Go The Distance #24: Strawberry Malaise

Pretty meh month training wise. Barely ran, didn't do as much yoga as I would like, and fell off the wagon. But after these last few months of being on the road, I decided to throw myself back into work. It's been rewarding, and with a little bit of focus and open-mindedness, I've started to rehabilitate my public image. As the saying goes, you'd be amazed what happens when you put your mind to something.

On top of that, I've started to pay less attention to the news: it can be addicting to fixate on all the bad stuff going on in the world, but lately I've come to accept that life goes on: war never changes, fleeting bits of peace, economies rise and fall, the world keeps on spinning. Even if there's a frightening amount of change going on, I can't just put my head in the sand and wait for it to all blow up. It's easy to live in a doomsday cult mindset and wait for the final straw to break, but I can still do something, anything, to move forward.

September 2nd, 2025 to October 1st, 2025

Long story short: I became a WFH deadbeat because life got too hard for an emotionally unstable yuppie. Now I'm trying to redeem myself by running a lot and talking about it. Hopefully you find this entertaining enough to subscribe, tell a friend and take on The Challenge.

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Not my finest work this month. Running has started to hurt again, meaning that I'm back to basics and struggling to grind through 3 miles. It's crazy how just taking a little bit of time from training puts me right back to ground zero. But I know that I'm running the Austin Marathon next spring, so I'm focused on making incremental progress, kaizen, each month. Even though I didn't run as much, I got back into lifting weights so my body got some decent conditioning in.

Meh yoga sessions, but here's the ultimate takeaway: I did ten days without yoga and I started to feel all of the aches and pains of my body. It honestly scared the crap out of me; like whoa if I don't stick with this, the compound damage of getting older will start to creep in. Even more simply, if you don't exercise, you get weak and achy. Can't let it happen, so it's motivated me to just get the bare minimum of yoga in each day.

Wednesday on Netflix is shockingly good; I ripped through both seasons over the course of a month and loved it. There's a little bit of that Harry Potter magic, that classic Tim Burtons touch, great actors, genuinely interesting storylines and excellent set design and worldbuilding. Of course I knew about the Addams family growing up through osmosis of culture, but I don't think I ever watched an episode of the show other than channel-surfing when I was sick from school. But a truly excellent show and I'm looking forward to the next season.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger...I always loved Digimon as a kid, honestly equal to Pokémon, but the games have almost always been trash. And I can say that with my chest: I owned Digimon World on PS2, Digimon World: Dawn on Nintendo DS, and owned pretty every Digivice from Season 1 to 4, plus the manga-only ones. This game slaps, hard. Reminds me a lot of the SMT series in the best ways. If you love Persona, this uses plenty of the same elements in combat and so it's easy to jump right in. Story has voice acting, tons and tons of detail, and I'm so stoked for the full game release. I preordered the Ultimate Edition of the game, which I haven't done in years. The hype train is rolling.

Superheaven is a band I discovered recently that I've been digging - it's got that 90s/2000s hazy rock feeling, somewhere between Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age and The Killers. Throw some Creed in there, some Red Hot Chili Peppers and you get the vibe. Just some straightforward rock that feels emo and hits the soul just right. No notes: Jar is a great album.

Don't go anywhere! Sendō: Go The Distance will be back after a short break.

“You know I need that cockiness, the self-belief, arrogance, swagger, whatever you want to call it — I need that on the golf course to bring the best out of myself.”

Rory McIlroy was born on May 4, 1989, in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and quickly rose from a golf-obsessed child to one of the sport’s defining figures of the modern era. Introduced to the game by his father at a very young age, McIlroy demonstrated prodigious talent and a relentless work ethic that set him apart. By the time he was a teenager, he was already competing on the international stage, representing Ireland in amateur competitions and catching the attention of golf fans around the world with his natural swing and fearless style of play.

Turning professional in 2007 at just 18 years old, McIlroy wasted little time in establishing himself on the global stage. His breakthrough came in 2011 when he captured the U.S. Open at Congressional with a record-setting performance, becoming the youngest major champion since Tiger Woods. In the years that followed, McIlroy added The Open Championship and two PGA Championships to his résumé, and in 2025, he achieved the elusive career Grand Slam by winning the Masters — making him the first European golfer to accomplish this rare feat. Known for his power off the tee, sharp iron play, and resilience under pressure, McIlroy has spent over 100 weeks ranked as the world’s number one golfer and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.

Off the course, McIlroy has built a reputation as a thoughtful, outspoken, and forward-looking athlete. He has invested in technology, health, and sports ventures through his company, Symphony Ventures, and has been a vocal advocate for the growth of golf worldwide. His influence extends beyond trophies and rankings; McIlroy represents the spirit of perseverance, adaptability, and ambition. From humble beginnings in Northern Ireland to the pinnacle of the sport, his journey serves as an enduring reminder that talent, when fueled by determination and self-belief, can reshape what is possible.

Back to Sendō: Go The Distance! Hope you learned something new.

Unedited manic ramblings, typically after a run.

9/02/2025

Man, I had a really awkward work call. I just ain't shit, full stop. Debts are going down but the mountain I need to climb just keeps growing while I keep shrinking. I'm not going to stop though, any time soon.

9/06/2025

Updated the Sendō logo and leaning into the new full name: Sendō Trail Running. We're going global baby!!! Haven't run yet this month but today's feeling like the day.

9/12/2025

Still haven't run this month, the last few weeks have been lazy AF from a training perspective. Just going to have to lock in during the fall. Nothing like cozy weather to encourage you to stay focused. I'll be refining my 10K training program and my dumbbell workouts program. I dropped the training app from the shop for now so I could focus on getting the Research content dialed in. Overall the website is more or less good, now it's just making sure the Research content we want people to use is actually...utilized.

9/15/2025

Got 2 runs in! Holy crap the month has passed by faster than expected. My goal for this month is 12 runs, so we'll have to kick it into high gear. The distance between runs makes it harder. I did a neighborhood run and that was agony on my calves, I think slamming into the concrete with each step is just not good for me.

Still trying to figure out what the heck my mid-month article is supposed to be, and ideally I should have it out today. I saw part of Weapons but I had to leave the movie early but I thought that was fantastic. Don't have enough to give it a review though.

9/19/2025

Did my first HIIT workout in a while since I was pressed for time in the AM. Man it kicked my butt!! I love doing yoga but I don't really sweat much while doing it; the 7 Minutes HIIT workout has me panting for breath and actually overheating. Feels good!! I get bored easily so I have to make sure I don't let this workout type fall off of my radar again - I have to ensure that if I don't have time for yoga, I have time to get 7 Minutes in, and just like yoga, it can be accomplished anywhere. The great work continues!

9/29/2025

Pretty meh workouts this month. I blame it on the boogie and the final days of summer. I'm back home again and grateful for the time I spent in my hometown. Connecting with old friends made me realize how much I've neglected. Confidence is the lowest it's ever been: I don't know what's ahead of me but I'll keep on running. And hey, Jermaine Jones finished his 34 marathon and 34 days. For someone I've never met, I'm proud of him and admire him. Let's see where my feet take me. What can I do?

See you for the next one.

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