I had decided to film all my runs for a week, and exactly one mile into my first run, Jay wanted to get out of the jogging stroller and play in the snow. So we did.

I didn’t really have a strong overall vision for the video, but 10 minutes into it, it seemed like an appropriate vibe: not so much “Run Your Fastest Race Ever With This Workout Plan”—more “OK But We Don’t Take Ourselves THAT Seriously Around Here.” I ran the final four blocks to Jay’s preschool, dropped him off, and continued my run, clocking a 22:18 second mile. Which felt authentic.

I am aware that being a 1) middle-aged guy 2) raising a preschooler while 3) trying to make a livable income off of writing and art is not probably an ideal path to being a “successful” ultramarathon runner. But I love to run on trails and am grateful that I get to do it most weeks, and I thought I’d attempt to share what that feels like. So there’s no music in this short video, just the sounds of my footsteps on varying surfaces, and they’re all real running routes I do on a regular basis, squeezed in around my family and work life. It’s not flashy, just a kind of tour of the places I run.

The week I filmed was February 23 through March 1, which was more wintry than most of our winter here in Missoula. I’m thinking I might to make one of these videos every season this year—I hope you enjoy this one: A Week of Training: Winter. It ended up being way more fun to make than I anticipated.

—

This 35-minute recovery run was my first outdoor run after two weeks of treadmill training. Mentally, it didn’t go as well as I hoped. I’m frustrated with my current results, but I know I need to stay patient and consistent without overextending myself. Moving on to the next week, my goal is to continue balancing strength training at the gym with one or two recovery runs outside.