Running Recap for 2025

This morning, I finished my last run of 2025—a moderate 7-mile out-and-back to Apple Park in Cupertino. For the year, I logged 1,502 miles across 221 runs, totaling 204 hours and 47 minutes. I completed 44 long runs of 12 miles or more, most of them done super early on Saturday mornings. Over the past several years, I’ve steadily increased the frequency of those long runs. Here’s my long run count over the past 13 years:

2025: 44
2024: 40
2023: 32
2022: 24
2021: 4
2020: 9
2019: 0
2018: 5
2017: 0
2016: 1
2015: 7
2014: 12
2013: 12

What surprised me most was how few long runs I did between 2015 and 2019—a period when I felt like I was in peak fitness. Back then, I was doing a lot of pull-ups, until I strained my shoulder practicing muscle-ups. COVID-19 put a damper on my fitness level, and I started my long run routine in the attempt to lose the weight I gained in the first few years of the pandemic. It clearly didn’t work, so in 2026, I want to rededicate myself to the art of the pull-up while maintaining my usual running volume of roughly 30–40 miles per week. Let’s hope I can get back to championship form this year!

I’ve fully transitioned to Saucony Kinvaras as my daily trainers, thanks to my friend Felix, who uses them as his primary shoe. They’re comfortable, well-cushioned, and usually last me about 500–600 miles. I still keep a pair of Saucony Endorphin Speed II shoes around for faster runs, though they already have 210 miles on them—and I’ve found that fast shoes tend to wear out quicker. My current Kinvara 15s have just 94 miles so far, which means I’ll likely replace them around May. That should carry me through conference season, including my Reacher-style travels to Chicago, Arizona, and Las Vegas in April.

When I retire my Kinvaras from running, they become my walking shoes. The photo atop this blog post was taken at Castle Rock State Park. I used to rock climb in my youth, but I never went to Castle Rock to boulder. At my age now, I’m not about to restart either! We hiked to Goat Rock and saw the famous bouldering rocks. It was a nice way to end 2025. We’re planning to visit the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon in 2026.