My daughter, who is a runner, has signed up for a half marathon in April. She threw down the gauntlet by asking me if I wanted to sign up too. This challenge sparked my interest, so this year I decided to get an early jump on any notion knocking around in my brain that I might want to start running again. Now I’m going to run, and the challenge will be making it to the starting line.

I’ve participated in a 5K race in the past and trained for a 10K that I never completed. However, this is a new challenge for me. I enjoy running, but I have no idea how to train for longer races. To help with that, there are some plans available in the Nike Run Club app. I appreciate the guided runs led by Coach Bennett, and since I haven’t run since the summer of 2024, I need a jump-start with the four-week “Get Back Into Running” plan.

Full disclosure: while I’m writing about this now, I started running again on November 11th. That means I finished the four-week plan today and will be moving on to the 14-week half-marathon plan starting Monday. I should have started this type of post when I began running, but I wanted to make sure this was something I could commit to.

If I’m being honest, I do have some worries about being ready in time for April. I’m feeling great right now; my concern is more about the current weather as we head into winter and finding time during the week to fit in a run. I don’t want to put myself in a position where I can’t complete the race. The competitive side of me wants to finish and achieve a result that proves I put in the work.

I suppose it’s normal to let some doubt creep in when you’re navigating uncharted waters. I’m going to stay positive and continue putting in the work one day at a time. Let’s go cross that finish line!

Another Thanksgiving has passed. The wind is whipping around today, cold, and dancing with the snow to create a dusting of white powder on the grass. This kind of weather means we are firmly moving towards December, and the Holiday Season.

This year, I’ve decided to get an early jump on any type of 2026 New Year’s Resolution. I really need to work on a better work/life balance. My job can become consuming. I’m clearly more than just my career, and I think it’s important to keep myself accountable to stepping out of the office on more frequent occasions. My hope is that writing can become a creative outlet. A way to keep me focused on something more than just the daily routine.

I don’t know what platform my thoughts will eventually call home, but I’m actively testing out a couple of options. For now, Scribbles and Pika seem to offer the easiest outlets to getting my thoughts on paper without having to worry about hosting, learning a coding language, or fretting about look and feel. They offer a great writing experience, and I appreciate that. Writing is hard enough. I don’t need to get stuck in the details. However, I’m also looking at Micro.blog as an alternative with more options and the ability to cross-post to the Fediverse. Wait, did I mention getting stuck in the details?

For me, details have always been a pitfall, a road block if you will, that leads to so many of my ideas failing to launch. So let’s see what this leads too. I’m going to challenge myself to do a check-up in 3 months. Hopefully, this first post won’t be the only post!