Posted: February 17, 2026
Last week almost didn’t get written.
And honestly… it almost didn’t get run either.
The day after I broke in the new shoes — the ones I was excited about, optimistic about — I had a scheduled run. It was supposed to feel smooth. Progressive. Confident.
It didn’t.
It was one of those runs where everything feels off. Legs heavy. Breathing tight. Rhythm gone. Instead of building momentum, I felt like I had lost it.
Over the last two weeks, if I’m being real, I haven’t run much at all.
Saturday was supposed to be seven miles.
Seven.
It didn’t happen.
For a moment, I caught myself getting frustrated — not because of fitness, but because I realized I had gotten ahead of myself. I was thinking about pace. About time goals. About what March should look like.
Instead of just running the mile I was in.
So I changed gears.
Instead of seven miles, I ran 4.66.
Not glamorous.
Not impressive.
But it counted.
And more importantly — it reset me.
Recalibrating the Goal
I’m still running the Rock CF Half Marathon in March.
That hasn’t changed.
What has changed is this:
This race is about finishing — not chasing a time.
There’s something freeing about saying that out loud.
Fitness isn’t linear. Life isn’t linear. And sometimes growth isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about adjusting intelligently.
This week I’ve got a couple midweek runs scheduled and a longer run coming up. Nothing heroic. Just steady work.
Brick by brick.
The Lesson
Momentum isn’t lost because of one bad run.
It’s lost when you quit showing up.
4.66 miles isn’t seven.
But it’s infinitely better than zero.
March is still coming.
The start line will still be there.
And I’ll be there too.
Not chasing perfection.
Just moving forward.
Brick by brick.
— Dr. Ernest Sorenson, DPM, DABPM
Sorenson Foot & Ankle
“Step Into Elevated Care.”