The Monthly Milestone (February 2025)
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Greetings to My Readers
February is already over. Time really does fly.
As I mentioned in my previous milestone posts, I started my Substack in August 2023. Where possible I am still going to try to upload weekly in 2025 on Wednesdays at 17:00 JST. These posts serve as update posts to keep myself accountable with my training and to also give an update to those who are following me.
Milestones will stay up but for the rest of my articles they will generally be archived after one month. After they are archived they will be accessible to my paid subscribers. Free subscribers can read everything I post for free as it comes out.
This month…
In this Monthly Milestone I’m going to be covering the following:
Substack Stats
Monthly Training Stats
Race/Event Results
Reading List (what I’m currently reading (including audiobooks))
Final Thoughts and Hopes for March
Substack Stats
I ended January with 735 subscribers and I am ending February with 743. Nothing massive but it’s nice to see a little growth.
Monthly Training Stats
Here are my training stats for February alongside the January stats for comparison:
February run total: 313.9 km (January : 331.2 km)
February walk total: 44.0 km (January : 71.0 km)
February run/walk total: 357.9 km (January : 402.2 km)
February elevation total: 2,660 m (January : 2,039 m)
Because February is a short month I needed to focus very much on running to make sure I hit my numbers. On average I ran 10.6 km/day in January and 11.2 km/day in February. February is always a rough month.
Race/Event results
I entered 3 parkruns (5 km races) during February.
February 8th: 19:51. 5th overall (2nd in age group) (Instagram pics here)
February 15th: 21:07. 24th overall (3rd in age group)(Instagram pics here)
February 22nd: 20:09. 5th overall (1st in age group) (Instagram pics here)
I managed to get a few quick parkruns done in February but the one on the 15th was a bit slower. I’ve been focusing on trying to keep my times under 4:15/km as much as possible (sub-3h marathon pace), and I’m pretty much managing to maintain that (according to Strava). Much quicker than that is unsustainable for me but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to score that sub-20 parkrun on February 8th. (The one on the 22nd was also a sub-20 5K according to Strava but the parkrun course is a little long).
As usual I have been attending the Enoshima Dash events on Sundays. It’s finally getting warm enough to be able to run barefoot again. Running barefoot on the beach is always a highlight of my week so I’m really happy to be able to get this type of training done again.
Karate and iaidō are now also back in full swing. No special events but it’s good to be back at the dōjō.
Reading list
I finished 3 audiobooks in February:
Garro by James Swallow
Book 42 of the Horus Heresy series. I enjoyed this one. There’s a big focus on the ends justifying the means and the main character being caught in a crisis of faith. It really moved the story forward.
Shattered Legions by Dan Abnett, Chris Wraight, David Annandale, Gav Thorpe, Graham McNeill, John French, Nick Kyme and Guy Haley
This book (book 43 of the Horus Heresy series) was an anthology book that focused on the Iron Hands, Raven Guard, and Salamanders. I’m not usually a big fan of anthologies but I really enjoyed how this one showed how a fighting force was put together out of three legions that suffered heavy losses.
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
I took a break from Warhammer to listen to a short book that was recommended to me. Haruki Murakami is a bestselling author that has been running for a long time. He is not any kind of super elite runner but running is important to him and taught him a lot about life. This book is well written and talks about his honest feelings about running and how it improved his life. The part of the book where he talks about some of the barriers he passed through during an ultramarathon really resonated with me.
I had one audiobook ongoing in February:
The Crimson King by Graham McNeill
Book 44 of the Horus Heresy focusing on the Thousand Sons. I literally just started this so don’t know much about the book yet.
Final Thoughts and Hopes for March
I always feel a bit of pressure to make up running numbers in February. The short month means I need to run further than usual if I want a 300 Km month. Physically it was very achievable but mentally it was a little stressful. (I probably need to chill out more).
I didn’t have any races in February so it was a simple training month. I’ve been building up to the Shizuoka Marathon on March 9th, so the first full week of March is going to be mostly tapering and getting ready to give it my all. So far my personal best for a marathon is 3:21:58 (Yokohama Marathon 2023). My goal is to beat that time in Shizuoka. But if I can’t do that, finishing with a smile is always the most important running goal for me.
I have the Nobeyama Nobeyama Ultramarathon (100 km) in May, but before that I have a special event called the 矢倉沢往還 (Yagurazawa ōkan) in April. This one is my first 100 mile run from Hibiya Park in Tokyo to Numazu in Shizuoka.
I’m looking forward to Shizuoka but as soon as that is over I’ll need to keep training to accomplish this journey run followed by another 100 km race the following month.
Am I biting off more than I can chew? Well…
I’d rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocrity
I managed to get through February with minimal injuries. Hopefully I can get a good result in the March marathon and then keep pushing on in April and May.
LFG!
Thank you to all my readers
I hope you had a fantastic February and are ready to get after it during March.
Osu!
Anthony
That Nobeyama Ultramarathon looks intense! Hope you crush it man!