With October comes the final quarter of 2026–I know, I know, I can’t quite believe it either, but here we are. It’s not too late to get out there and get after it, so that’s what I intend to do. I’m currently sitting at somewhere between 2,400 and 2,500 miles on the year, and plan to notch another 250ish this month. I’ve landed somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 for the last handful of years, which is great, but I’m looking to break 3,000 again for the first time since 2023. Of course, I won’t hit 3,000 in October, but November? Maybe.
As for races, I have got nothing on the calendar until Stone Mill next month. This is good because it’ll give me the chance to string together some good training weeks going into Stone Mill and then Devil Dog in December. I’m planning to do something “big” this month, but I haven’t landed on exactly what that will be…yet. I’m toying with the idea of running from Front Royal to Hapers Ferry on the AT, which I’ve done (kind of) before, though it’s been almost 5 years. The only problem would be carrying enough water to last 50ish miles (or stashing some beforehand), but as long as I pick a cooler night (yes, night), then I see no reason why it wouldn’t be doable. 5-6 liters is a lot to carry, but I’ve done it before. The other consideration is that this route has about 12,000 feet of vert, which, yeah, that’s a lot.
Anyway, I might do something else. I haven’t decided on anything concrete yet.
In other news, I’m going down south for 14ish days this month, so that means, you guessed it, flat running. Well, more flat running. It’s part of my considerations when planning out the next 10-12 days of routes. I want to squeeze as much vert in as I can before I head down. I will attempt to knock out at least two 20-mile runs while I’m out of town, like I did earlier this year on a similar trip, but hopefully this time without scewing my knee up more than it already is from the last time. Sigh.
As for this blog–are we at that point already?–I’m planning to publish at least one post per week. Maybe two per week while I’m out and about. Time will tell.
Oh, and how could I forget?
Eastern States and MMT sign-ups are this month.
Lucky me.
Until next time.