From the Middle Miles

This is where I document the miles, the lessons, and everything that happens in between. Running, training, recovery, nutrition, setbacks, progress, and whatever I happen to be figuring out along the way.

  • When Running Moved Down the List

    Between twelve-hour shifts, night work, my master’s degree, and the kids’ activities, running has moved down the list. With surgery approaching and the darker months ahead, I’m figuring out how to make room for myself in a life full of things I care about.

  • First Week Back: Running Into Production

    Coming home from Japan meant more than getting back to running. Between jet lag, terrible sleep, a new role in Production, and confirmation that shoulder surgery was ahead, my first week back became a lesson in adjusting to several changes at once.

  • Japan: So Much for the Routine

    After five weeks of building a running routine, I left for Japan and did not run for almost two weeks. Between Tokyo, family in Nagoya, Hamamatsu, sushi go-rounds, and a lot of walking, I realized the bigger change was that I actually missed running.

  • Weeks 4/5: Two Miles and a Smile

    Weeks 4 and 5 brought my first two-mile continuous run, a new rhythm with music, and the moment I realized I was actually enjoying this. Five weeks in, the biggest change was not a number on my watch. It was finishing a run with a smile.

  • Week 3: Strong and Extremely Hard

    Week 3 gave me my longest continuous run yet, a brutal near-100-degree workout, and two words that somehow made perfect sense together: strong and extremely hard. Somewhere in between, I started realizing this was becoming about more than just running.

  • Week 2: The 90-Second Problem

    Week 2 brought a new mile best, a longer continuous run, a migraine that changed the schedule, and a 90-second walking break that somehow made everything harder. I was getting better but I was also learning that better does not always mean easier.

  • Week 0/1: Learning to Slow Down

    My five-week running program technically started on July 4, but the story started a month earlier with a false start, a sore foot, new shoes, and a Garmin I bought partly as a gift and partly to make sure I had some skin in the game. Week 1 taught me that the hardest part was…

  • Why I’m Writing This Down

    I have never really considered myself a runner. I have run because I had to. I have worked out because I knew I should. And like a lot of people, I have gone through stretches where I was motivated, made some progress, got busy, fell off, and eventually started over again. This time feels different.…