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Finding Progress Beyond the Stopwatch in Running Endurance Improvements
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
I am finding progress beyond the stopwatch in running endurance improvements.
This morning greeted me with something that has become surprisingly rare lately.
No rain.
Better yet, the air was noticeably cooler than it had been for several days. It was chilly enough that I briefly wondered whether long sleeves might have been the wiser choice. After the recent stretch of hot, humid mornings, however, I was happy to accept a little cool weather without complaint.
As soon as I woke up, I headed out for my usual run.
Within a few minutes, my body warmed up, and so did the weather. Nashville apparently believes seasons can change during a single run. What began as “perhaps I need a jacket” quickly became “short sleeves would have been perfect.”
Unfortunately, ideal running weather did not magically produce an ideal running pace.
I missed my target.
Looking back, I probably should have seen it coming. Around this time of year, morning temperatures can climb ten degrees within a surprisingly short period. Since I usually finish my runs before 8:00 a.m., it is remarkable how quickly the weather transforms.
Apparently, summer in Nashville believes in making dramatic entrances.
Next time, I may pay closer attention to the hourly forecast instead of simply checking the temperature when I wake up. Waiting a little longer before heading out might actually make clothing choices and pacing a bit easier.
Fortunately, today’s run was only five kilometers. Had it been my usual Saturday 10K, the changing conditions would have become much more noticeable by the later kilometers. Also, I have more energy than before after running. I must have gained my running endurance.
After returning home, I moved on to my resistance training.
There was better news waiting there.
This morning, I increased my pull-up total to twenty-five.
I was particularly pleased because many of my strength exercises have received less attention lately. Summer has a habit of replacing gym sessions with lawn mowing, and anyone who has pushed a mower across a steep backyard knows that yard work has a remarkable way of volunteering as leg day.
Still, progress is progress.
Perhaps the biggest change I have noticed this year is the effect of my anemia treatment. For years, I simply assumed that feeling tired was normal. Since beginning treatment, I have noticeably more endurance and energy throughout my workouts.
I admit I have complained more than once about having to visit the hematologist. Medical appointments are rarely anyone’s favorite hobby.
But credit belongs where it is due.
The treatment is making a real difference.
No, I did not meet my target running pace today.
On the other hand, I completed twenty-five pull-ups, something I could not have imagined not very long ago.
That is one of the lessons fitness keeps teaching me.
If you judge every workout by only one number, you’ll miss many of your victories.
Some days, the stopwatch wins.
Other days, the pull-up bar quietly reminds you just how far you’ve already come.
A Rainy Sunday, Extra Sleep, and the Never-Ending Weekend Yard Work Routine
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
After yesterday’s unexpected skunk adventure and my regular Saturday 10-kilometer run, I decided that my body deserved a little extra kindness. The plan was simple: go to bed a bit earlier than usual and allow myself an extra hour of sleep. Reality, as it often does, negotiated different terms. Today is my weekend yard work routine.
I only managed to get to bed about thirty minutes early, but even that turned out to help. I let my wife know that I planned to sleep later than normal so she wouldn’t wonder whether I had mysteriously disappeared overnight.
My wife is an impressively early riser. By the time I normally wake up, she has often already finished a remarkable amount of work.
While I take care of mowing our steep backyard, she tackles everything the mower cannot reach. She edges the lawn, pulls weeds around the flower beds, and clears the narrow areas along the sides and back of the house. It is work that never seems to end, especially during a Nashville summer.
This year has been particularly rainy, which means the weeds have been thriving with almost suspicious enthusiasm.
Even when the grass is still damp, my wife heads outside to keep it under control. It’s a weekend yard work routine. Experience has taught us that weeds are excellent opportunists. Ignore them for a few weeks, and they begin behaving as though they have inherited the property.
We learned that lesson firsthand.
One year, my wife wasn’t feeling well and had to skip yard work for about a month. When she finally recovered, her first weekend back outside turned into a two- or three-hour battle with weeds that had clearly mistaken her absence for permanent retirement.
Since then, she has adopted a much more effective strategy.
Never give the weeds a chance.
Eventually, my extra sleep came to an end, not because of an alarm clock, but because the sound of the piano gently awakened me.
Apparently, after attending a wedding recently, my wife felt inspired to practice again.
There are certainly worse ways to wake up.
By the time I climbed out of bed, the rain had already begun.
It continued for most of the day and is expected to last into the evening. Fortunately, tomorrow’s forecast looks much more promising. The morning should be surprisingly cool, with relatively low humidity by Nashville standards.
That sounds like nearly perfect running weather.
Sometimes the most productive day is not the one filled with accomplishments.
Sometimes it is the one that gives your body a chance to recover, your garden a good soaking, and your weeds just enough confidence to think they are winning.
Tomorrow, we’ll remind them otherwise.
A Skunk, an Early Wake-Up Call, and a Humid 10K Run
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
By this evening, I was thoroughly exhausted because of an early wake-up call.
That is not especially unusual after my regular Saturday 10-kilometer run, but today came with a few unexpected complications. The weather turned noticeably hotter and far more humid, and my carefully planned morning began with a visitor who was not on my schedule.
A skunk.
Few things will get your attention before sunrise quite like your phone ringing because a skunk has taken up residence near your front door.
Early this morning, my wife called while she was returning from her run. A skunk had wandered in front of our entrance, and she quite reasonably decided that sharing the sidewalk with it was a terrible idea. Instead of risking a close encounter and an unforgettable fragrance, she asked me to open the garage door so she could enter the house from another direction.
I was more than happy to help.
I was just less enthusiastic about being awake.
Under our front porch is a small opening that has long served as a cozy home for various wildlife. Years ago, several groundhogs lived there. I had not seen them for quite some time and assumed the little underground apartment had become vacant.
Apparently, the local real estate market had other plans.
A skunk has evidently decided that the former groundhog residence is an excellent place to live. I suppose one creature’s abandoned property is another creature’s dream home.
Unfortunately, the phone call arrived about an hour before my alarm was set to ring.
I briefly considered returning to sleep. My brain even presented a compelling argument in favor of the pillow. Unfortunately, once I am fully awake, negotiations with sleep rarely end in my favor.
So I admitted defeat.
I climbed out of bed, put on my running clothes, and headed out for my Saturday 10K considerably earlier than planned.
The run itself went well enough, but the combination of lost sleep, rising temperatures, and Nashville’s legendary humidity gradually caught up with me. By evening, I could feel every kilometer and every missing hour of sleep.
Fortunately, the solution is refreshingly uncomplicated.
Tonight, I plan to go to bed a little earlier than usual and let sleep do what no amount of determination can replace.
Running teaches discipline.
Skunks, apparently, teach flexibility.
Sometimes the day’s training begins long before the first step of the run.
Recovery Is Training Too: Listening to My Body After a Long Run
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Today has been pleasantly relaxing, not because I have been idle, but because everything has gone according to plan. A recovery after a long run is important.
Most of my chores are finished, and I even made up the weighted squat holds that I skipped yesterday.
Normally, I prefer not to miss a scheduled workout. However, after yesterday’s 10-kilometer run, I was simply exhausted. Between summer yard work, regular training, and the occasional surprise from the weather—or even one poor night’s sleep—my body had clearly voted against any additional exercise.
When your body casts a unanimous vote, it is usually wise not to overrule it.
So, after a brief consultation with my most important training partner—my own body—I decided to skip the workout.
Today was a different story.
By this morning, I felt refreshed enough to make up the missed exercises. Sundays are usually reserved for lighter activities anyway. That lighter schedule gives my body time to recover from a week of work, running, and whatever landscaping projects decide to appear in the yard. After a Saturday 10K, I generally welcome the opportunity to slow down.
Ironically, because I had skipped yesterday’s strength session, I had enough energy to comfortably complete it today.
One lesson I continue to learn is that improvement and recovery are not always the same thing.
Treating my anemia has certainly helped my running. I have more energy, and my pace has steadily improved. Unfortunately, treatment does not magically speed up recovery.
Part of the challenge comes from my kidney condition. Since I need to limit my protein intake, I cannot simply increase my nutrition the way many athletes do after strenuous exercise. Building strength and recovering well are not just about muscles—they also depend on keeping the body’s vital organs healthy. Fitness is a balancing act, and sometimes restraint is just as important as effort.
Tomorrow’s weather forecast has already introduced the next challenge.
Rain appears to be moving in, so the earlier I start my morning run, the better my chances of staying dry. Unlike today, when I happily remained in bed for an extra hour, tomorrow morning will require considerably more discipline.
Apparently, even the weather enjoys testing my commitment.
Still, that’s part of the routine.
Some days, the challenge is running farther. Other days, it’s knowing when to rest. And occasionally, the greatest athletic achievement is convincing yourself to leave a warm bed before sunrise.
When Staying Healthy Means Trying Not to Lose Weight
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Most people spend the summer trying to lose a few pounds. I spend it trying not to. lose weight. I have a kidney disease, and maintaining weight in kidney disease is hard.
Every year, as the weather warms up, I find myself facing the same challenge: keeping my weight where it belongs. It sounds almost unfair to complain about losing weight, but everybody has their own peculiar set of problems, and this one happens to be mine.
Part of the reason is simple.
I have maintained relatively high muscle mass for my age by exercising consistently for many years. After my stroke, I became even more committed to staying active. At first glance, that sounds like a wonderful success story.
The catch is that muscle is expensive.
Not financially, thankfully, but metabolically. Muscle requires energy every hour of every day, whether I’m running, mowing the lawn, or quietly reading a book. It is like employing a team of energetic workers who insist on being paid three meals a day.
Summer only makes the challenge greater.
Our backyard includes a steep lawn that requires several hours of mowing. Altogether, it usually takes about five hours of work, although I wisely divide it over two days. Add regular strength training and my running schedule, and my body becomes a remarkably efficient calorie-burning machine.
Unfortunately, increasing my food intake is not as straightforward as it sounds.
Because of my kidney condition, I cannot simply eat whatever I want. My diet requires careful moderation. I have to limit protein, avoid eating excessive amounts of potassium-rich foods, and keep phosphate intake under control as well, rather than eliminating everything; we aim to maintain a balanced diet so that no single nutrient becomes excessive.
Even with careful planning, maintaining my weight remains surprisingly difficult.
This morning offered another small reminder of how unpredictable life can be.
I woke up earlier than usual, only to discover it was raining. Rather than racing the weather, I decided the bed was temporarily winning the negotiation and stayed there until my alarm sounded.
By then, almost miraculously, the rain had stopped.
I hurried outside for my run, hoping to finish before the next shower arrived. Fortunately, I accomplished both goals. I hit my target pace and avoided the rain.
Technically.
The humidity, however, had other ideas.
By the time I returned home, I was completely soaked anyway. Apparently, Nashville’s weather makes umbrellas seem merely decorative.
After peeling off my thoroughly saturated running clothes, I stepped onto the scale.
To my relief, I had gained just over two pounds.
I am still below my preferred weight range, but at least I am moving in the right direction. Considering how much energy disappears into running, yard work, and everyday exercise, I have learned to celebrate small victories wherever I can find them.
Sometimes that victory is a faster run.
Sometimes it finishes before the rain arrives.
And sometimes, rather surprisingly, it is simply watching the number on the scale move upward.
Lessons from a Difficult 10K Run
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Today I got lessons from a difficult 10K Run. I usually run first thing in the morning because Nashville’s weather quickly becomes unfriendly to runners.
Even by 7:30 a.m., the air can feel remarkably heavy. It is not always because of rain. More often, the culprit is humidity. Once the temperature climbs above 70°F and humidity approaches—or exceeds—90%, the atmosphere transforms into something that feels almost tangible. It is less like running through air and more like trying to jog through warm pudding.
Saturday is my regular 10-kilometer running day.
Unless there is a snowstorm, thunderstorm, or a family event—which, for some reason, always seems to choose Saturday—I stick to that schedule. Consistency has become one of the most valuable parts of my training.
Since beginning treatment for anemia, my body has felt noticeably lighter during my runs. The improvement has been encouraging. Even so, there are still mornings when exhaustion appears without an invitation.
Today was one of those mornings.
From the very beginning, my legs felt unusually heavy. Every kilometer demanded more effort than it should have, and the pace that normally feels comfortable seemed frustratingly out of reach. By the time I finished, I was more than a minute behind my target pace and completely exhausted.
The strange part was that I hadn’t expected it.
Summer naturally brings more physical work around the house, especially lawn mowing, which is more exercise than many people give it credit for. Still, I had mowed on Thursday, so I assumed I had fully recovered by Saturday morning.
Apparently, my body had other opinions.
As I looked over my to-do list later in the day, I found myself trying to solve the mystery. Everything had seemed to be going well this week. I had slept well, eaten well, and generally felt healthy. Yet my run told a completely different story.
Perhaps that is one of the most humbling lessons running teaches.
Our bodies are wonderfully complex. They do not always explain themselves. Sometimes they perform beyond expectations, and other times they quietly remind us that recovery is not something we can schedule with the precision of a calendar appointment.
Instead of dwelling on the disappointing run, I moved on to the rest of my day’s tasks. One by one, I finished everything I had planned before our grocery shopping trip.
There is a special satisfaction in checking the final item off a to-do list. It means that once we return home, I can spend the rest of the evening doing something every runner eventually learns to appreciate.
Absolutely nothing.
After all, rest is not the reward for hard work.
Sometimes, it is part of the training itself.
A Small Victory on the Running Trail: Beating My Target Pace by Seven Seconds
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
This morning, I finally achieved something I had been chasing for several runs. I beat my target pace.
To someone who does not run, seven seconds might sound insignificant. To a runner who has been stubbornly chasing a goal, however, seven seconds can feel like winning an Olympic medal… or at least earning the right to enjoy breakfast with a little extra satisfaction.
The weather certainly decided to cooperate today.
Relative humidity was around 20%, a dramatic improvement from the previous week. Here in Nashville, humidity regularly climbs above 90%, making the air feel as though someone forgot to wring it out. This morning, however, the air was crisp and refreshing. It was actually cool enough that I felt a slight chill when I started running, a welcome change from feeling as though I were jogging through warm soup.
One tool that has become surprisingly valuable is the ASICS Runner app. I have it announce my pace at regular intervals so I can make adjustments while I run, rather than discovering my mistakes after I’ve already finished.
I even changed the settings to kilometers instead of miles. Since announcements come more frequently, I receive feedback sooner, giving me more opportunities to adjust my pace before bad habits settle in. Sometimes success isn’t about running harder; it’s simply about getting better information sooner.
As I approached the final quarter kilometer, I checked my pace. I may beat my target pace.
I was ahead by exactly one second.
One second is an amusing amount of confidence. It is just enough to make you optimistic, and just a little too much to make you nervous.
Then I remembered yesterday’s disappointing finish, when I lost precious seconds right at the end. That memory was all the motivation I needed. I pushed harder over the final stretch and crossed the finish line seven seconds ahead of my target pace.
Those extra six seconds may not sound like much, but they represent progress.
If I can repeat today’s performance on Friday, I’ll be back on track toward setting new personal bests. Running has taught me that improvement rarely arrives in dramatic leaps. More often, it comes disguised as a handful of seconds, earned through consistency, patience, and the willingness to keep trying after yesterday didn’t go as planned.
So today, I’m happy.
Not because I ran a perfect race, but because I proved that yesterday’s disappointment was simply another step toward today’s success.
Sometimes, progress is measured not in miles, but in seconds.
How to Build a Fitness Identity That Lasts for Life
Day 100 of 100 Days Muscle Resistance Workout Challenge
Focus Topics: Learn how to build a lasting fitness identity beyond goals and challenges. Discover how long-term habits create strength, health, and consistency for life.
Learning Material: Building Fitness Identity
Goals are excellent starters. Identity is the finisher.
For the past 100 days, you followed a structure: days, numbers, reflections, adjustments. That structure did its job; it got you moving. But now the project is complete, and something more important remains: who you believe you are.
Psychological research shows that long-term behavior change is more likely to stick when actions align with identity. Goals say, “I want to lose weight.” Identity says, “I’m someone who takes care of my body.” When the goal is reached or missed, motivation fades. When identity is established, action becomes automatic.
The real achievement of these 100 days isn’t muscle, weight change, or reps. It’s that training is no longer something you try to do. It’s something you do, the same way you brush your teeth or make coffee, no applause required.
Today isn’t a finish line. It’s a mirror.
Key Insights
1. Goals expire; identity persists
A goal has an end date. Identity does not. Once training becomes part of who you are, there’s nothing to “fall off.”
2. Identity reduces decision fatigue
When something is “just what you do,” it no longer competes with excuses. The question disappears. Action remains.
3. Long-term vision is flexible, not rigid
Identity allows adaptation. You don’t stop being a healthy person because life gets busy; you adjust how health shows up.
Example / Metaphor
Think of learning a language.
At first, you study to pass the test.
Later, you speak because that’s how you live.
Or think of glasses. At first, you’re very aware of wearing them. Eventually, you forget, until you take them off and wonder how you ever saw anything before.
That’s identity.
My Reflection
Today marks the final day of my 100-day muscle training challenge, and I’m genuinely happy to have completed it.
The biggest challenge throughout this process was not physical effort, but a lack of knowledge. I work with someone who trains extensively, and through our conversations, I realized that I needed to update, and in some cases acquire, basic knowledge of training and nutrition to evaluate my progress accurately. I don’t need expert-level mastery, but I do need enough understanding to make informed adjustments rather than to guess or react emotionally.
The most important improvement was learning how critical adequate protein intake is, something I had neglected for nearly a decade. In hindsight, it’s no surprise that I was losing muscle mass despite exercising. While I haven’t fully reversed that loss yet, I’ve at least stopped it, which already feels like meaningful progress.
Physically, I feel much stronger. Tasks that once felt difficult, like lifting the water bottle for the office dispenser, are now manageable. I can perform far more push-ups than before, and I can feel increased strength in my legs simply by touching them. These are small but unmistakable signs of change.
Looking ahead, my goal is to sustain this routine and gradually increase my training volume so that I can begin rebuilding muscle mass rather than focusing solely on weight loss. I want to age happily and remain mobile for as long as possible. I hope to travel and explore many places in the future, and that will require strength, energy, and resilience.
Today, I’m closing this 100-day challenge, but not the practice itself. The benefits of muscle training are now too clear to ignore, and I fully intend to continue.
Biometric data
Change in Weight from Day 1: -7.0 lb.
Skeletal Muscle: 39.9 %
Muscle Mass: 93.4 lb.
Adjustment Ideas (Strategic Adjustment)
Choose one next Saturday, something that reinforces identity, not effort.
- Language shift: Replace “I’m trying to…” with “I don’t skip…” or “I’m the kind of person who…”
- Maintenance mindset: Design your next phase around keeping health, not chasing transformation.
- Legacy habit: Choose one habit you want to carry into your 60s, 70s, and beyond, and protect it first.
Fitness Backup Plan When Life Gets Busy
Day 99 of 100 Days Muscle Resistance Workout Challenge
Focus Topics: Learn how to create a fitness backup plan for busy days, travel, stress, and low motivation. Discover how to stay consistent without relying on perfection.
Learning Material: Fitness Backup Plan
By Day 99, you already know the truth: progress doesn’t collapse because of bad days. It collapses because bad days arrive unplanned.
Real life will interrupt you. Flights get delayed. Meetings run long. Sleep gets wrecked. Motivation takes a vacation without notice. The mistake isn’t experiencing these things; it’s pretending they won’t happen.
Psychology calls this an implementation intention: deciding in advance what you’ll do when obstacles arise. Not “if,” but “when.” This removes decision-making at the worst possible moment—when energy and patience are already low.
Perfection says, “I’ll train when conditions are ideal.”
A system says, “When conditions are bad, I already know what to do.”
Key Insights
1. Friction kills habits more than laziness
Most missed workouts aren’t due to a lack of discipline. They’re due to increased friction—travel, schedule chaos, or mental load. Reduce friction, and habits survive.
2. Pre-decided responses protect consistency
When you remove choice (“Should I train today?”), You reduce emotional bargaining. The rule does the thinking for you.
3. Recovery strategies are part of planning
Illness, poor sleep, or stress aren’t failures. They’re signals. A smart system adjusts instead of quitting.
Example / Metaphor
Think of your training like emergency exits on a plane.
You don’t plan to use them, but you’re very glad they exist.
Your backup workout, your travel food plan, your “bad sleep” training rule. Rather rigid to the rule, adjusts how you approach the workout.
Or put simply:
A plan that only works on good days is not a plan. It’s a wish.
My Reflection
This situation comes up often for me. When I have to go into the office, my schedule becomes much tighter because of the added commute. During these 100 days, I committed to the process, so I adjusted my routine instead of letting the schedule dictate my behavior.
When I go into the office once a week, I treat that day as a rest day from resistance training, but I still do cardio. When I have to go in twice a week, I further modify the schedule and reduce my workouts to the shortest possible version for that week. The key point is that I don’t give myself an excuse to skip movement entirely.
Work or a boss’s demands can easily become “valid” excuses to abandon commitments, but they only win if I let them. Ultimately, I’m still the one making the choices. If staying healthy is important to me, those external pressures can’t override that decision.
The biggest challenge for me is audit season, when I have to go into the office every day. During that time, I need a solid backup plan. One option is adjusting my work hours; there are days when I start work 1.5 hours earlier than necessary, even though I’ll be staying later anyway. That early start quietly costs me valuable time across the week.
I plan to be more intentional about reclaiming that time by starting later when possible and taking a few days off once the audit work is complete. Planning ahead like this ensures that temporary work demands don’t derail long-term health goals.
Biometric data
Change in Weight from Day 1: -7.4 lb.
Skeletal Muscle: 39.9 lb.
Muscle Mass: 93.4 lb.
Adjustment Ideas (Strategic Adjustment)
Choose one next Saturday, something designed specifically for imperfect days.
- Create a “bad day” workout: Short, equipment-free, zero-excuse. This is not optional; it’s your safety net.
- Travel protein strategy: Identify one portable protein source you’ll always carry or buy when away from home.
- Stress-response rule: On high-stress days, reduce volume but keep movement. Preserve the habit, protect recovery.
Running with Anemia: Learning Patience One Kilometer at a Time
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
My run this morning ended in disappointment, which is unfortunate because for most of the journey, success seemed perfectly happy to accompany me.
I was either meeting or slightly ahead of my target pace almost the entire way. Then, during the final quarter kilometer, something happened. I slipped twenty seconds behind. I never felt as though I had slowed down, but the stopwatch is a brutally honest companion and apparently disagreed with my assessment.
Still, despite the disappointing finish, victory was clearly within reach. That alone is encouraging.
I have dealt with anemia since childhood. After receiving treatment for my kidney condition, my doctor reminded me that anemia also needed attention. I was treated for it after my brain stroke years ago, and once again I began treatment in February 2026.
What surprised me was just how much anemia affected my running.
Until this year, I had accepted many things as normal. Since beginning treatment, I have noticed that I have more energy during my runs. Gradually, my pace has improved. Of course, now that I have tasted improvement, I naturally want more. Human beings are wonderfully unreasonable in that way. Give us progress, and we immediately ask whether there is a faster version available.
Although my current pace is significantly better than before treatment, improvement has become more difficult. That is hardly surprising. Running, much like life, refuses to cooperate with our desire for perfectly straight lines. Progress is more like the stock market than an elevator. There are ups and downs, good days and bad days, and occasionally days when one wonders whether gravity has become stronger overnight.
Summer has also brought additional physical activity. Lawn mowing, for example, turns out to be an excellent way to discover muscles one never knew existed. It is entirely possible that I was simply more tired than I realized.
Fortunately, patience is one of the most important lessons that running teaches. Progress never arrives in a perfectly orderly fashion. Internal factors, external conditions, and simple fatigue all play their part.
So, despite this morning’s disappointment, I remain optimistic.
The next run offers another opportunity.
And next time, I intend to remember that a race is not finished until the finish line actually appears. The final quarter kilometer, as I discovered this morning, apparently has a mischievous sense of humor.