The Space Between
Every training cycle has a moment that doesn’t get enough attention. You’ve signed up for the race, printed your plan, and the first weeks go smoothly. Then one day, you wake up and realize the start line is still months away. The motivation from week one is gone, and suddenly that long run feels like something you could easily skip.
That’s the middle. And it’s where everything is decided.
I’m 14 weeks away from the Superior 100. It’s close enough to seem real, but still far enough that my mind keeps drifting to other things. September feels like it’s ages away. The long runs and the fatigue are real, but so is the temptation to take it easy or cut a run short.
So, like I always do when the middle drags on, I add something to break it up.
On June 6th, I’ll be at Normandale Lake Park in Bloomington for the FANS 24-Hour Ultra. It’s a simple setup: just under two miles around the lake, an aid station every lap, and 24 hours to see how far you can go. I’m aiming for 80 miles, but more than that, I want to experience being on my feet all night and into the next morning. I haven’t done that since Zumbro in 2016. Ten years is a long time, and I know I’ve changed since then. I need to see what that’s like now, before I face 100 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail in September.
FANS isn’t a typical tune-up. There’s no trail or climbing. It’s just pavement loops, a tent city, and a lap counter who knows your name by the twelfth hour. What it gives me is time—time on my feet, time to manage nutrition through the night, and time to see where my mind goes when the sun rises and there’s still more to run. That’s the information I’m looking for.
But herBut here’s what I want to tell you if you’re in your own middle right now. You’re not training for a 100. Maybe you’re training for the Trout Brook 10-Miler or In Yan Teopa, and right now those races feel far enough away that skipping a midweek run feels like a reasonable decision. I understand that. The beginning of a training block has energy built in. The end has urgency. The middle has neither, and it asks the most of you.
The runners who reach the start line feeling prepared didn’t find a secret shortcut through the middle. They just kept showing up, even during the weeks when nothing felt exciting. They did the long runs when it was cold, when they were tired, and when the race seemed far away. They made the middle count, even when it didn’t feel important.
You don’t have to force excitement if you don’t feel it. But you do have to keep moving. Some weeks, that’s all you need. Show up, do the work, and trust that the miles are adding up, even if you can’t see it yet.
If you need to add something in the middle to help you stay on track, go for it. Maybe it’s a shorter race, a group run, or a goal that sits between now and your main finish line. Anything that gives you a reason to take the long run seriously when race day still feels far away can help.
The middle isn’t glamorous. It’s early mornings, tired legs, and weeks that don’t make for great stories. But it’s also where the real work happens. Every mile you put in now is one you’ll be grateful for when it matters most.
Stay in it.