The Challenge #23: Treasures Of The Heart

Back in the saddle. Not a crazy amount of runs, not a crazy amount of distance, but I'm committed to the work and pushing forward. I've been inspired by the work of Jermaine Jones in Australia who is running 34 marathons in 34 days to raise money for mental health charities. What I've learned in watching his journey is that any one of us can connect with people across the world through our words and actions. Being kind and being driven is the best way forward.

Even though I'm firing these posts out into the void for now, I believe that they'll give way to something greater in the future. Just like Jermaine, I'll keep on keeping on. Someday I'll run just one marathon and that'll make my year. It doesn't seem so crazy after seeing what he's getting after. Maybe someday you'll read this and want to keep on running too.

August 1st, 2025 to September 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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Like everything in life, it gets better with more practice. PR'd my 10K time twice this month. Next race is a 10K, and if I can run a 10K under one hour, I'll finally be happy.

Only a couple 40 minute sessions this month but I've been keeping up with my training so proud of that. Only Ashtanga Yoga sessions, didn't work in any Vinyasa sessions. Because I've been running more the yoga has kept me limber. But I will say I've given the driving range a few tries and maybe yoga has helped me become a little too rigid. Or really I've just got to learn to loosen up again. Hammering down the comfort zones bit by bit. Yoga works wonders, that much I do know.

F1: The Movie was fantastic. It's such a by-the-books classic movie, like "guy comes out of retirement for one last mission" but that's part of the charm. It shows the Formula 1 world really well, blends tons of real life people and locations and storylines, and it's part of the reason I've been motivated to keep running and pushing towards my goals.

One Piece has been cooking. I kind of liked it as a kid and I've been keeping up with the lore, but the last two seasons have been incredible and addicting to watch. Oda is a genius and an inspiration on how to write great stories and storylines. The characters and lore just keep expanding and expanding. It's a legitimate masterpiece.

The Last in Line has been a Dio album that I've been listening to on repeat during my runs. Just some good old fashioned rock and roll to grind out the mileage to. Holy Diver is still my favorite Dio album, followed by Heaven & Hell, but this one rips too.

Chainsaw Man as a manga is completely detached from the rules of any other manga I've read and that's what makes it special. I've stopped trying to guess what'll happen chapter by chapter and just embrace the ride and hope for a happy ending for the characters.

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

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Arthur Ashe was an American tennis player, activist, and humanitarian who became the first Black man to win the U.S. Open (1968), Australian Open (1970), and Wimbledon (1975). Known for his calm demeanor and strategic style of play, he broke barriers in a sport long dominated by white athletes and became a global symbol of dignity and excellence.

Beyond the court, Ashe was deeply committed to social justice. He spoke out against apartheid in South Africa, worked to expand educational opportunities for underprivileged youth, and became an advocate for public health after contracting HIV from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS to raise awareness and fund research.

Ashe’s legacy endures not only in tennis history but also in his example of using sport as a platform for greater causes. The main stadium at the U.S. Open, Arthur Ashe Stadium, stands as a tribute to his impact.

Arthur Ashe Timeline

• 1943 – Born in Richmond, Virginia.
• 1950s – Learns tennis at segregated courts under coach Dr. Robert Walter Johnson, who also mentored Althea Gibson.
• 1963 – First Black player selected for the U.S. Davis Cup team.
• 1965 – Wins NCAA singles championship while at UCLA.
• 1968 – Wins the U.S. Open, becoming the first Black man to capture the title.
• 1970 – Wins the Australian Open.
• 1973 – Becomes the first Black player elected to the U.S. Davis Cup captaincy.
• 1975 – Defeats Jimmy Connors to win Wimbledon, the most prestigious title of his career.
• Late 1970s–1980s – Retires from professional tennis and turns focus to activism, writing, and broadcasting.
• 1983 – Undergoes quadruple-bypass heart surgery; later contracts HIV from a blood transfusion during another surgery.
• 1985 – Arrested outside the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., protesting apartheid.
• 1992 – Publicly announces he has AIDS; founds the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. Later that year, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H.W. Bush.
• 1993 – Passes away at age 49.

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

Something new I learned on the road to the 100 mile race this month. Maybe it can help you too. Got something helpful to share? Send it our way.

Running With Tennis Balls

I saw the Formula 1 movie and loved it. But I noticed that Brad Pitt was running with tennis balls during his training and because he looked so cool, I wanted to know why and if it's something that could help my running. Turns out it did, and it's something I'll add to the toolkit going forward.

Why Run With Tennis Balls?

It’s a coordination and reaction exercise used by racing drivers. Bouncing or juggling tennis balls while moving trains hand–eye coordination, reaction speed, peripheral vision, and mental focus under stress. It’s less about fitness and more about sharpening the brain–body connection.

Beginner Drill: Single-Ball Bounce Run

1. Grab one tennis ball.
2. Jog at an easy pace.
3. Bounce the ball in front of you every few steps and catch it.
4. If that feels easy, alternate hands.
5. Progression: add a second ball and try to juggle lightly while jogging.

👉 Keep the pace slow at first so you can focus on control.

I've been running with two tennis balls (wow!!) and when I start slowing down or get off rhythm, I start bouncing them for a little bit to get my speed and focus back up.

Unedited manic ramblings, typically after a run.

8/4/2025

First yoga session of the month today. Hopefully I can get a run in today as well. Not sure if I'll jump back on the training program or just run for a couple miles to wake the muscles back up. Either way it feels good to be back in the saddle.

8/7/2025

Few good days of yoga. Heat is back. Motivation is low. The goal in the distance seems hazy and incomplete. Doesn't give me an excuse not to work hard and thrive, though. The training must continue in any shape and form each day.

I saw MGK on the Today Show this morning promoting a new album and it made me feel bittersweet. Not because I care about his music, more just like, whoa, here's a musician doing hula hoops on morning TV to promote his latest album to old people and WFH folks. Not sure what the target demographic is but we have to sell, no matter the product. Good for him that he's creating an album, that he's got a team, the energy and mindset to complete it and that he's got a pipeline of people and connections to market the project. Got to respect that.

I'm just blabbing. Just anxious and angry maybe.

8/8/2025

Going to attempt a run today around lunchtime. Got a good game plan for the app as well. 30 minute yoga session which I feel good about, along with a long dog walk this AM. Practicing my pitch for this project as well, I feel like I've really nailed down what the entire vision is. Long story short, this is the manga, we've got to get big enough to get an animated series and start cranking out movies. Sell merchandise every step of the way. In this case it would be going from written content on this website to video content on YouTube/Instagram/TikTok and then eventually longer form shows on like HBO and other platforms, then movies in theaters.

8/10/2025

Following up a few days later but I did do that run! About 4.6 miles, longer than I thought. I was aiming for 3.2 miles but the watch gets a little goofy with the numbers sometimes. Stopped a lot but ran longer than I expected.

8/15/2025

Three runs so far this month! Might even attempt another today. Still short mileage but maybe I'm not ready for a training plan yet. Just going to show up every few days and get through at least 3.2 miles. I've got my hilly training spot back home so I can't rely on that, but at least I can work on my interval training and short and long runs. The thickness of these sneakers has been a little worried though - these are my race sneakers so they've got chunky soles but for general training I don't think they're smart to rely on.

8/18/2025

A little more than 4.5 miles this AM. Nice breezy morning in NY, first cool one in a while. A mix of trail and paved running in the Massapequa Preserve. I didn't run nonstop this time, but I was able to walk for a little bit, focus on my breathing, and get right back into running, and that time-to-running-again got shorter and shorter. I've been trying to be a little light of positivity on the trails, so as I pass by people I give them a thumbs up. Most people respond back with a smile or a nod or a "good morning!" so it makes me feel good to inject some good vibes into each person's day if I can. That's what life is all about, right?

The humidity yesterday was unbearable and late at night, the heavens opened up and gave us some relief. I love the rain.

8/25/2025

Got through a 10K this morning. Was gunning for a 5K, but figured I might as well push a little harder and see where I stand with a 10K time this year. End goal is to run 6.2 miles under an hour during a race, so I'm training for that goal in mind. Was today fun? Hell no!!! Did it feel good? Hell no!!! When I'm burnt out after like three miles, I'm running like I got a fully loaded diaper in my pants. I know it's all in the hips or something but my hips stop listening to me after a couple miles. But I'm proud because I'm learning to manage my energy better, and I can run for longer stretches without getting tired. The positive is also that I've been training more this month, so I know I'll be able to crush a 10K in Q3.

Jermaine Jones, the runner based out of Australia that I've been following, has started his 34 Marathons in 34 Days project. It's inspiring from a personal and a project level, so I'm rooting for his success.

8/28/2025

Another run in the books last night, just another 5K while I sit between training programs. Speedwise I'm just trying to work on getting under 30 minutes consistently. I want to get a 10K in soon, and ultimately I'm going to hold myself accountable for running a marathon either this year or in Q1 2026. Consistent training is the only way. Though I can admit that I'm at my in-laws and so that's encouraging me to stay busy versus if I'm at my family home by myself, I'm more likely to be a bit lazier. Got a couple short kettlebell workouts in as well, though nothing officially recorded.

I've finally put together the picture of what I need Sendō Running Company to become. This won't be the final name of this project. Or rather, this is the prequel to the main story. And that really excites me. It's going to involve so many more people and so many new places to grow. The title "Sendō" means "the way of the wizard/hermit/sage". It fundamentally indicates isolation and introspection. But at the end of that introspection is the understanding that I belong in this world, amongst the world, not isolated in a cave. But I can take everything I've learned from this moment and transform that into something new. Inclusive of all people and understanding that no matter who you are, you can transform and go even higher.

8/29/2025

6.44 miles yesterday. Felt good, and since I've been training consistently in the last two weeks, I've been able to run longer without running out of steam. Another cool thing too which I'm going to share more broadly on the site: the power of running with tennis balls. Not just carrying them, but by bouncing them as you run. I saw it in the Formula 1 movie first; Brad Pitt trains in the movie by constantly running and using tennis balls so that caught my eye. I looked into it and turns out it is in fact, a real thing, and something I added to my toolkit and it worked really well. The basic premise is that the bouncing is a tool to maintain your cadence and rhythm. I'd bounce the left ball a few times, then switch to the right and so on. Of course when I got tired I'd run by just holding the balls. It's a complete game changer, especially for when I get tired and slow; the rhythm of bouncing the balls helps me to move forward. It also helps me maintain a reasonable speed. Think of it like a metronome - it keeps me balanced.

It my was second fastest 10K time but only by a single minute. But I'm getting closer to sub-1 hour running program. The more I use these tennis balls, the more I can get on a good rhythm and stay focused.

See you for the next one.

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