Month: January 2025

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Reflections on My 1,000 KM Running Goal: Lessons and Adjustments

Written December 15, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

So, I checked my progress toward my 1,000 km running goal again to ensure I wasn’t wrong the other day. I reconfirmed that I will reach my goals within this year. All I need to do is do another round of 10k runs. 

While checking my logs, I analyzed why my total distance run was much lower than the prior year. After all, I aimed for 25k per week, so I should have hit 1300k. Then, I realized I started using this app on February 23, 2024. Then, we went on a vacation. Missing nearly 2 months makes a massive difference in the distance, approximately 200 km.

Additionally, before I adopted my early morning running schedule during the hot summer, there were days when I skipped running due to the heat. I figured out how to deal with the summer heat in Tennessee, and it will be good for next year. Some days, I shortened my 10k runs to only 5k due to excess heat.

Since I know I ran during January and early February, I suspect I have already run over 1000 kilometers this year. However, since I’m using my app as my official record, I still want to get those numbers to meet my goal.

Why am I doing this? My wife calls it variance analysis. Variance analysis analyzes the GAP between goals and the prior year. It helps me create realistic goals. During 2024, I learned many things, such as switching my running schedule to extreme weather. 

I will shave off 1 minute from a 5km run for the following year. I am considering mixing my run with long and short runs to improve my speed.

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Pushing Through Challenges: My Journey to 1000 Kilometers

Written December 13, 2024

reviewed 12/21

Hello Dear Readers,

It has nearly ended with my last-minute goal adjustments. The change was in effect only for one month, but it was more challenging than I initially thought. 

We are having chilly weather, which is my biggest obstacle these days. Seriously, running 10 km can be daunting. I don’t even remember how I managed it since I used to do it regularly last year. , even though

Today is chilly, so every breath hurts my nose as if I were eating horseradish or Wasabi. I don’t mind this type of nose shock when eating delicious food, but it is not as pleasant when trying to run 10 kilometers. Despite the chilly temperatures, I succeeded in completing my scheduled 10-kilometer run.

At this point,  I think I’ll only need to do one more week of 10km to achieve my 1000-kilometer goal for the year. I’m glad that I’ve already completed my speed goal for the year since I find it very difficult to run faster when I’m pacing myself for a 10k. Once I complete this goal, I will accomplish one or two. 

My general plan is to try for speed again next year and shave a minute off my time for a 5-kilometer run. It was difficult to shave off 1 minute this year, so I expected it would be difficult again. I am also considering doing more 10-kilometer runs than this year. A regular 10-kilometer run will help me increase my lung capacity. I will consult with my body and log all I can do. 

Before I had a brain stroke, the first year I started dating my wife, she introduced me to running. I was never a runner, but my wife introduced me to the Couch to 5k program. By the end of the program, I learned to jog 5k. Then, my sister started doing the Couch to 5k program. I stopped running, though.

This was my 2nd attempt at developing a serious running habit. I know how not to complete my running goals. While learning how to run in my 2nd effort, I realized something more substantial: consistency and persistence with your decisions. Don’t be a perfectionist when it comes to your goals. If you fail at doing it a day, return to it the next day. If you don’t do very well, then adjust your goal. Just be consistent with the goal. Even with some improvement, it can be significant after several years. 

I will consult my running with my wife and a friend to see if it makes sense or get their advice. For now, I will be happy that I am about to complete my 2nd running goal for the year.

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Chasing Milestones: How Running Transformed My Life and Goals

Written December 11, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Since I adjusted my running goal for the year, I’ve increased my routine running to 10k. We had cold weather for several days, and it’s taking a bit of extra motivation to start my regular run. On a day like this, my 10k can seem more daunting.

Here is a thing: I am within 100 km of my 1,000 km run goal for 2024. If I follow this schedule this week and next, I will reach the goal even if I switch to 5k again for the rest of the year. As the goal is near, I’m pretty confident in achieving it.

Since 2024 is nearly over, I must set my goal for 2025. I don’t think I will drastically change my goals, though. I just want to make 2025 a little better than 2024. Since 2024 is almost over, I will need to think about it before the end of the year. Fortunately, I also have a friend who runs, and I will ask him whether my goal makes sense.

Achieving goals makes me feel good, mainly because I must invest hard in them. My goal is an endless journey. I will never stop working out. I never thought I would be committed to running when I started it. I even used to tell my wife that I ran for her. However, I know she seemed to get disturbed by those comments. Things changed once I started. My wife gave me the proper running equipment because I initially ran with an everyday shoe. I still remember how much better running is with a proper pair of shoes. I was still running for my wife. I don’t know when, but the running goals became mine. I improved my running much better once I internalized the running goals. 

When I started to see the difference between myself, I understood the importance of setting goals. You will only reach your goals if you want them to be achieved. My wife likes to go on adventurous adventures, like hiking in the Grand Canyon or exploring nature in Key West. I hiked well when we went to the Grand Canyon, thanks to all my running. I don’t think I have a healthy kidney anymore. But I want to maintain my health. We want to do many things, such as going to many other national parks in the United States. I want to enjoy such activities instead of getting tired from the adventure. Running helps me with that.

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How I Balance My Fitness Goals in a Busy Season

Written December 8, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Since I started running 10k more frequently than ever, I have been experiencing body exhaustion. This morning, I woke up pretty sleepy and succumbed to tiredness by sleeping an extra half-hour. Luckily, there were no time-sensitive demands on me this morning, so my lateness has no lasting consequences. The volatile weather made my work harder.

Undoubtedly, the more frequent 10K runs have impacted my energy level. I did a few 10k runs last week. I have chronic kidney disease, so I cannot eat even an average man’s protein amount. The food restriction impacts me when it comes to exercising. My body doesn’t seem to recover as fast as I would wish. The sudden change in exercise goals affects me more than I would like. Too much exercise can lead to muscle loss since I cannot eat enough protein. So, I must be extremely mindful of how much I work out.

I just have to sleep more than expected on days like today. I take this as a signal from my body that I need to rest more than usual. The year is about to end anyway, so I will only work on adjusting my goals now. I am nearly hitting the target, and I know it is doable. I still take a rest day on Sunday. I canceled everything that was occurring during the Christmas holiday.

We started to plan what we would eat for this Holiday. My family in Tennessee decided to spend Christmas Holidays at my sister’s house in Virginia. My wife can only take a few days off since she is the sole accountant at her company. There is so much year-end prep work she has to do. She has been automating so many tasks that she runs the finance department alone. Her company is still publicly traded, and the office where she works has nearly $50 million in sales. She says they are hoping to get one more accountant, which will ease her workload in the future. I support my wife however I can, so I will stay in Tennessee to spend our holidays together. 

Hopefully, the extra half hour will be enough to rejuvenate me, and I’ll be able to resume my desired schedule.

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Running Through the Cold: A Journey of Mobility, Goals, and Resilience

Written December 6, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Today was so cold that I thought I was running in an enormous Freezer. Since I had new running goals, I had to run 10k in this weather, but I was reluctant to do so because of the weather.

Despite the cold weather, I managed to complete my run. My wife, who ran earlier in the morning on the same day, complained that the cold weather made her body stiff. I understand what she felt. I also needed to expend much more energy in cold weather to run and keep myself warm. I couldn’t beat my pace time, but I got close enough to be satisfied with my effort.  

I have been exercising stoicism when it comes to running. No matter the weather, I try to keep my promise to run. At first, I started running because my wife wanted me to walk toward getting better. She wanted me to have more endurance and the ability to walk or run. Since the brain stroke, I no longer drive cars, so I always have to ask my wife to drive me around. The ability to walk or run is my freedom of mobility outside the home.

We moved to a house near a doctor’s office, a dentist, and everything else I wanted to visit alone. Unless it is bad weather, I do not even ask my wife to drive to those places. The house is approximately 1.3 miles from these offices, so I can easily walk there. It was my freedom of mobility. 

Several years since I started running, running became my goal. It is no longer my wife’s goal. I internalized my vision and created the goal. They may not be aggressive, but I am steadily improving my running ability. 

I came to understand that it is right to approach your goal more slowly. I adjusted my running goals as per my capacity. The most crucial part is you are committed to the goals. I create a yearly goal with another layer of small goals underneath it. I adjust them quite frequently. It happens to me that things don’t work out very well on many occasions. I often stumble upon stagnation. If you read my blogs regularly, you already know that. It could be daunting and frustrating. Over time, I learned to make frequent adjustments to the goals. I may tweak how I achieve the goal. I sometimes tone down my goals. The important thing is not to give up and to commit to your goals.

I’ll also need to run a 10k tomorrow, but at least the weather will be more conducive.  Aside from running in the cold, I completed all my routine Friday chores and ate my usual Friday food, along with the last cider we got last Saturday.