The Countdown to Jersey City Begins

I’ve just wrapped up the first week of my 18/70 build towards Jersey City 2026, and I’m feeling good!

That’s a relief. Having never followed a Pfitz plan before, I could see that it makes sense on paper but was worried it would be too difficult for me in practice. Getting a solid first week under my belt—with strong and important efforts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday—is a needed confidence boost.

The challenge will be continuing to hit those quality days as my mileage piles up. Sleep and proper pacing will be key here. This week I did a good job of prioritizing sleep before and after big workouts and staying controlled the rest of the week. I’ll need more of that over the coming months, but for now it’s just good to have started on the right foot.

Momentum is an important part of any marathon build. Physically, this looks like stacking quality days and weeks without burning out or getting injured. Psychologically, it means showing up every day confident you can execute what’s on the calendar. Nailing workouts is definitionally good for the body, but the mental impact is perhaps even more important. It’s tough to get out of bed for a hard session if you’re feeling anxious or low, no matter how fit you are.

Looking ahead, I’m grateful that the holiday schedule is favorable for running: I have quality days scheduled for tomorrow and the morning of Christmas Eve, with a recovery run on Christmas morning. I can show up to Christmas Eve dinner knowing the hard work for the week is behind me, and enjoy my time with my family.

Sunday (December 14): No run. Slept in after being up late for our annual Christmas party, shoveled us out from about 3 inches of snow, and went out to breakfast with my wife before our son came home from Grandma’s. This weekend was a much-needed time to rest and reset before starting my marathon buildup.

Monday: No run, as scheduled. Signed up for a gym membership so I’d have access to a treadmill for my tempo on Tuesday.

Tuesday: 8 miles with 4 miles at tempo pace (6:05 average). I wanted to push the pace a little more, but my legs didn’t have it so I stayed put. Still a good first workout of the block. Proud of myself for finding a gym and making this work in spite of the snow and my son’s daycare schedule. I also did core exercises at lunch.

Wednesday: 11 at MLR effort, topping out at about 7:20 pace. Felt good.

Thursday: 4 easy. I was surprised by how lopsided the hard and easy days are in this plan, but after Tuesday and Wednesday this was welcome.

Friday: 8 miles. Bounced back well after a nice recovery day.

Saturday: 4 easy. Despite feeling good on Friday, I felt like I needed this before my first long run of the block.

Sunday (December 21): 15 at MLR effort, building up to 6 miles hovering just over and under 7′ pace. The first few miles of this felt pretty bad! But I stuck with it and it turned out OK. Felt pretty good the rest of the day. Success!

This Week: (December 15-21): 50 miles. This went completely according to plan, except that I missed my strength session on Wednesday due to some schedule surprises. This is a great place to start from.

Baby: Having just learned to pull himself up, my son is now obsessed with his new skill and getting better at it all the time. It is a lot of work keeping an eye on him around the house now that he can climb stairs and, with a lot of focus, open cabinets. On Sunday, we took him to see some friends and he got to play with lots of other kids. He has been in a good mood this week and dinners as a family have been especially fun. He loves playing jokes and making my wife and I laugh. We love being his audience!