I’ve always considered myself a consistent runner because I generally work out the same amount of days per week (5-6), run the same amount of mileage (between 35-40 miles) and run all year round. Consistent, right?

No.

Ha.

So I am reading Meb’s new bookย 26 Marathons and in one chapter he talks about how consistent his marathon finishing times are for a few races. Like, within a ten second range. It’s hella consistent. It’s hella impressive.

Then he says:

If you race frequently, at any level, you should be able to be just as consistent. If you put in the work and stay healthy, you’re the same person from one race to the next. Sure, there will be variations because of weather or tough courses or an off day. But overall, in running and life, most of your performances should be in the thick part of the bell curve.

Oh Meb, you shame me. And point out what is not true about my “consistency.” I am NOT the same person, weight-wise, from race to race, so my race (and training!) paces are all over the damn place depending on year and month.

Reading this didn’t make me feel bad. But it did encourage me to keep working on my poor eating habits to get closer to being someone whose weight doesn’t fluctuate so damn much!!! Thanks, Meb!

(Also, I think us mortal marathoners would be super annoyed if all our marathon completion times were in a ten second range! We don’t typically want that kind of range in the marathon – we want improvement (faster times). Or at least I do, with that distance. And hey! Come to think of it, when I met Meb, and Gina told him about my 25 minute PR at the Dallas marathon, he thought that was pretty cool and even wrote a P.S. congrats for it on my bib!)

(He later (in the book) talks about consistency the way I was thinking about it – saying how consistency, not isolated killer workouts, are the key to peak performance, and that you should gradually get stronger and progress your fitness, not cram it in.)


The kittens turn 11 months old today! They are celebrating by running around the house acting nutso.


(All weekend, I was saying they are turning 10 months old today. Then I remembered it’s April, not March. Oops.)