Congested but Not Defeated

 Extreme congestion has me feeling pretty miserable today. The cold seems to be staying in my head (for now) and hasn’t made its way into my lungs (yet), but I decided to play it safe and call it a rest day. Of course, “rest day” in my world still meant a brisk 3+ mile walk at a 12:37 pace, with an average HR of 108.

I felt okay this morning, but by afternoon things really hit me, and I’m downright BLAAHHHHH. Fingers crossed I can shake this off quickly—I’d hate to lose momentum now, especially with how well training has been going. Thankfully, I already hit my 100-mile goal for the month, so if I need to dial it back for a few days, I can do it guilt-free.

Hopefully, I’ll be back here in a day or two writing about my next great run. But you never know—this could just as easily end up being the point where I look back months from now and think, oh yeah, that’s when I got sick and everything fell apart.

I’d like to believe I’m in a strong enough place with my training and goals that it won’t come to that. Still, based on past experience, I can’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop.

Outrun by My 13-Year-Old (Again)

Once again, my 13-year-old daughter has me beat. I’ve logged 105.66 miles this month—but she’s sitting at 106.98. My week so far: 15.08 miles at an 8:22 pace. Hers? 15.69 miles at a 7:43 pace… plus another 3 miles of warm-up and cooldown.

And here’s the kicker: up until Monday, she had never run 5 miles non-stop. Now she’s cranked out 5.25 miles three days in a row like it’s nothing. This has been the story all month—I’ll put in what feels like a solid, respectable effort, and then she’ll go out and do the same workout, just a little longer and a little faster. Maybe it’s time to admit it’s her turn to carry the torch.

As for my own (slightly overshadowed) milestone: today’s 5-miler nudged my yearly total past the 600-mile mark. With four months left and 400 miles to go, hitting 1,000 miles this year is starting to feel possible. A steady 100 miles per month is doable, though I know work, life, cold weather, and the holiday season will test that resolve.

Whether I’m still building or already peaking on mileage is up for debate. Right now, it feels like a coin flip. But one thing’s for sure—running side by side with my daughter, definitely inspires me to keep chasing those miles.

Another Hundo

This morning reminded me why I run. After weeks of hot August days, I stepped outside to a crisp 52 degrees — the kind of weather that feels made for running. The plan said 45 minutes at a steady 9:00 pace, but the cool air pulled me along, and I ended up running 5.53 miles at an 8:08 pace. My heart rate stayed reasonable at 142, proof that fitness is quietly building even when I don’t notice it day-to-day.

Crossing 100 miles this month felt especially rewarding. That’s two months in a row now (and with 5 days to spare). What was last month’s goal is starting to become a streak. What makes it even more meaningful is that I almost didn’t go. The voice in my head told me to take the day off, but I pushed through that resistance — and that decision turned into a small victory. A reminder: the hardest step is often just getting out the door.

Around mile four, something special happened. I hit that elusive runner’s high — a surge of euphoria I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was a signal that all the little pieces are coming together: faster paces, lower heart rate, stronger legs, and, most importantly, joy in the process.

Running is teaching me (again) that progress isn’t always about one big breakthrough — it’s about showing up, stringing together the miles, and letting the results take care of themselves. Today was proof that consistency pays off. And the best part? I’m just getting started.

A Big Weekend for Maya—and Some Fitness Wins of My Own

The most exciting highlight of the weekend? My daughter, Maya. She had her very first cross country meet of the year on Saturday and absolutely crushed it. She ran 2.06 miles in 14:09, finishing 24th out of 138 runners. Her team placed 2nd overall.

What’s even more impressive is that the top 7 girls on the team are already hitting times equivalent to their performances at last year’s state meet—and it’s only the beginning of the season. They’ve been logging solid mileage with some workouts sprinkled in, so based on where they’re starting, there’s a real chance for some big breakthroughs by the end of the year.

To follow up Saturday’s great performance, Maya ran her first-ever 5+ miler today—5.24 miles at a 7:37 pace. She’s off to a fantastic start.

My Own Training: Steady Progress (with a Few Bumps)

As for me, my training isn’t quite as headline-worthy, but there are still some small wins. I’ve been nursing a very mild Achilles tweak—not serious, and so far it hasn’t affected my training, but I’m keeping an eye on it. I ran about 4.5 miles both yesterday and today, cruising around an 8:30 pace, which has become my comfortable easy pace lately.

Garmin has been limiting my workouts due to low sleep scores, which, fair enough—I’ve been struggling to stay asleep through the night. I’m managing okay, but I agree: an extra hour of sleep (or even just uninterrupted sleep) would probably make a big difference.

On a more positive note, my VO₂ max climbed another point this week—now at 51. It was at 49 at the beginning of August, so that’s a 2-point gain in a month, which feels solid. I started the year at 41 and have been consistently gaining about a point a month—except in April and now again in August, when I jumped two points each time.

If this trend continues, I could hit 55 by the end of the year.

For context, I peaked at 61 back in 2021 and maintained mid-to-upper 50s from 2020 through early 2023. I dipped to 53 in April 2023 and had been trending downward since, so this is the first real momentum I’ve seen in a while. It’s encouraging to be building back up again and also to know that I've been there before and am able to hold that level of fitness.

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Looking Ahead: Long-Term Goals

With my fitness improving, motivation holding steady, and training staying consistent, I’m starting to think more seriously about longer-term goals. Here’s what I’m aiming for:

• Reach a VO₂ max of 55 by April 2026.
  I may dip a bit in the winter when treadmill season starts, since Garmin doesn’t seem to track VO₂ max as accurately on the treadmill. That said, I’ve had good luck building a strong base indoors, and usually see the number jump once I return to outdoor running.

• Push to 58 by August 2026.
  If I can get there, I’d love to test my limits with a truly dialed-in 5K and see what I can throw down when fully trained... hopefully that means a sub 20 5K by later this fall and then sub-19 next year.  

A workout? Why not!

Today I finally felt recovered enough for my watch to schedule a workout—and I was more than ready to get after it.

The session called for a 15-minute warmup, followed by 8 x 40-second intervals at a 6:05 pace with 3-minute recoveries, and a 10-minute cooldown. I’d done a similar workout (8 x 400m at a comparable pace) about a month ago, so I knew this one was well within reach.

I felt great during the warmup, and while the intervals were tough, 40 seconds is short enough that by the time it really starts to hurt, it’s basically over. I pushed the cooldown a bit to try to sneak my average pace under 8:00—and I made it. Final stats: 6.44 miles in 51:20 for an average pace of 7:58. That’s my longest workout at sub-8:00 pace in 11 months.

The hardest part was shifting gears—going from a 9:00 pace straight into a 6:00 pace is jarring. I ended up running most of the intervals a little too fast, with several in the 5:30s and 5:40s. To make things more confusing, my watch couldn’t adjust its pace reading quickly enough, so it kept alerting me that I was too slow, which pushed me to speed up even more when I was probably already on target.

All in all, I’m really satisfied with how it went. Garmin’s prescribed workouts are usually a bit easier than what I’d design for myself, but they consistently leave me feeling appropriately fatigued—and riding that post-workout dopamine high. Right now, they’re helping me avoid the trap of overtraining and burnout.

Even though the workouts are sporadic, I’m still getting the mileage in. With no races or major goals on the horizon, there’s no reason not to take it slow and focus on building a solid base.

Recovery Run

Basically a rest day… just with some easy mileage.

The plan called for 27 minutes at a 10:55 pace. I ended up running 27:32 at a 9:45 pace—I finished on a downhill, which explains the extra 32 seconds.

You could argue 9:45 is a bit fast for a recovery run, but honestly, it felt like the easiest jog I could manage. My heart rate averaged 126, which is about the same as when I go for a brisk walk—so I’m not too worried about it.  Also, I should add that I logged a slower than average run, slowed down my monthly average pace by ~2 seconds, and survived to tell the tale.  Hey, if anything, sandbagging a few runs should make it easier to show improvements in the future!

Physically and mentally, I’m feeling pretty good today. Fingers crossed for a solid night’s sleep, and then I’ll be ready to tackle something a little more challenging tomorrow.

I’m closing in on 80 miles for the month with 10 days still to go, so I should be breaking that 100-mile barrier again without much trouble.

The only mild concern right now is a bit of soreness in my left Achilles. I've been running on it, and thankfully it doesn’t seem to be getting worse—but I’m trying to stay mindful. I’m not entirely sure if a harder effort might aggravate it. Hopefully not, but if it does, I’m really hoping I’ll have the discipline to ease off before it turns into something more serious.

Another easy 4

Today called for another easy 4-miler as I continue to ease back into things. I made a conscious effort to keep the pace relaxed and run by feel, deliberately avoiding glances at my watch as much as possible. I ended up averaging 8:35 per mile—still a bit quicker than the prescribed 8:55 pace, but definitely an improvement over yesterday. My heart rate averaged 138 bpm, which is another positive sign that things are trending in the right direction.

I woke up with tired legs and was really craving a rest day, but I pushed myself out the door anyway. The run actually felt better than expected—even above average—but I’m still feeling pretty drained now. After three fairly easy, shorter days, I’m starting to wonder if I just need to bite the bullet and take a day off. Then again, it’s possible I’m still recovering from the weekend, and tomorrow might feel different.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with taking a day or two off, but between tapering and race recovery, I’ve already had as many rest days this month as I did in all of last month. For now, the plan is to run tomorrow and Friday, then reassess heading into the weekend.

On a brighter note, there's a temperature drop coming—and Saturday brings the first middle school XC meet of the season. Here's hoping that this brings me a much-needed dose of motivation to snap me out of this little funk I'm falling into.