Good morning, my friends! ☀️ I hope you're waking up to a pleasant Friday morning — it’s coooold 🥶 here in Atlanta, but it’s sunny and actually a perfect day for a run, which I plan to get in a little later this morning.
Today is one of those Fridays where I don’t have a specific question to ask, so I thought I’d check in:
Have a question? Or a thought to share?
Something cool/funny/sad/exciting/etc. that happened this week?
Any accomplishments or goals you reached? Running-related, or not?
One quick programming note: Starting next week, I will likely move our schedule up by a couple of days — so, the Wednesday issue would arrive in your inbox on Monday, our Friday chat (maybe?) will move to Wednesday, and the Sunday issue paid subscribers receive will move to Friday. (I hope that’s not too confusing!)
The reason is, I have a class I take on Tuesday nights that will last through May, and that’s made my own schedule a challenge — I appreciate your patience in advance! Thanks so much, and let’s chat 😃 — Terrell
I ran my first 10K this week in Austin, TX!! Very proud of myself, this month also marks my one year anniversary with running. It's been a very rewarding experience, thank you for inspiring us Terrell.
I've been thinking/writing about ways to apply the wisdoms of running to parenting. But I would love to hear from other folks-- what lessons have you learned from running that you use as a parent? Thank you for your input!
That would be great. Being a runner and a mother are such large parts of my life, it's natural to find the ways they intersect and unsurprisingly, the intersections are many! Perhaps a collaboration...
I still didn't hear back on the Jack and Jill. I hope it was fun, tho I know it was record breaking HOT! .
North Bend and Snoqualamie had a good wild fire the last few days. Now there is probably SNOW as the temps down here in Redmond are in the 40s, leaves are off the trees and it is raining. . . Maybe Next Year! :)
Wish I could post pictures. Did the half in perfect temperatures. Day before, we drove to where the marathon started so we could walk the Snoqualmie Tunnel …. A 2.6 mile long abandoned rail tunnel, now part of the Iron Horse Trail.
Wish you could as well! Glad you enjoyed the heat. . . it was some of the warmest temps we had all summer! I'll have to see the tunnel sometime.
I used to own an old tunnel in Gold Hill, NV, part of the V&T Railroad. It was eventually bought from us by the company that restored the railroad. As I remember, it was only about a mile long, but it is still used by the V&T which runs yearly for tourists and for special events from Carson City to Virginia City.
I ran the other way on the Iron Horse Trail when I did my Half. Beautiful scenery, steep ravines. Maybe they've built a little more on the Trail. Rails &Trails Conservancy was just starting to work on it then. . . :)
Well an exciting thing as far as running is concerned for me happened on the 8th of this month. I had been training for a charity 10k for around 9 weeks. Well low and behold, I was first place in the race! Not that it was the point of it (charity race) but I came in at 46:47 according to one of my teammates. That’s about 7:33/mi average. I’m very happiest with it. It helped raise money for children who had catastrophic injuries and I did well. So yay all around. #crosstrainers #run4miles
Lol, I’ve been in some races where I was passed by some people much more senior than me. All I can say is “respect” to them. I plan on trying another full marathon next summer, Lord willing. After that I think I’ll stick to half’s and shorter. But I want to hear “Boston qualifier” when I cross the line after the full this summer. Since the one in will do is a qualifying race. I missed it by 30 minutes last time. Come out to Washington if you don’t live here and we can try together.
I am somewhat new to this blog and newsletter and I am so loving the motivation and inspiration! I am curious what people do in the “off season” I am doing a Halloween half, and I want to keep up the running but not stay in “training mode”. What are some thoughts, suggestions to maintain that?
I keep running 4x a week through the winter, I try to get a 5-6 miler in each week but once it's too cold I'm fine to just get 3miles in. It's always helpful to have the next race on your schedule. Good luck with your race!
Finally, rain here in western Washington. The weather report says we have not had any but a few drizzles since July 4th. I must admit it was getting pretty dry!
So back to normal with the Fall temps and falling leaves--92 the other day, but we'll be in the 50s from now on until Spring.
Still looking for a place to move to, so running is pretty sporadic--the Recreation dept. is repairing the trails, as well, so it is a good excuse to enjoy the changing seasons. Come November, I'll start Marathon training. . .
No problem on you changing the newsletters around. I'll look forward to them--always some interesting thoughts. What kind of evening class are you taking? I know my coach was taking an online intensive on Digital Marketing, so she had to change her schedule, too. . .
Have a wonderful run. I'll see what I can get in. Sunday looks nice and warm and sunny, so I'll be out then! Have fun!! :)
Not a problem. Your studies sound Interesting. I learned a lot about the Christian faith in my Art
History classes (my major) and then studied Hinduism. Quite a different ball game. :)
Air has been terrible up until 10AM. Smoke from the fire up at North Bend and Snoqualamie where I ran the Iron Horse Half and several Half Marathons and 10Ks out in Carnation. It is now raining pretty good. The Air Quality Alert has been lifted and it is now considered just "unhealthy" I guess I'm not too susceptible, but my daughter complained to high heaven about the smoke!
Ran yesterday in leaf fall and it was interesting. The wind was gusting and cold weather and dry summer contributed to an earlier drop. Actually had a short distance where it affected the ability to see the trail both on intensity and ground coverage. The colors made the whole thing a little surreal but beautiful.
Good blog Terrell, my question for all is once you’ve completed a milestone- what next and how to keep motivation? I did my first 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago which was great to work towards but feeling abit- what next?! I don’t want to leave it much longer before getting out again- anyone else struggle with next steps after an achievement?
Absolutely once you've done your first half marathon which was an awesome achievement, congratulations, the next step is to do it again! I almost cried when I finished my first half. I was so amazed and happy. So now it's time for your second attempt which is more about beating yourself if you have that competitive nature. You can do it!!
After my 1st half, I wanted to do another and another ... that was 2008. I’ll be doing my 109th on the 30th. Milestones ... each PR is worth it (I hear ... I’m not fast). What keeps me going back is the running community, not only the runners but the volunteers that work the races and he local police that keep the streets safe they’re family!
Sian, you can always try to beat younger self in the next half marathon or try to go further (by means of distance). just one very important thing: don't forget to recover after the race. Good luck!
I need a goal to stay motivated and like Terrell I am doing more running for the for the pleasure of it. What I have done lately is sign up for distance challenges that go for weeks to months. It gives me the felling of competition with others but at my convenience. There are a lot of them that have impressive bling if that helps. Have fun!
That is a great question, Sian. Back when I was running full marathons, what really motivated me was picking a race in an amazing place -- so, after I ran the Bermuda Marathon, I signed up to run the D.C. Marine Corps Marathon, and the Alaska Midnight Marathon. Having that really cool goal in front of you is one way to do it. (I did the same with halfs, too -- after running a couple here in Atlanta, I signed up for the New York City Half, and one in Idaho, and one in Florida, etc.)
Time has also changed me -- the feeling of running is increasingly satisfying itself; the way my body feels when I'm done is starting to be more motivating for me. One thing I'd ask yourself: is there a big dream you want to go for, in terms of running? Is there something really cool/interesting out there that you've found, that you want to shoot for? And, do you have someone who could do it with you/train with you on the weekends for it?
I am leaving my job of 13 years next week, so this week has been a stressful whirlwind of emotions and transition. The routine and consistency of running has really kept me grounded, and feeling like this is all going to be OK. I am still the same person. :)
That is an emotional thing to go through, Erin! Especially when you're leaving something you've been at for 13 years, even when it's the right thing for you (which I'm presuming it is), it's still a big change and we need time to process things like that. You're brave to do it! I'm glad to hear running is giving you a feeling of staying grounded through that change.
That is awesome about the 10 miles!! Good luck tomorrow, Kellyn!!!
Definitely open to share -- it's a class called EFM, or education for ministry. (That's a little bit of a misnomer, since I'm not going to be a minister and the class isn't really geared toward helping you become one... 🤷♂️)
Basically, it's a four-year program in which we go through the basics of Christianity -- the 1st year, we read the Old Testament; the 2nd year, we read the New Testament; the 3rd year, we read a book by Diarmid McCullough called Christianity: The First 3,000 Years, and the 4th year is about creating your own personal theology.
You're going to think this is absolutely ridiculous, but I told the class this week that the whole reason I've wanted to take this is because I saw 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' when I was a kid and I've been fascinated by it ever since. My first wife is Jewish (I'm not), and we took a trip to Israel together while we were married, which got me even more interested in where the Abrahamic faiths come from, how they've collided over history, and why we are where we are today with all of this (*looks around at the world*)
I'm in the 3rd year of the program, which deals with the history of Christianity -- from 1st-century Judea, to the intellectual cross-currents floating through that world (from Greek philosophy to Roman religion), all the way through the first few centuries and on up to the present day. I'm in the very early chapters of the book, so we have yet to get to where Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman empire after Constantine's conversion. It's absolutely fascinating stuff, and I get to do it with a discussion group that meets for about 3 hours every Tuesday night, so my mind is a little worn out then! It's kinda like being an intellectual Indiana Jones, if that makes any sense! 😃
(This may be more that you might have wanted to hear, but I always feel the need to explain the full story when people ask 😃 )
Chiming in with a goal achieved :))) I've been running half my life and at higher volumes since the start of 2020, which always makes people ask if I'm training for a half or full marathon, ultra etc. I don't really like races! I run for the enjoyment, endorphins and to stay strong. But since 2020 I was training for something specific - not even a run. I wanted to bombproof my body for a 2022 thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. 5300 miles of mostly running, some urban hiking with loaded pack, before I ever touched the trail - twice its total length. Happy to report that the training worked and my body held up :) on September 26th I finished hiking from Mexico to Canada, continuous footpath. Now it's back to running! For now, for its own sake. Hope I can find another enormous goal to get stoked about soon :)
Wow, Caitlin!!! This is AMAZING!!! I totally hear where you're coming from on races; there are actually quite a few readers here who aren't into them at all. Your hike of the PCT just blows me away. I read 'Wild' (like everyone did!) and saw the movie, but that's really the only way I can imagine what you went through. I'm seriously impressed. What was it like? What were the highs and lows?
It was like... the hardest, best, most beautiful and worthwhile thing I've ever done and the most alive I've felt in my life :)
"Wild" is tricky because it's an adaptation of a story about walking 1000 miles of a 2650 mile trail, skipping the hardest and most scenic parts - and they didn't even film the movie, except for about 30 seconds near Mojave and Crater Lake, on the trail, it's all faked locations in Oregon.
There are some amazing full-length PCT films on Youtube, like a couple hours, that showcase the scenery, and many, many video logs from thru-hikers. I think this couple's series is my favorite of all. They, like me, were committed to the continuous footpath, which means putting up with some absurd stuff when you hit fire closures. But they deal with everything with good humor. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJtQeYea5EyvIeXGYCvTBSzzImLD82QS_ I used to watch their videos in training while I would row at home in the evenings, to warm up my muscles, and then I'd go run outside and be all pumped and motivated. :) If you find yourself with some downtime, watch all the episodes!
Happy Friday! It's cold and sunny here too and glad to get my run in later this morning. I'm recovery from Sunday's marathon and excited I qualified for Boston! I hope to run it in 2024. (anyone else?) A great way to end this year that started out very scary and overwhelming with my husbands cancer diagnosis. "I've still got a reason to praise." Have an amazing weekend! :)
Oh my goodness, Julie!!!! I'm so sorry to hear that about your husband -- is he okay/doing better now? I am also so pumped for you that you qualified for Boston!!! How amazing is that? What a year you've had!
Thank you Terrell. Yes, it's been a year. He's done with chemo which was a struggle and he's healing now. He's in remission. WOOHOO! We are taking one day at a time to regain his strength and endurance. Thank you for asking. Onward!
I ran my first 10K this week in Austin, TX!! Very proud of myself, this month also marks my one year anniversary with running. It's been a very rewarding experience, thank you for inspiring us Terrell.
How awesome, Minh! I saw the photos on Twitter -- it looked like a perfect day ☀️
Hello!
So glad to have found this newsletter!
I've been thinking/writing about ways to apply the wisdoms of running to parenting. But I would love to hear from other folks-- what lessons have you learned from running that you use as a parent? Thank you for your input!
So glad you’re here! That is actually an EXCELLENT question -- and maybe a great topic for this week’s issue.
That would be great. Being a runner and a mother are such large parts of my life, it's natural to find the ways they intersect and unsurprisingly, the intersections are many! Perhaps a collaboration...
Consider the Jack and Jill Half or Full … the full takes you through a 2.6 mile abandoned rail tunnel. North Bend WA outside Seattle.
I still didn't hear back on the Jack and Jill. I hope it was fun, tho I know it was record breaking HOT! .
North Bend and Snoqualamie had a good wild fire the last few days. Now there is probably SNOW as the temps down here in Redmond are in the 40s, leaves are off the trees and it is raining. . . Maybe Next Year! :)
Wish I could post pictures. Did the half in perfect temperatures. Day before, we drove to where the marathon started so we could walk the Snoqualmie Tunnel …. A 2.6 mile long abandoned rail tunnel, now part of the Iron Horse Trail.
Wish you could as well! Glad you enjoyed the heat. . . it was some of the warmest temps we had all summer! I'll have to see the tunnel sometime.
I used to own an old tunnel in Gold Hill, NV, part of the V&T Railroad. It was eventually bought from us by the company that restored the railroad. As I remember, it was only about a mile long, but it is still used by the V&T which runs yearly for tourists and for special events from Carson City to Virginia City.
I ran the other way on the Iron Horse Trail when I did my Half. Beautiful scenery, steep ravines. Maybe they've built a little more on the Trail. Rails &Trails Conservancy was just starting to work on it then. . . :)
Well an exciting thing as far as running is concerned for me happened on the 8th of this month. I had been training for a charity 10k for around 9 weeks. Well low and behold, I was first place in the race! Not that it was the point of it (charity race) but I came in at 46:47 according to one of my teammates. That’s about 7:33/mi average. I’m very happiest with it. It helped raise money for children who had catastrophic injuries and I did well. So yay all around. #crosstrainers #run4miles
Congratulations, Ryan … great accomplishment. At my age, my first place showings occur when I’m the only one in my age group!
Lol, I’ve been in some races where I was passed by some people much more senior than me. All I can say is “respect” to them. I plan on trying another full marathon next summer, Lord willing. After that I think I’ll stick to half’s and shorter. But I want to hear “Boston qualifier” when I cross the line after the full this summer. Since the one in will do is a qualifying race. I missed it by 30 minutes last time. Come out to Washington if you don’t live here and we can try together.
The only “BQ” that I would succeed at is for one of the cheerleading positions
😆😆
I am somewhat new to this blog and newsletter and I am so loving the motivation and inspiration! I am curious what people do in the “off season” I am doing a Halloween half, and I want to keep up the running but not stay in “training mode”. What are some thoughts, suggestions to maintain that?
I keep running 4x a week through the winter, I try to get a 5-6 miler in each week but once it's too cold I'm fine to just get 3miles in. It's always helpful to have the next race on your schedule. Good luck with your race!
Finally, rain here in western Washington. The weather report says we have not had any but a few drizzles since July 4th. I must admit it was getting pretty dry!
So back to normal with the Fall temps and falling leaves--92 the other day, but we'll be in the 50s from now on until Spring.
Still looking for a place to move to, so running is pretty sporadic--the Recreation dept. is repairing the trails, as well, so it is a good excuse to enjoy the changing seasons. Come November, I'll start Marathon training. . .
No problem on you changing the newsletters around. I'll look forward to them--always some interesting thoughts. What kind of evening class are you taking? I know my coach was taking an online intensive on Digital Marketing, so she had to change her schedule, too. . .
Have a wonderful run. I'll see what I can get in. Sunday looks nice and warm and sunny, so I'll be out then! Have fun!! :)
Thanks for understanding, Nilima! Thinking of you out in the Pacific NW -- how is the air out there now?
Not a problem. Your studies sound Interesting. I learned a lot about the Christian faith in my Art
History classes (my major) and then studied Hinduism. Quite a different ball game. :)
Air has been terrible up until 10AM. Smoke from the fire up at North Bend and Snoqualamie where I ran the Iron Horse Half and several Half Marathons and 10Ks out in Carnation. It is now raining pretty good. The Air Quality Alert has been lifted and it is now considered just "unhealthy" I guess I'm not too susceptible, but my daughter complained to high heaven about the smoke!
Ran yesterday in leaf fall and it was interesting. The wind was gusting and cold weather and dry summer contributed to an earlier drop. Actually had a short distance where it affected the ability to see the trail both on intensity and ground coverage. The colors made the whole thing a little surreal but beautiful.
Good blog Terrell, my question for all is once you’ve completed a milestone- what next and how to keep motivation? I did my first 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago which was great to work towards but feeling abit- what next?! I don’t want to leave it much longer before getting out again- anyone else struggle with next steps after an achievement?
Absolutely once you've done your first half marathon which was an awesome achievement, congratulations, the next step is to do it again! I almost cried when I finished my first half. I was so amazed and happy. So now it's time for your second attempt which is more about beating yourself if you have that competitive nature. You can do it!!
Thank you!
After my 1st half, I wanted to do another and another ... that was 2008. I’ll be doing my 109th on the 30th. Milestones ... each PR is worth it (I hear ... I’m not fast). What keeps me going back is the running community, not only the runners but the volunteers that work the races and he local police that keep the streets safe they’re family!
Thanks Dave!
I did my first half 9 years ago. Now I'm running ultra once in a while. Running is my hobby, my free time, my community, my therapy :)
Sian, you can always try to beat younger self in the next half marathon or try to go further (by means of distance). just one very important thing: don't forget to recover after the race. Good luck!
Thanks Dainius!
I need a goal to stay motivated and like Terrell I am doing more running for the for the pleasure of it. What I have done lately is sign up for distance challenges that go for weeks to months. It gives me the felling of competition with others but at my convenience. There are a lot of them that have impressive bling if that helps. Have fun!
Thanks Phillip!
That is a great question, Sian. Back when I was running full marathons, what really motivated me was picking a race in an amazing place -- so, after I ran the Bermuda Marathon, I signed up to run the D.C. Marine Corps Marathon, and the Alaska Midnight Marathon. Having that really cool goal in front of you is one way to do it. (I did the same with halfs, too -- after running a couple here in Atlanta, I signed up for the New York City Half, and one in Idaho, and one in Florida, etc.)
Time has also changed me -- the feeling of running is increasingly satisfying itself; the way my body feels when I'm done is starting to be more motivating for me. One thing I'd ask yourself: is there a big dream you want to go for, in terms of running? Is there something really cool/interesting out there that you've found, that you want to shoot for? And, do you have someone who could do it with you/train with you on the weekends for it?
Thanks Terrell, definitely something for me to think about - what I want to get out of running long term!
I am leaving my job of 13 years next week, so this week has been a stressful whirlwind of emotions and transition. The routine and consistency of running has really kept me grounded, and feeling like this is all going to be OK. I am still the same person. :)
Whatever you end up doing in the future, I’ll tell you what I told my friend who is a contortionist in a circus, “Good luck in your new position,”
LOL
That is an emotional thing to go through, Erin! Especially when you're leaving something you've been at for 13 years, even when it's the right thing for you (which I'm presuming it is), it's still a big change and we need time to process things like that. You're brave to do it! I'm glad to hear running is giving you a feeling of staying grounded through that change.
Happy Friday! Can’t wait to go for a run as well!
Right back at ya! 🙌
Gearing up for 10 miles tomorrow, fingers crossed! If you're open to share, what class are you taking?
That is awesome about the 10 miles!! Good luck tomorrow, Kellyn!!!
Definitely open to share -- it's a class called EFM, or education for ministry. (That's a little bit of a misnomer, since I'm not going to be a minister and the class isn't really geared toward helping you become one... 🤷♂️)
Basically, it's a four-year program in which we go through the basics of Christianity -- the 1st year, we read the Old Testament; the 2nd year, we read the New Testament; the 3rd year, we read a book by Diarmid McCullough called Christianity: The First 3,000 Years, and the 4th year is about creating your own personal theology.
You're going to think this is absolutely ridiculous, but I told the class this week that the whole reason I've wanted to take this is because I saw 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' when I was a kid and I've been fascinated by it ever since. My first wife is Jewish (I'm not), and we took a trip to Israel together while we were married, which got me even more interested in where the Abrahamic faiths come from, how they've collided over history, and why we are where we are today with all of this (*looks around at the world*)
I'm in the 3rd year of the program, which deals with the history of Christianity -- from 1st-century Judea, to the intellectual cross-currents floating through that world (from Greek philosophy to Roman religion), all the way through the first few centuries and on up to the present day. I'm in the very early chapters of the book, so we have yet to get to where Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman empire after Constantine's conversion. It's absolutely fascinating stuff, and I get to do it with a discussion group that meets for about 3 hours every Tuesday night, so my mind is a little worn out then! It's kinda like being an intellectual Indiana Jones, if that makes any sense! 😃
(This may be more that you might have wanted to hear, but I always feel the need to explain the full story when people ask 😃 )
Wow, super interesting! My mind is worn out just reading the description. Good luck with the rest of your course work.
Chiming in with a goal achieved :))) I've been running half my life and at higher volumes since the start of 2020, which always makes people ask if I'm training for a half or full marathon, ultra etc. I don't really like races! I run for the enjoyment, endorphins and to stay strong. But since 2020 I was training for something specific - not even a run. I wanted to bombproof my body for a 2022 thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. 5300 miles of mostly running, some urban hiking with loaded pack, before I ever touched the trail - twice its total length. Happy to report that the training worked and my body held up :) on September 26th I finished hiking from Mexico to Canada, continuous footpath. Now it's back to running! For now, for its own sake. Hope I can find another enormous goal to get stoked about soon :)
I tip my hat to you. ... what a significant accomplishment
That’s fantastic. Congrats!
Wow, Caitlin!!! This is AMAZING!!! I totally hear where you're coming from on races; there are actually quite a few readers here who aren't into them at all. Your hike of the PCT just blows me away. I read 'Wild' (like everyone did!) and saw the movie, but that's really the only way I can imagine what you went through. I'm seriously impressed. What was it like? What were the highs and lows?
It was like... the hardest, best, most beautiful and worthwhile thing I've ever done and the most alive I've felt in my life :)
"Wild" is tricky because it's an adaptation of a story about walking 1000 miles of a 2650 mile trail, skipping the hardest and most scenic parts - and they didn't even film the movie, except for about 30 seconds near Mojave and Crater Lake, on the trail, it's all faked locations in Oregon.
There are some amazing full-length PCT films on Youtube, like a couple hours, that showcase the scenery, and many, many video logs from thru-hikers. I think this couple's series is my favorite of all. They, like me, were committed to the continuous footpath, which means putting up with some absurd stuff when you hit fire closures. But they deal with everything with good humor. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJtQeYea5EyvIeXGYCvTBSzzImLD82QS_ I used to watch their videos in training while I would row at home in the evenings, to warm up my muscles, and then I'd go run outside and be all pumped and motivated. :) If you find yourself with some downtime, watch all the episodes!
Happy Friday! It's cold and sunny here too and glad to get my run in later this morning. I'm recovery from Sunday's marathon and excited I qualified for Boston! I hope to run it in 2024. (anyone else?) A great way to end this year that started out very scary and overwhelming with my husbands cancer diagnosis. "I've still got a reason to praise." Have an amazing weekend! :)
Congratulations on qualifying for Boston! So much to celebrate.
Thank you so much Erin!! Yes celebration time. Have a great Friday
Oh my goodness, Julie!!!! I'm so sorry to hear that about your husband -- is he okay/doing better now? I am also so pumped for you that you qualified for Boston!!! How amazing is that? What a year you've had!
Thank you Terrell. Yes, it's been a year. He's done with chemo which was a struggle and he's healing now. He's in remission. WOOHOO! We are taking one day at a time to regain his strength and endurance. Thank you for asking. Onward!