Day 4,268—.1 miles until I hit 3,000 miles for the year!—

 

       I am sore, feel out of shape, and my VO2 max has gone to 55, yet this has been my unarguably most successful overall year for running. I completed four 100-mile races, one 24-hour race, and one 200-mile race, which is almost double my total number of 100-mile races since completing my first in 2021. Since then, I have done at least one 100-mile race each year, but never as many as six in one year. In terms of yearly mileage, the most I've ever run was 3,750 miles in a single year. Last year, my total was 2,678 miles, and this year I have already surpassed that, approaching the 3,000-mile mark.

        I didn’t think I would run 10 miles today, but the nice weather outside made it enjoyable, and I didn’t think much about the distance; I just focused on the route. I went over to the track and noticed some guys practicing soccer. I wondered what season they could be training for; they seemed to be taking it seriously. I think my leg has been feeling marginally better. I was trying to take that into account when I thought of running goals for next year. Currently, I aim to participate in at least 5 100-mile races: one in January, one over spring break, two over the summer, and one in the fall. Additionally, I plan to run the Go St. Louis Marathon and the Berryman 50-mile race.