My training log for the week of October 5th, 2026, was during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta week. Every day started before sunrise, since the Mass Ascension starts at 7:00 am. After last week’s leg injury kept me mostly walking, I was back to four runs, and the week added up to 31.76 miles in 15 sessions.
The Runs
- Monday: 3.32-mile out-and-back. Our blue skies were back.
- Tuesday: 2.54-mile dirt out-and-back. Tired, but I was out there.
- Wednesday: 2.00-mile perimeter loop at the UNM North Golf Course, my first time there in 16 years.
- Thursday: 2.00-mile park loops.
That’s 9.86 miles of running and 21.90 miles of walking over 11 walks, for 12 hours and 12 minutes of training and 3,685 calories burned in all. Friday morning’s walk shows the Special Shapes Mass Ascension.
Data: Polar Flow training history, week 41.
What I Learned
Tuesday’s run was the one that mattered most. It wasn’t fast, and I was tired, but a short, easy run kept me moving forward after a week of mostly walking. When coming back from a setback, the goal isn’t a big week. It’s just getting back out there.
Wednesday’s run at the golf course also reminded me to start hydrated, even on a sunny fall day in the mid-70s. More on that on the Coach Blog: “Hydrate Before You Need To: A Lesson From Albuquerque’s ‘Central Park'”.
Follow my runs and walks on Strava.
