Last week I noticed I was nearly on track to match last year's total running distance if I simply did my scheduled mileage for the week with one modification: I'd have to move this Thursday's run a day early. This would not normally be an an issue since this week coincides with my shortest (during which I don't run on Wednesdays), but, with rain in the forecast for most of today (and not a fan of getting wet when I run), I made the call to combine the two mid-week short runs into a 9 miler yesterday...adding a half mile just so I could top 2024's total. Even then, I had to wait for yesterday's rain to end (roughly 2pm) before stepping out the door one last time in 2025 (and I'm not a fan of doing afternoon runs). On the plus side, I caught glimpses of a rainbow as I started running, but the color faded by the time I reached an unobstructed view.
So, according to Garmin, I finished 2025 with 1,357.71 total running miles. Strava displays my total as 1,357.50...exactly one half mile further than 2024...so I definitely topped it. That said, this is not exactly a big accomplishment as I did not really improve my overall average pace, but I did manage to break 50 minutes for the first time at this year's The Hills Are Alive 10K. Chip-timing definitely provides more motivation to work on pace, so I really should register for more races. Uncertainty about my annual travel plans is making it harder to register for marathons though.
