2025 Running Review
In 2025, I ran a total of 2,358 miles, which is a decrease of 1% from 2024. I had a lot less elevation gain this year at 91,566 ft, which is down 46% over 2024. The lack of training in the nearby mountains really adds up over the course of a season with most of my miles being on relatively flat roads. I had the biggest dip in July since I was in China for 3 weeks and was trying to avoid straining my body with jet lag and travel.
| Month | Distance (miles) | Elevation (feet) | Time (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 203 | 10,696 | 40 |
| February | 182 | 8,894 | 36 |
| March | 200 | 9,429 | 40 |
| April | 195 | 9,154 | 39 |
| May | 172 | 7,923 | 37 |
| June | 168 | 5,846 | 34 |
| July | 142 | 5,638 | 31 |
| August | 242 | 9,009 | 49 |
| September | 236 | 6,073 | 46 |
| October | 220 | 6,624 | 44 |
| November | 219 | 6,703 | 45 |
| December | 178 | 5,577 | 36 |
I didn’t have any major illnesses throughout the whole year and I attribute that to the theme I approached 2025 with: running for health. This included backing off mileage if I was ever in doubt about an upcoming cold or if I just felt tired. My overall performance was thus middle ground but over the course of the year, sustainable.
Something I started incorporating towards the end of the year was doing zone 2 heart rate training. This involves keeping your heart rate below a certain threshold for the majority of your runs. The end goal is to reduce strain on your body while fortifying your running fitness. After about 2 months of doing this I noticed I had a lot less daily fatigue while doing the same amount of mileage on a weekly basis. The only trade off is that my zone 2 pace is unbearably slow and requires a larger allotment of time to complete my running.
I’m not sure what my running goals are for 2026. I really enjoyed not pushing myself to the extremes of 2024, like with the Speedgoat 50K in 2024, but it also got kind of boring. I was running on a daily basis to check a box rather than attain something specific. I guess health was obtained but that isn’t as psychologically tangible as completing a challenging course. I feel a race of some sort in my near future.