Much to report...

The running has taken on a life of its own so there is much to report.

First, training continues to go well. I'm running from 40 to 50 miles a week with no injuries. That includes 5 to 7 mile interval runs at paces of 8:30 or less. I've done 10 miles in a hair over 90 minutes. I've also been doing intervals every week. I started with 12x400, went to 8x600, and today I did 5x800. I'm doing all of these at a sub-7 minute pace.

I did my first 20 mile long run which involved running around Lookout Mountain, up to Covenant College and back to St. Elmo. The pace was very slow because it was 2,500 feet of vertical gain on trails, and the roads atop Lookout Mountain have no space for running. But it was 20 miles, I felt good, and I set a personal best for a ten mile run the next day.

I signed up for the Speedgoat 50K in July, which is considered one of the most challenging 50K trail races in the US, featuring over 11,000 feet of vertical ascent.

Exciting news - I applied for the Tokyo Marathon lottery and was lucky enough to secure a bib on my first try, despite the low odds of success. Tokyo Marathon is my primary focus now as it is the hardest to get into, unlike other marathons that I could easily get a bib for. My sights are set on Tokyo, with everything else taking a back seat.

So my calendar is packed now. I've put the schedule, dates, and goals in the attached image.