The end of one year and into another 🙃

As the sun sets on 2024, I have been reflecting on the lessons learned over the last year. 

It all comes down to this: it’s not about avoiding the waves, it's about learning to surf. No matter how high the high is, you’re bound to come back down to earth at some point. And conversely, no matter how low the low is, you’ll be heading up in the right direction again soon. 

I’ve gone through this enough ups and downs to start to trust it, and thanks to the many reps we get in running, I’ve used this lesson to have the confidence to believe it in other areas of life too.

Since this is a newsletter attached to a running podcast, we’ll stick to that lens. I started out 2024 on a strong streak, and then by mid-January was sidelined for basically three months with an Achilles injury, running roughly 30 miles a month. Fast forward to now, and my training has progressed where I’ll be running more than 30 miles in a weekend for the next few weeks. The period in between took about 11 months, and in that time I finally learned to ease off the gas pedal and stop forcing the runs.

As I got healthy again and when life calmed down a bit, my coach (David Roche) suggested that I pick a big goal, and the more scary the better. I signed up for the Black Canyon 50k following a wonderful run and chat with Kara Goucher all about goals. I also signed up for Broken Arrow 26k, and later in the summer, the Grand Traverse. 40 high alpine miles from Crested Butte to Aspen, starting and finishing at 9000’, and spending much of the day above 10,000’. I like big goals and I cannot lie, and almost exactly when I committed to Black Canyon, things shifted both mentally and physically. I found a desire to train again, and the fire grew from there.

As I recently shared, momentum is “the energy and force that propels you towards your goals, even when faced with obstacles. It’s the sense of forward movement and accomplishment that builds over time as you work towards your goals.”

Momentum is often created by taking action before motivation exists. Knowing that motivation follows action is critical in creating momentum. 

So… how are you going to roll into 2025 with momentum? Let me know! 

— Jon Levitt, Host and Creator of For The Long Run 

So you think you know Leadville? 🤗

We are so excited to be partnered with the Lake County Tourism Board to bring you more content and stoke about the county that Leadville sits in here in Colorado. Most people know about Leadville for the summer months and oh, yeah, the ENORMOUS 100-mile race there.

But Leadville is great all year round. We captured some key eats, adventure areas, and views in this first installment from our partnership with such an amazing team in Lake County, CO. Check it out 👇

To keep you running for the long run 👇

Thanks to our major sponsors this month, Emich, Fuel Goods, PUMA, Hyperice, Go Brewing, and Tifosi. By supporting our sponsors, you are supporting the show and the whole team behind it. Y'all are the best!

Listen to this 👇

This month, Raz Rauf joins us to talk about how to run for JOY and not ego. Raz says that running sucks, but we should do it anyway.

Raz interviews interesting people from the running world, and writes about their impact on running culture and the people around them in his weekly newsletter, Running Sucks.

What part of running do you find the most joy in?

New to the For The Long Run Podcast? Start here. 👇

Welcome to our community! We are so excited to have you here. To get you started, check out our playlist just for you: the top 12 For The Long Run episodes. And let us know what you think. 🤗

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About Jon Levitt and For The Long Run

Jonathan is a runner, cyclist, and podcast host from Boston, MA, who now lives in Boulder, CO. For The Long Run is aimed at exploring the why behind what keeps runners running long, strong, and motivated.

Follow Jon on Instagram and Twitter.