal tape at the seams to slow the inevitable. It’s not pretty, but it’s buying me time. I’ll probably need a new belt before next winter if I want the treadmill to remain a viable option—but for now, I’m aiming to squeeze one more month out of it.

The good news is that temperatures are supposed to creep into the mid-to-upper 30s this weekend, which should open the door for some outdoor runs. That’ll be a welcome change of pace—both figuratively and literally.

Takeaway: The plan is working, the fitness is building, and February is set up to be less about surviving the miles and more about stacking them with intention. 

Crossing 100 and Carrying It Into February

With another five miles logged on the treadmill this morning, I officially pushed past the 100-mile mark for January, while also eclipsing the combined mileage of my last two Januarys. It took a little while this morning to get rolling, but after a couple of miles I settled into my familiar 9:10 pace, and by mile three I felt like I could have kept going indefinitely.

My average heart rate for the run was 132 bpm, and more than anything else, it’s the ease and restraint that I’m most proud of right now. The fitness feels real, but so does the discipline.

I still catch myself wincing a bit at the pace, knowing I could run faster. But pace is relative, and in the grand scheme it’s arbitrary anyway. The goal isn’t to chase ego metrics—it’s to stay consistent and deliberate, and to keep stacking work that actually matters.

There are still a few days left in January, and at least one of them will probably be a day off. After that, it’s time to build on what this month has established with a strong, steady February. The plan is simple: more of the same. Lots of time on feet. Lots of easy miles.

Right now, 6.5 MPH feels like the true sweet spot on the treadmill for easy running, so that’s where I plan to live. I’ll do my best to stick with it—and if, someday, 6.5 starts to feel too easy, I’ll inch it up to 6.6 and call that progress. I’ve had success in the past by adding mileage patiently, and I’ve read (and reread) plenty about the benefits of a deep aerobic base. This time, I’m not just nodding along—I’m committing to it fully.

Quiet miles. Consistent effort. Let the fitness come on its own terms.

Finding Flow on the Treadmill

 After another solid weekend, I’m now sitting at 97 miles for the year with five days left to sneak in one more run and push past the 100-mile mark. I’m feeling good overall—keeping the pace easy, staying consistent, and not forcing anything.

Sunday’s run was a standout. I logged 8.25 miles on the treadmill and felt particularly strong throughout. I set the speed to 6.5 MPH (9:13 pace) and just cruised. It was one of those runs where everything clicked—I felt smooth, relaxed, and honestly like I could have kept going for quite a while longer if time hadn’t cut me off.

That run has me toying with the idea of leaning into more longer efforts at that 6.5 MPH pace. The tradeoff is obvious: slower pace means fewer miles when I’m time-crunched (which is almost always). But there’s something appealing about how sustainable and repeatable that effort felt, especially this early in the build.

With consistency now feeling locked in, my plan is to head into February with a slightly different focus—longer runs. It’s a short month, but there’s still plenty of time to hit 100 miles again, and I think stretching the duration a bit will set up a strong foundation for whatever comes next.

For now, the goal stays simple: keep showing up, keep it easy, and let the fitness continue to stack quietly in the background.

January Check-In: A Quietly Good Start

Twenty-two days into January, I think I finally have enough data to say—confidently—that I’m off to a good start this year.

After taking January 1st off, I’ve run 17 of the last 21 days, putting me just over a 75% run rate for the year so far. That lines up closely with what I was doing back in 2020 and 2021 during some of my strongest training years, which feels like a meaningful benchmark.

Mileage-wise, I’m sitting at 79.05 miles, which puts me on pace for about 111 miles for the month. One hundred miles is clearly within reach, with room to exceed it if things keep trending the way they are. Pace has been respectable too—averaging a little over 8:30 per mile. I’ve mixed in a few quicker efforts, kept plenty of easy days easy, and tried to stay focused on consistency more than anything else.

Every run this year except one has been on the treadmill, thanks to a brutally cold January. That’s been fine overall—it’s allowed me to stay consistent and catch up on a few TV shows—but mornings have been the biggest challenge. I was waking up at 5:45 and still not getting on the treadmill until after 6:30. I moved my alarm to 5:35…and still didn’t get on the treadmill until 6:30. Time pressure has been my biggest obstacle lately, with nearly every part of the day feeling fully booked.

Today was a good example of how unpredictable motivation can be. I woke up tired and unmotivated, with the modest goal of just getting through two miles. Five and a quarter miles later, I had doubled my energy level—and my sense of accomplishment. Most of the run sat around a 9:15 pace, but I finished the last 1.25 miles at 8:00 flat, which felt strong and controlled.

I still haven’t fully captured that light, effortless feeling of peak fitness, and maybe that’s just part of getting older. But I’m starting to appreciate a different perspective: the ability to run 5.25 miles at all, to finish stronger than I started, and to feel better afterward than before—that’s worth acknowledging. Even if it’s a little slower and doesn’t feel quite as easy as it once did, it still counts. And right now, consistency matters more than anything else.

For now, the plan is simple: keep showing up. The focus over the next few weeks is on maintaining consistency, letting the mileage build naturally, and resisting the urge to force fitness before it’s ready. If things continue to feel stable, I may start to layer in a small amount of intentional structure—but only if it fits cleanly on top of what’s already working. There’s no rush. This is about laying a foundation that lasts, trusting that sharper fitness will come as a result of steady work rather than chasing it outright.

January Course Correction

22.5 miles over the last four days has more than doubled my mileage for 2026, and suddenly I’m back on pace to clear 100 miles in January. Even better, despite the uptick in volume, I don’t really feel any worse for the wear. I eased off the gas in November and December and coasted a bit, but it looks like I mostly held onto my gains and am ready to start building again.

One of the first tools I used when I got back into running was the Nike Run Club app. I logged my first run on the last day of 2018 and have been recording miles ever since. NRC assigns “run levels” based on lifetime mileage, and after cycling through yellow, orange, green, blue, and purple fairly quickly, I hit Black at 3,106 lifetime miles. That was back in early 2021, and I’ve been sitting there ever since.

The highest level—Volt—requires 9,320 lifetime miles. I’m now just 1,205 miles away.

At my current pace, I’m barely on track to reach it by the end of 2026. It’s one of those silly goals that won’t actually mean anything when I finally get there—but it’s still fun to chase. And when it happens, I’ll probably reward myself with a new pair of shoes or a t-shirt at the very least.

Whatever it takes to stay motivated—but the real goal is simply maintaining my health and fitness. The levels, miles, and streaks are just tools. The best reward is being able to head out the door for a run with my daughters and share the love of it with them.

Hello 2026

I wrapped up December with a respectable 77.9 miles—a huge contrast to the 2 miles I ran in December of 2024, the zero I ran in December of 2023, and even the 38 miles I managed in December of 2022. The data is pretty clear: Decembers are historically rough for me. Still, despite that pattern, I hung in there.

Those December miles were just enough to push me past my big goal for the year. I finished 2025 with 1,007.32 miles, which is more than I ran in 2023 and 2024 combined. That fact alone makes the year feel like a real turning point.

January hasn’t exactly been a fireworks show either—but again, I’m still showing up. Five runs in the first eight days, totaling 18.38 miles. Not spectacular, but consistent. And consistency is doing the heavy lifting right now.

I did gain some weight over the holidays, which is discouraging—but not surprising. Short, cold days mean less incidental movement, more hunger, and an endless supply of holiday junk food. Not a great combination, just the reality I’m working through.

As for 2026, the main goal is simple: beat last year’s 1,007 miles. I’m a little off pace so far, but still well ahead of where I was this time last January. Ideally, I’ll aim for—and often hit—100 miles per month. No guarantees, just steady work.

For now, the theme continues: not crushing it, not quitting—just hanging in there. And that’s been enough to get me this far... and come spring I hope that the fresh air and sunshine will kindle this fire and I can take it to the next level.

Still Here. Still Running.

Only 20 days left in 2025 and somehow I’m still doing this!

Not inspired. Not motivated. Not even fully awake. But doing it.

I’m at 33 miles for the month and 963 for the year, which means I’m basically crawling toward 1,000 like a man who forgot why he started but refuses to stop.

Every morning at 5:30 a.m., I rise from the dead, stagger to the treadmill, and squeeze out 30 minutes at sub-9 pace.., Not because I want to…but because apparently this is who I am now.

Nothing exciting. Just stubbornness in motion.

Turkey Trots, Cold Mornings, and Chasing Down 1000 Miles

Taking 5 of the last 10 days off from running was definitely not the recipe for keeping my 100-mile monthly streak alive—but even so, November still ended up being a win. I logged 83.57 miles this month, which absolutely blows last November’s 21.52 out of the water. And with the 4 miles I squeezed in this morning, I’ve already doubled my December mileage compared to last year.

Now I’m down to 66.57 miles left until I crack 1000 for the year. It’s close enough that the finish line finally feels real.

But in the more immediate and vastly more fun category: the twins and I ran a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

It was cold—28 degrees—but honestly, it could’ve been worse. The sun was shining, the wind wasn’t trying to kill us, and now that the girls are almost 14, these events come with zero stress and maximum fun. For the first time ever, I wasn’t worried about anything except enjoying the moment.

We all started together, tucked in with a few of Maya’s XC teammates. The opening stretch was packed, crawling along at an 8:20 pace for the first quarter mile. But once the crowd thinned, the girls surged ahead, and I picked it up to close the gap. We hit the first mile in about 7:30.

Kenna—running this thing completely untrained—fell back a touch but kept grinding. She still held strong and finished at a sub-8 pace, clocking 23:57 for 3 miles. Tough as nails, that kid.

Maya, though, coming off a XC state championship, was a different story. As the race went on, she just kept accelerating. At the halfway point her XC teammates fell back, and suddenly it was just the two of us.

Mile 2? 7:15 pace.

And then she absolutely dropped the hammer.

With one mile left, Maya kicked into another gear and we started passing people like we had someplace to be. Just before the final turn she looked at me and said, “We don’t have to sprint at the end, do we?”

I told her, “We can do whatever you want.”

She said she didn’t want to sprint…and then turned the corner and took off like she was shot out of a cannon.

She finished strong; I finished barely hanging on. Final mile: 6:38. Final time: 21:21.

We were back home by 9:30—before anyone else had even rolled out of bed—and I was carving vegetables and basting a turkey while still riding the high of that finish.

A cold morning, a shared effort, a fast last mile with my daughter, and one more memory logged on the road to 1000 miles. Pretty hard to beat.

Warming Up to Myself

Today marked my third day of running in a row—something that initially felt surprising until I checked the numbers and realized I’ve actually run 16 of the last 21 days. That’s roughly three out of every four days. Funny how the mind frames things: the streak feels accidental, almost fragile, yet the reality suggests a level of consistency I rarely give myself credit for. If I run tomorrow, the streak becomes “above average,” but even without that, the pattern is already there.

This morning’s run felt like a small gift. Forty-seven degrees in late November is warm enough to crack open the door to the outdoors again, so I took it. I didn’t expect much—certainly not speed—but I ended up running 3.13 miles at a 7:26 pace. It was definitely a push, though not outside any true limits. Mostly it just felt foreign because I haven’t asked my body to run fast in a long while. And somehow, outside of a couple of 5Ks and a few random one-mile tests, this was my fastest run since June of 2022.

What makes it interesting is that it wasn’t planned. I meant to pick up the pace a little, but I didn’t have any number in mind. My legs handled the progression on their own: 7:54 in mile one, 7:02 in mile three, with the middle mile bridging the gap. By the last mile I was working, sure, but the only real difference between the early slog and the late surge was being warmed up. I used to be able to step out the door and hit the gas immediately. Now I need a mile—sometimes more—to remember where the rhythm lives. Maybe that’s aging. Maybe it’s wisdom. Maybe it’s just the body refusing to skip necessary steps I’ve ignored for years.

I’m at 70.8 miles for the month and on pace for 101 in November. Less than 84 miles stand between me and 1,000 for the year. My average pace for 2025 sits at 8:39—my slowest to date, barely edging out last year’s 8:37. But since July, I’ve been stringing together sub-8:30 runs, gradually tugging the average downward. The numbers shift slowly, but they do shift.

There’s something grounding in that. The data shows a version of me I don’t always see in the moment: steady, persistent, willing to keep showing up even when I don’t feel sharp or fast or particularly inspired. Maybe the real warm-up isn’t the first mile—it’s the long stretch of days where I keep putting one foot in front of the other, waiting for the version of myself that remembers how to push, how to trust the legs, how to run freely again.

And every now and then—like today—that version shows up

Maintenance Mode

Some days you stack the deck against yourself, and some days the stars just quietly align. Lately I’ve been taking more days off as the year winds down, but I’m still plugging away. And this morning, I hit the rare combo: a genuinely good night of sleep and waking up early.

That small victory turned into a bigger one—7.25 treadmill miles at an 8:29 pace, over an hour on my feet. A little longer than what I’ve been doing recently, but still comfortably within reach.

That run nudges my monthly total to nearly 64 miles and my yearly total to almost 910. Having fewer than 100 miles left to hit the year-long goal is doing exactly what I hoped it would: keeping me consistent even if I’m not exactly fired up to “build” right now. Maintenance mode isn’t glamorous, but it’s still movement—and it counts.

Speaking of maintaining, my weight has held steady around 180 for about six weeks now. If I can hold that line through the Christmas-cookie gauntlet, that alone will be a win worth celebrating.

There’s not much more to say, and not much motivation to say it—but I’m hanging in, moving forward, and keeping the wheels turning. Sometimes that’s enough.

The Relentless March to 1,000

Last night I had one of the best nights of sleep I can remember. I only woke up once, and just for a moment. I don’t know what the magic formula was, but I woke up feeling incredible.

Riding that momentum, I hopped on the treadmill this morning with zero hesitation and knocked out 5 miles at a steady 8:20 pace. No bargaining, no dragging myself onto the belt—just legs moving and everything clicking.

I’m now sitting at 888+ miles for the year. Just 111.28 to go with 48 days left. I might not be in “building” mode right now, but I’m holding steady, and the miles are quietly stacking up.

At this stage, it’s beautifully simple: five miles every other day. That’s it. That’s the whole secret. And you know what? That is absolutely, unquestionably doable. This isn’t a mountain. This is a staircase. And every run is just another step upward. I’ve got the time, I’ve got the momentum, and after last night’s all-star sleep performance… I’ve got the energy.

This goal doesn’t stand a chance.

Routine in Flux

Daylight savings has its occasional perks. This morning’s unseasonably warm weather gave me the rare chance to run outside before work. I’ve only logged a few treadmill runs so far this year, but stepping outdoors on a weekday already felt oddly unfamiliar. Funny how quickly we become creatures of habit.

That’s not to say I’ve been particularly motivated on the treadmill either. My routine is still in flux, and every morning feels like a battle just to get moving. Even once I’m a few miles in, I’m still negotiating with myself not to stop. It’s not pain exactly—more of a dull fatigue, a general sense of blah. Definitely more mental than physical.

Still, I’m ahead of where I was last year in total mileage, and I’m hoping to sneak in a run or two with Maya this weekend. And that 1,000-mile goal is still within reach—just 130 miles to go. One way or another, I’ll get there.

Winter is Coming

The winter doldrums are starting to creep in. It’s not that I’m unmotivated—if anything, I’ve been steady—but something feels a little off. My legs don’t feel quite right, yet I can’t point to any real reason they should be tired. My mileage is lower, sure, but I’ve still run 10 out of the last 11 days. Maybe it’s just a matter of new muscle groups waking up and adjusting to treadmill running.

This past week, I’ve logged five runs indoors. The transition hasn’t been bad, all things considered. My shorter efforts have been around 3.4 miles in 30 minutes, and my longest so far stretched to 5 miles in 44 minutes. The hardest part, always, is getting started—the mental push to step onto the belt and begin. The first mile or two feel awkward, like my body is remembering how to move. But once I settle in, the rhythm takes over, and I feel like I could run forever.

Still, I need to find a better routine. Getting on the treadmill earlier would help—less scrolling, less hesitation, maybe a few extra minutes of sleep sacrificed for consistency. The morning always offers a choice: comfort or progress.

Over the weekend, I did manage to escape the hamster wheel and run outside with Maya. We logged 3.11 miles on Saturday at a 7:58 pace and 2.21 miles on Sunday at 7:34. Those runs are our usual compromise—short for me, long for her; slow for her, fast for me. But the pace doesn’t matter. Running with my daughter is worth more than any number in the log.

Halloween, of course, has unleashed a new wave of sugar cravings. The house is full of candy, and the holidays are right around the corner—a dangerous combination. I’m holding steady around 180 pounds, but I’d like to drop another ten. For now, I’ll count it as a small victory if I can simply hold the line through winter.

Maybe that’s what this season is really about—holding steady when everything slows down, trusting that the rhythm will return when the days start to grow longer again.

Keeping it 100 (October Update)

3.38 more treadmill miles this morning at an 8:52 pace pushed me to 102.51 miles for the month—my fourth consecutive 100+ mile month (YEY!).

Despite feeling like I’m in a bit of a slump, the numbers tell a different story. I’ve run six of the last seven days (25 miles total) and logged 22 runs this month. My average pace came in at 8:26 per mile, two seconds faster than last month. That might slip a bit as I transition into my slower, lower-effort base-building treadmill workouts, but that’s part of the plan.

Year-to-date, I’m sitting at 845.86 miles. To reach 1,000 by year’s end, I’ll need to average about 77 miles per month. If I can stay near 100, I’m golden — and even if things taper off a bit, there’s still some breathing room.

The treadmill transition has been surprisingly smooth this year. Normally, it takes me at least a week to get comfortable — constantly worrying about being launched off the back and crowding the front of the machine. But after 361 treadmill runs over the past seven years, I guess I’ve finally become a seasoned belt-runner.

Next step: adjusting my schedule so I can go longer than 30 minutes. One step at a time (literally).

Fighting the Fall Slump

As often happens this time of year, my mileage has started to taper off. The days are shorter, the weather’s colder, and my schedule is packed. With my daughter’s cross-country season wrapped up and no River to River Relay on the horizon, my usual sources of motivation are running low.

Still, I’m trying to keep my head up and fight the good fight. Yesterday, I made the seasonal shift to the treadmill—logging 4.54 miles yesterday and another 3.39 today. Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I ran at about a 9-minute pace, which always feels a bit tougher on the treadmill than on the road, but still comfortably easy overall.

That puts me at 99.13 miles for the month. Thankfully, October has 31 days, so barring catastrophe, I should hit 100 miles for the fourth consecutive month.

Hopefully, once I settle back into the treadmill routine, my mileage will start trending upward again. Getting out of bed and onto the treadmill can be a battle, but in many ways, it’s actually quicker and easier than running outside—so I don’t have many excuses.

The goal for the year remains 1,000 miles. With consistent treadmill work, I’m hoping to build a strong aerobic base over the winter and set myself up for an epic spring. 

State XC Recap and Running Reset

The State XC meet on October 18th was a success in every sense. The girls finished 3rd, 13th, 14th, 17th, and 19th overall to capture the state title. Maya placed 17th with a time of 12:49, earning All-State honors. It was a long, emotional day—packed with excitement, nerves, and plenty of celebration.

After that high, I hit a bit of a post-race crash and ended up taking the last four days off from running. Other morning commitments, paired with the return of dark and cold mornings, didn’t help my motivation either.

This morning, though, I finally rallied and got back out the door. It was cold (41°F), windy, and still dark—41 isn’t terrible, but the wind made it feel worse, and I’m not quite mentally ready for winter running yet. Still, I managed 6 easy miles at an 8:27 pace and felt surprisingly good. A few days of rest also seem to have helped my Achilles—it’s less sore than it’s been in weeks.

I’m sitting at 77.8 miles for the month, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t still reach 100. Even during the downtime, I’ve kept up my 12,500-step daily goal, so at least I’ve stayed active. It’s probably time to start transitioning to the treadmill, though. The change in routine is always a mental hurdle—but at some point, I just need to bite the bullet and get it done.

In the end, this past week was a reminder that recovery—both physical and mental—is part of the process. The highs of racing and the lows of rest are both temporary, and the key is simply to keep showing up. One cold morning at a time, the routine finds its rhythm

again.

Breaching 800 Miles

With today’s 6.42-mile run at an 8:11 pace, I’ve officially crossed the 800-mile mark for the year. With about two and a half months left, I’m averaging 84 miles a month in 2025 and am on pace to break 1,000 miles before the year is out.

That said, I can feel the faint stirrings of a motivation crisis. With no more 5:20 a.m. cross-country wakeups for Maya, I’ve lost my built-in reason to get up early. Stepping out into the darkness at 6:30 isn’t exactly inviting, and once the cold sets in, it’ll be even tougher. My River to River relay team seems to be finished for good, taking away one more reason to stay sharp. And with the state cross-country meet coming up this Saturday, it feels like a symbolic end to the season—and maybe to my running momentum as well.

The truth is, I don’t have anything specific I’m training for right now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make it harder to lace up on those days when the couch is calling. If I’m just running for fitness, then why push through an 11-miler on the weekend?

Still, I can’t deny that I feel strong. My fitness is the best it’s been in a while, and the scale is finally trending in the right direction after years of frustration. When I eventually break 20 minutes in the 5K again—and maybe even inch closer to 18:30—I’ll know the miles were worth it.

Going longer

This weekend I pushed the boundary again — another double-digit run in the books. I clocked 11.13 miles in 1:30:02, averaging an 8:05 pace. More importantly, I broke through a mental barrier by tackling my big loop course for the first time. That route takes me 5.75 miles away from home, which means once you’re out there, there’s no easy exit — you either run it back or you’re in for a very long walk.

It couldn’t have been a better fall day. After the first couple of miles, I settled into a rhythm and just enjoyed being out there. The pace was steady with a slight negative split — starting around 8:20–8:15 per mile and finishing with a few miles under 8:00. By the time my watch hit 1:30, I still felt strong and smooth, even though my heart rate had crept up to 171 bpm — higher than expected for how relaxed the effort felt.

At that point, I decided to call it. No need to push into the red and risk carrying fatigue forward. Still, I might have waited a little too long to back off because Sunday’s 3.4 miles at 8:46 pace felt sluggish, and this morning’s 2.3 miles at 9:22 pace were slower yet. Hopefully by tomorrow I’ll be ready for an easy five and a proper reset.

Overall, my training intensity has been pretty low. I’m not doing much speed work, and the only time my heart rate really spikes is during these longer efforts when cardiac drift takes over. Lately, I haven’t had the urge to run fast — I just enjoy running long. There’s something about settling in, finding that flow, and seeing how far the legs can go.

If I keep stacking mileage and building endurance, I know the speed will come when it’s ready. I’ll probably jump into a race or two in November, but the long-term plan is simple: make it through the winter strong, maintain or build my weekly mileage, keep the weight trending the right direction, and set myself up to really go after it in 2026.

There’s still a lot of work ahead, but this weekend’s run felt like a real step forward — not just in distance, but in confidence.  Sometimes you just have to put yourself out in no man's land and stop giving yourself the easy way out to initiate a breakthrough.