It’s easy to write about a race when everything clicks—but this year’s road to the World Masters Indoor Championships in Gainesville, Florida , came with a few potholes. Back in February, I ran a strong indoor mile at UH, clocking a Masters PR of 5:01 —a full 2.5 seconds faster than the year before. I was feeling confident and fired up. But the very next week, things took a turn. I strained my calf , and in classic runner fashion, I pushed too quickly to get back to training . That decision backfired—what started as a minor strain became a deeper setback, and I knew I had to hit the brakes. I started seeing Dr. Jaime Aparicio for physical therapy and rehab . Over the next four weeks , I traded intervals and long runs for: Aqua jogging sessions (yes, it’s humbling but it works), PT weight training , and A renewed focus on mobility and mechanics . During that time, I shifted my mindset. Instead of panicking about lost fitness, I leaned into the process: Ran data analys...