The Untethered Season
“ The best runs are the ones where you forget about everything else and just feel the rhythm of your body moving.”
— Kilian Jornet
In every athlete’s year, there should be a season where data takes a backseat, a time to move untethered, to just run wild
There’s so much noise in training and performance lately. Coming off a big block, I’ve realized how exhausting it can be to live in the numbers, metrics, data, opinions. This is the tyranny of the quantifiable; when data becomes the destination instead of the tool. I’m guilty of it too, sharing insights while the effort is still fresh. But I’m learning to keep it tempered, because it’s easy to get caught up chasing progress and forget the simple joy that pulled me into this in the first place.
With fall settling in here in the Northeast, I’ve been slowing down and entering an untethered phase … running just to move, to breathe in the crisp air, to watch the leaves turn. No watch goals. No agenda. Just gratitude for the ability to move and feel strong in my own body.
This pause isn’t idle; it’s intentional. It’s a way to listen to the body without the noise of pace or performance. It’s the space where awareness grows and burnout fades. I still have a few events on the calendar, but they’re about community … supporting local RDs, sharing miles, and having fun. No goals. No stress.
I still have an eye on next season and the foundation built from the last, but I’m realizing that while it’s hard to turn off that grind mentality, stepping back is a strategy. It doesn’t mean stopping the work, it changes why and when I do it. Deliberate rest provides the mental and physical renewal that makes the next build possible.
In the end, this is what helps you come back stronger, clearer, hungrier, and ready for the next climb.
