October 2026 – Running on Fumes

I learned a few things this month. Except I have trouble remembering them.

October felt like it was 301 days long. From work events to appraisals to Halloween to a cancelled TDY to a last-minute one instead, the month took more than its fair share from my sanity. However, the final two weeks I felt as if I had gotten slightly ahead of it!

Insert running and caloric stability. It seems minimal, but when I’m not “on the wagon”, I feel awful. No motivation, no willingness to get better…just status quo. There’s a time and place for status quo, but not a month’s worth! Interestingly, October was the 1-year mark for consistent, near-daily strength training. It seems so easy to look back on a year ago, mid-furlough, when the wheels started falling off of my team. Somehow we kept it together amidst a lot of tears and fears.

October included copious amounts of spam calls, election propaganda, and weather upheaval. I think we’re back on track though! I blocked, voted, and drug out my first coat of the season. Texas is such an adventure.

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I ask you –

Any recent calamities you’re willing to share?

(The post Monthly Recap – October edition first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)

Not a humble brag, but I must share how funny it is to me when people act shocked I do strength training. My claim to fame – does infamous count – is running, not lifting.

For many years, I would run during the warm weather, then lift during the cool months. It was a cyclical balance and how I was trained. It worked so why not.

During last October’s 43-day furlough, who’s counting, I devoted more time to strength training, specifically employing a two-a-day method: a run/walk and a lift. For mental health, it was awesome! For physical health, holy crap! I got stronger, leaner, and the scale began to budge in incremental decreases.

When I added creatine this past Spring, I felt as if I unlocked the code for my body. Sure, there are days when I don’t have a lot of motivation. Creatine can’t fix that! But I regularly complete two-a-days, and I’ve now completed 8 strength training routines of 5-6 weeks each. I genuinely enjoy lifting, even if running is my true love.

So what else happened in September? I don’t know, I slept some? I completed a leadership cohort course, I was well on my way to death by heat, and I was selected for a fitness course slated to begin the end of October – the AF equivalent of a Navy CFL, which I was in my prior life. Definitely more to come on that subject.

I might have completed one puzzle in September, but I’ve picked it back up again. My closet collapsed – an entirely other ordeal of epic crap. I’m on a self-imposed shopping sabbatical. And I recall eating a lot of cake.

September was busy, but not as busy as the next few months, I’m sure. More to come!

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I ask you –

Tell me a few things about your September.

(The post Monthly Recap – September Edition first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)