🗓️ October 2025 in Review
October was a busy month of recovery and routine. My shin splints finally healed, the fall air rolled in, and life started to feel steady again... even if the weather on Halloween had other plans. From donut runs to school open houses, it was full of small, ordinary moments that somehow added up to something good.
Highlights
- Kept on running: I started the month hobbling through shin splints but ended logging more than a dozen runs. A trip to the local running store for a proper shoe fitting (ended up with Asics Gel Nimbus) made all the difference. The shin pain faded, though my knees are still adjusting.
- Open houses + book fairs: Both boys had their open houses this month, complete with Scholastic Book Fair stops and ice cream after at Byrne Dairy.
- Take Your Kid to Work Day: Both boys came this year! It was chaotic but fun. Kind of. Holden kept me on my toes, and Caleb was all business.
- Weekend at the cottage: A chilly, windy overnight getaway with my parents and the boys.
- Fall traditions continued: Two more trips to Zarpentine’s for donuts, fritters, and apple pie bites, plus another visit to Kelly’s Apple Farm.
- Community Bingo Night: A night of chaos, prizes, and tears at the local community center. (Read the One Minute Memoir.)
- Fun for Holden: He attended a birthday party at Get Air, finished up his fall season of soccer, and lost another tooth on an evening run. Funny enough, Caleb also lost a tooth on a run a couple of years ago.
- Hocus Pocus movie night: This is an annual tradition with my two besties. Pretty sure we could quote the entire movie by heart at this point!
- Clue on Stage: First show of the theater season with my aunt. This one was short, funny, and the perfect kickoff to our annual season ticket tradition.
- Almost migraine-free: After switching to my new preventative med (Qulipta) in September, I had only one migraine all month.
What I Read
- The Mirror House Girls by Faith Gardner ★★★★★
- Gallows Hill by Darcey Coates ★★☆☆☆
Books Read: 2
Yearly Progress: 48/100
What I Watched
- Halloween Baking Championship: festive and fun, as always.
- Hocus Pocus: I've only seen this about a hundred times now...
- A Wisconsin Christmas Pie: my very first Christmas movie of the year, watched on Halloween night!
🏃 What I Ran
Runs this month: 13
Total miles: 24.15 mi
Total time ran: 8:06:25
Fastest mile of the month: 17:23 (October 26)
Average pace per run: 23:51 | 21:45 | 20:56 | 19:45 | 18:18 | 19:48 | 19:05 | 18:38 | 18:07 | 18:55 | 17:25 | 19:25 | 21:22
Average monthly pace: 20:09 / mi (↓ 2:46 from September)
Notes: October was a turning point. I started the month limping through shin splints but ended it running more than I had in months years. The first week or so of the month, I wasn't able to run at all, but I showed up anyway and walked laps on the track. Even when it hurt. Even when it was hard. The new shoes from my fitting made a huge difference: the shin splints eased up, and I started to run again. I’m still slow, still walking plenty, but I’m out there. And that’s what counts. I do have some minor pain in my knees now, but it's nothing like before with my shins, and I'm working through it. Holden dropped off a bit with the running this month and only joined a couple of times, but Caleb was pretty good. He skipped a couple of runs, but he made it out there for most of them. We'll be racing at the end of November, so we'll keep on keeping on!
Extras
- Loved: Tons of writing inspiration; the return of my running groove; getting through October with just one migraine; a cozy Hocus Pocus movie night with friends, pizza, and dog snuggles.
- Sucked: The relentless rain and wind on Halloween; trick-or-treating in soggy costumes.
- On the Menu: Zarpentine’s apple pie bites and fritters; Kelly’s Apple Farm treats (apple crisp); Crumbl’s Dubai Brownie (a returning favorite), plus a Biscoff Pie and Tres Leches cake; Byrne Dairy ice cream and dinners; morning protein shakes at a new shop near Caleb's school after early morning band drop-offs.
- Made Me Laugh: Holden's open house life-size self-portrait, complete with plenty of teeth and a generously sized head; the boys finding motivation to run when fries and treats were promised after; Caleb to Holden in the car: "can you stop talking? I don't want to be talked to."
⏭️ Coming Up in November
- Turkey Trots: Two races planned: one the day before Thanksgiving (2 miles) and one on the day itself (4.4 miles).
- More training runs: Building consistency and mileage heading into winter.
- Thanksgiving plans: Family, food, and (hopefully) a quiet weekend after our races
- Holiday season kickoff: Hallmark Christmas movies galore and cozy weekends ahead. I started my Christmas shopping in October and plan to get it nearly finished in November!
What I Learned
So that’s it for me! See you next month!
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