THE GIFT OF SMALL WINS

Week of December 1-7

This week did not bring fireworks. It didn’t bring a medal or a race bib or a dramatic movie moment.
What it brought was something far more useful for marathon training.
Small wins. Lots of them.

The kind you almost miss if you are not paying attention.
The kind that quietly build the runner you are becoming.

The Week in Motion

A New 10 km PB

The standout moment was simple but huge.
I ran a 10 km personal best in this new era of training.
39 minutes and 43 seconds.

It wasn’t about chasing pace or proving anything.
It was about consistency finally showing its face and saying,
This is working. Keep going.

An Easy 15 km on Friday

Christmas party season is here which meant shifting my long run forward.
It was one of those move-the-pieces-around weeks.
I knocked out a steady 15 km at 4:56 pace and it felt smooth.
Not heroic. Not dramatic. Just solid work in the bank.

Strength and Core Are Back

This week I also settled into a rhythm with strength training.
Upper body mainly, giving the legs a break while still keeping the whole machine moving.

And now that the band challenge is wrapped up, I’ve kept the habit alive.
Five to ten minutes of core after every run.
Nothing glamorous. But it matters.

The Body Is Playing Nicely

The hip that has been complaining for weeks is finally easing up.
Stretching, mobility and that hot tub recovery have been paying off.
Not perfect, but progress. That’s the theme.

The Science of Small Wins

Small wins are not motivational fluff.
There is real psychology behind why they matter.

When you recognise small improvements, your brain releases dopamine.
This is the same neurotransmitter linked to motivation, learning and long-term habit formation.
Dopamine tells your brain,
That worked. Do it again.

It builds a loop of action, reward, repeat.
Not because the results are huge, but because the progress is visible.

This is why seeing a 10 km PB matters.
It is why feeling less pain in a hip matters.
It is why choosing electrolytes after a run matters.
It is why getting out the door for a 7 km on a busy week matters.

Small wins stack.
And when they stack long enough, they turn into breakthroughs.

Training Isn’t One Big Moment. It’s a Thousand Small Ones.

That’s what this week reminded me.
We often wait to celebrate when something massive happens
a race, a PB, a milestone, a breakthrough.

But most of marathon training is lived in the middle.
The almosts.
The not-quite-there-yets.
The doing-it-even-though-life-is-crowded days.

Those are the days that count the most.

Recognise them.
Collect them.
Stack them.
Let them quietly build the runner who will stand on the Tokyo start line in 85 days.