5am wake-up. On the road by 6 with John.
John owns a running store here — really popular, the kind of place people go for shoes and end up staying to talk about races. We've both been dealing with injuries the last few months, so this was our first run back together in a while. Easy miles, no agenda, just catching up.
We talked about his business, what he's been working on. I talked about what I've been working on. What we both want to get to. It's prob the same conversation we've had a dozen times, just with different numbers and different problems — but that's kind of the point. Running does that. You're moving, you're not looking at each other, and things come out easier than they would sitting across a table.
I do this with Brian too. There's something about being in motion that makes the conversation feel lighter.
At 33 I'm not really a guy who goes out drinking on weekends anymore. So I've been thinking about how running fills that social slot. When my buddies are out, this is my version of it. And it works cause it's one of the few things I can actually fit in — 5am or 6am before the day starts. After that it's family and work, and that's where my time goes. Running's not my whole life. It fits inside it.
We finished around 7:15. Hot already. Straight into the cold plunge.
That's the run. Good morning, good conversation. Reminded me of something I keep coming back to lately — running is something I do. It's not who I am. The goal is to stay consistent, stay focused, and not let it start taking from the things that actually matter.
Easy day. Did the work. Done.