An All-Day Run About Excuses, Endurance, and Finishing Fresh
Dec 29, 2025
Why Excuses Are Often Harder Than the Run Itself
It may actually be harder than running.
Not the miles.
Not the elevation.
Not even the time on feet.
Overcoming Excuses.
Excuses have a way of disguising themselves as truth. They sound reasonable. Logical. Responsible.
“My back is locked up.”
“My sleep hasn’t been great.”
“The weather isn’t ideal.”
“I already ran 30 miles recently.”
And sometimes, those things are true.
But truth and excuses are not always the same thing.
This run—from sunrise to sunset on the shortest day of the year—wasn’t about how far I could go. It was about doing the thing after my mind had already decided it didn’t want to.
Committing Before Motivation Shows Up
I had this all-day run planned for weeks.
Yet the day before, motivation was gone.
That’s usually how it works. Motivation doesn’t vanish before commitment—it disappears after you’ve already decided to do the hard thing. The subconscious mind starts looking for exits.
Play it safe.
Take the easy road.
Avoid pain.
Avoid risk.
Avoid life.
I almost listened.
Then I watched a video that reminded me something important: some people have real excuses—and still do the thing anyway.
So instead of waiting to feel ready, I committed.
This video—and this run—is me doing it anyway.
The Challenge: Run All Day on the Shortest Day of the Year
The idea was simple:
Run from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunrise to sunset.
The entire shortest day of the year.
Not racing.
Not chasing ego miles.
Just moving forward all day.
A Quick Backstory: Why This Matters to Me
If we haven’t met, I’m Kramer.
I played basketball in high school and college—until injuries ended that chapter. Two ACL tears. Two meniscus tears. A broken back.
Running wasn’t part of the plan.
But about four years ago, I found it.
At that point:
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I couldn’t run five miles
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My fastest mile was 13 minutes
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I was over 60 pounds heavier
Since then:
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I’ve lost the weight
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Grown into trail running and ultras
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Found joy in seeing what my body can do
As long as running brings me happiness, I want to keep exploring my potential.
This run was part of that exploration.
The First Goal: Getting Into the Right Headspace
Stop one came at 10 miles.
I met up with my brother to run together for a bit. But more than anything, the goal early wasn’t mileage—it was mental alignment.
When life is busy, stressful, overwhelming, running can feel like another task instead of a release. It takes time to shift into the right mindset.
And sometimes, what we call “excuses” are really just resistance to discomfort—or fear of what lies ahead.
Or fear of 10 hours of running.
Why Going Slow Can Be Mentally Refreshing
Four miles in, everything changed.
This run wasn’t about pace. I’d been doing a lot of speed work lately, and honestly, I needed this.
Going slow:
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Clears mental space
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Allows thoughts to settle
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Creates room to process life
About 20% of the time, I’m deeply unmotivated to start a run. But once I’m out there, I never regret it.
That pattern matters.
The Targets for the Day
I set four clear goals:
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10 hours on feet
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40+ miles
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Even pacing (no massive positive split)
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Finish fresh
That last one matters more than most people realize.
Breaking the Day Into Smaller “Runs”
One of the keys to making this manageable was breaking the day into segments.
Meeting friends.
Switching parks.
Changing scenery.
Running 8–12 miles between destinations made it feel like separate runs across different days—even though it was one continuous effort.
Mentally, that makes a massive difference.
Fueling, Friends, and the Power of Small Stops
Eventually, hunger showed up.
Meeting Kat for fresh fruit and water was a turning point.
Not candy.
Not junk.
Real food.
Those short moments:
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Refilled energy
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Reset mindset
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Extended the day
There’s a common trap in endurance training: believing you can’t stop.
In reality, 15 minutes of recovery can buy you hours of quality movement afterward.
Especially on training runs.
Excuses vs Truth: A Crucial Distinction
Here’s where things get nuanced.
The subconscious mind doesn’t understand long-term benefit. It only understands immediate discomfort. It tries to protect you—even when discomfort is necessary for growth.
That’s where excuses are born.
But here’s the key realization:
Not every reason to stop is an excuse. Some are truth.
If continuing would cause real injury, that’s not an excuse—it’s wisdom.
The real skill is learning to tell the difference.
Excuses are rooted in fear and feeling.
Truth is grounded in reality and consequence.
Distinguishing between the two is a superpower.
Halfway Through: Movement Over Rules
I don’t pause my watch often. I feel guilty doing it.
But today, flexibility mattered more than data purity.
Bathroom breaks.
Short drives.
Aid from family.
Rigid rules often limit total progress. Adaptability extends it.
Palmer Park: Familiar Trails, New Perspective
Heading into Palmer Park felt like coming home.
Familiar terrain.
Known climbs.
Quiet trails.
At around 28 miles, steep grades felt very different.
This is where one of the most important endurance concepts showed up again:
Finishing Fresh: The Secret to Ultra Progression
“Finish fresh” changed everything for me.
Once I learned to finish marathons feeling good, I gained confidence moving into:
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30 miles
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50 miles
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100K efforts
Finishing dead teaches suffering.
Finishing fresh teaches sustainability.
That’s how long-term progress happens.
This run wasn’t about pushing limits. It was about preparing future limits to feel easier.
Safety, Awareness, and City Running Realities
Running through city areas comes with awareness challenges.
Some moments felt sketchy.
Some situations demanded focus.
That awareness doesn’t create fear—but it sharpens presence.
Stay moving.
Stay alert.
Trust instincts.
Weather Changes and Body Regulation
As the day went on, temperatures dropped fast.
Suddenly, regulating body temperature became harder.
That wasn’t fatigue—it was environmental change.
Recognizing the difference matters. The solution wasn’t pushing harder—it was layering up, fueling, and adapting.
The Final Miles: Family Over Distance
Late in the day, running with my kids slowed me down.
And I wouldn’t trade that for any mileage goal.
Those moments:
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Reframed the purpose
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Grounded the effort
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Added meaning
You can always run more miles.
You can’t always recreate moments like those.
The Real Lesson of the Day
Here’s what the run ultimately taught me:
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Excuses often show up after commitment
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Motivation is unreliable, action is not
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Truth protects you, excuses limit you
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Finishing fresh builds durability
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Movement, not perfection, creates progress
And finally:
I thought running from sunrise to sunset would make the shortest day feel longer.
I was wrong.
It somehow made it feel shorter.
Closing Thoughts
This run wasn’t about proving toughness. It was about learning restraint, awareness, and commitment.
If you’re training for longer distances—or just trying to become more consistent—this applies:
Don’t wait to feel motivated.
Don’t torture yourself for progress.
Don’t confuse fear with truth.
Move forward anyway—intelligently.
I’m rooting for you. And if you see me on the trails, come say hi.
