This past month I hit two personal records for my mile time:

• June 4: 7:48
• June 14: 7:27

Sub-7:30! I’m getting much faster. What’s interesting is that the bottleneck keeps changing. A few months ago it was my legs; these days it’s my cardio. I can now hold 9 mph for 2–3 minutes, but afterward my heart and lungs work harder than my legs.

Interval training has been a big help—sprinting in short bursts makes me more comfortable hitting Zone 5 and holding longer strides. Now I need to switch gears and build a stronger base with more Zone 2 runs (easy pace, longer distances). Zone 2 work is great for improving base endurance—see Peter Attia on Zone 2 and Zone 5 Training.

I’m also trying out the “12-3-30” treadmill routine (12 % incline, 3 mph, 30 minutes)—it’s a solid low-impact cardio session. Walking uphill at that incline engages your calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes while steadily elevating your heart rate, making it an accessible way to boost aerobic fitness and leg strength.

My next goals:

• Hit a sub-25:00 5K (current record: just under 30 minutes).
• Improve aerobic endurance, not just speed—fast is fun, but I want to run longer and recover better.
• Stretch more (and maybe read while I do it).

I’m not training for a race right now, but I like having milestones to track. We’ll see how far this momentum goes.