Small pile of updates that don’t really deserve their own posts, so here they are together.
🏃 Fastest mile of the year
Strava told me today’s run had my fastest mile of 2026. It says in the app “11:07 /mi” but not seeing it on the actual site, so who knows. Wasn’t trying for it, which is usually how these things go. Nice little surprise.
The morning run today was nice and cool. I’ve been making it a habit to get out there early in the morning on my run days during the week, since I don’t have to drive my son to school until late August. There’s a calmness and silent camaraderie about being out there early and seeing others commit to their own efforts. People are usually friendly out here and sometimes they’ll greet me with a “good morning” almost every time.
🎾 New racquet & techniques
The Head Speed MP (2024) arrived. Been watching a lot of forehand YouTube lately and actually tried some of the tips at last Saturday’s clinic — someone noticed, which felt good.
Very excited to actually swing the new one this Saturday. Decided to name it “Oreo” because it’s literally black and white and I don’t care for zebras. Had to find a way to distinguish it between all the Head racquets I’ve acquired over the years. Also, a little strawberry dampener is showing up tomorrow, purely for personality reasons.
I also am trying a new “abbreviated serve” motion that seems to be showing good results. I hit a few good serves and I usually am terrible at serving. Since I have a strange habit of providing too much power/aggression in my shots, this style of serve has pleasantly surprised me and I’m happy the instructor suggested it to me. Why didn’t the “tennis coaches” teach any of this in school? I don’t remember much from my paid lesson on serving, either. Oh well.
👯 Maybe a doubles group?
A potential doubles group has quietly formed over the last couple weeks. No day locked in yet, but possibly next week. We’ll see how it goes.
That’s all for now. Until next time. ✌️