← Blog/April 23, 2026 · 2 min read
Nature Resets the Clock
2.31 miles, 423 feet of climb, and one clear reminder: I'm just starting. That's not a bad thing.
The urge to push
Every time I lace up, there's a voice. Go harder. Go faster. Make it count. This morning it was loud.
I ignored it. Mostly.
What actually happened
I ran 2.31 miles. Took 24 minutes. Gained 423 feet of elevation, which for a run that short is a real climb. Average heart rate was 120 bpm, which sounds controlled until you see the max: 181. That spike happened on one steep section where my legs reminded me I haven't been doing this consistently.
One PR. Three achievements. Suffer score of 25. None of those numbers are impressive on paper. All of them are honest.
Why I held back
I'm in early-build territory right now. My bike FTP sits at 216W, down from a peak of 295W in July 2022. My W/kg is 2.27. Fitness is not where I want it. Running is even further back.
When you're starting from a lower base, the temptation is to overcorrect. To hammer every session to make up for lost time. That's how you get hurt. Or burned out. Or both.
So I made a different call this morning. I went outside. I found a trail. I moved at a pace that let me look up occasionally.
What the trail actually gave me
Clarity. Not the Instagram version of it. Just the real thing. The kind where you stop thinking about your to-do list for 24 minutes because the hill in front of you requires actual attention.
I've been building TheBayRide for over a decade. 135 miles around the Bay is the goal every August. That distance doesn't get easier to prepare for just because you've done it before. The body doesn't have memory of effort, only current fitness. Right now, mine needs slow and steady.
The honest takeaway
Some days the workout is not the point. The point is showing up, moving, and not breaking yourself in the process.
423 feet of gain in 2.31 miles is not a walk in the park. But I ran it at a pace that means I can run again tomorrow. That's the trade I'm making right now.
More runs. More miles. More data to share as we get closer to August 29th.
Current numbers
- FTP: 216W
- Peak FTP: 295W (July 2022)
- Weight: 209.8 lbs
- W/kg: 2.27
- Today's run: 2.31 mi, 423 ft gain, 24 min, avg HR 120
Follow along at TheBayRide.com.
From the ride
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The Bay Ride is a charity bike ride around the Bay Area. 135 miles all the way around, or a 35-mile option from SF to Oakland.
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