June 20th was the summer solstice, and I kicked off the season with an invigorating morning run in the rain at the Boise Half-Marathon.
I started off running strong, with an average mile pace of 7:10 at mile 4. The race turned sideways for me after I followed a group of runners past the turnaround point and ran an extra two miles. My pace slowed way down, with an average of 7:48 at the end of the race.
I wasn’t tired, and there wasn’t a physical reason for my performance to have been impacted. The slowdown was completely mental. Since I was running an extra two miles, it wasn’t going to be a competitive race for me, so my subconscious slowed my pace. After years of running and collecting biometrics with my Garmin, I’ve noticed that mental stress, mental fatigue, and emotions impact my performance far more than my physical health metrics.
I have days when running feels effortless, and I run fast, and days when my legs or mind feel heavy, and I run slow. What remains constant is how good I feel after a run.
Thanks to the Boise Marathon organizers and volunteers for putting on the race so that the community could kick off the summer with a runner’s high.
On June 13, 2026, I ran the Dirty Dog Half-Marathon in the Boise Foothills. I fell well short of my goal of finishing in under two hours after showing up at the starting line five pounds over my target weight, taking a wrong turn, and face-planting on Bob’s Trail. I still had a great time, though—and that’s ultimately why I run.
Many thanks to the organizers and sponsors, and especially to the kind woman who cleaned and bandaged my scrapes after the race.
On May 16th, 2026, I ran the YMCA Famous Idaho Potato Half-Marathon. The course was on the Boise Greenbelt, starting and finishing at the Morrison Center.
The second annual Boise Greenbelt Relay featured a 45-mile loop along the Boise River Greenbelt, beginning and ending at Ann Morrison Park. The course first ran from Ann Morrison Park to Eagle and back, then from Ann Morrison Park to Lucky Peak State Park and back.
