3rd ANUAL 4TH QUARTER CHALLENGE. SO WE HAVE CREATED A CLASSROOM FOR US TO TRACK OUR DAILY PROGRESS. WE WILL BE USING A GOOGLE DOC TO TRACK EVERYONE AND SHARE STATUS UPDATES HERE AS WELL. SO ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS AFTER YOU COMPLETE YOUR DAILY MILES AND PUSH UPS COME HERE AND POST IT ****TO THIS CONVERSATION THREAD**** WE WILL ALSO BE SHARING ALL 4TH QUARTER UPDATES HERE. This challenge is a grind I promise, but there is nothing like making 2026 the best year yet, by finishing out 2025 on the right note!!!

A little vulnerable transparency. Vince has been more tuned in to some of the chaos going on for my family the last 8-ish months, but I’ll give a brief recap. In May I lost my job, which was our only means of income. My wife was finishing nursing school (went back to complete her RN after 16 years as an LPN), and thankfully landed a job quickly. We put our house on the market, moved across the state, have been living with in-laws, kids entered new schools…just a lot. I was teaching adjunct for a college, but the contract didn’t renew due to student/course ratio. Then my wife’s job unexpectedly went haywire, and she was being told they didn’t have work for her unless she went to another city. We struggled to find a house, with multiple offers being turned down, and I’ve received either NOs or radio silence on every job application submitted. It’s been pretty crappy, and I’ve really struggled to get moving on runs, lifts, some days just getting out of the house. But I had a small circle of people I trust constantly pushing light into that darkness, and acknowledging it sucks but it’ll all be fine. I couldn’t agree more. Life is messy and sucks at times, and I’m the worst for trying to seem like it’s “all together” on social media. I’m also one of the most stupidly stubborn people ever placed on this earth, and I’ll ride something out as far as I can until there’s nowhere else to go - maybe that’s why I’m drawn to trail running… My intent here is not to be Tony Robbins, but rather really say hang in there. And if you know someone going through something, a simple “thinking about you” text can be monumental (gotten several of these from people here going into races). So, now the sunshine. My wife reached out to three medical facilities, and had a new (more stable) job within a week. After months, we were able to buy a piece of land, and we’ll start construction on a house after the first of the year. And today, I accepted a position with Tennessee Tech University in the town we moved to for my wife’s original job. I haven’t even made that “Facebook Official” yet, and really wanted to tell you all first. So, hang in there. The path may not be what you expected, but it may be better than you ever imagined.

Ok ok ok I hope you all got at your "turkey trots" out of your systems last week. lol and are ready to Go big again for episode 17 of Eat Cake Run Club Big Run Weekend. Pro tip, the bigger miles the more X-mas cookies and Nog one can consume guilt free.. Just saying. Our current 20 mile "bomb 💣💥streak is @ 7 weeks this weekend... the old record is still standing at 8 weeks... Do we have what it takes to keep tracking that old record down.... "we shall see"... The holiday season is always a busy one, life and activities become very time consuming and it easy to just say we will get back to it again after the new year.... But that is where BRW comes in. Remember that BRW is not about miles, or pace it is about getting out and doing something hard, sometimes that hard is just getting in a run. But you will never regret getting it in. I promise. Let's have a BIG WEEKEND and be sure to share it with this group. No matter the run if you did it, it makes us all encouraged and better. You all are amazing humans and I say this kindly and with full honesty, there is amazing accomplishments and achievements this group has had..... However.... I know for a fact we are still just getting started and that we all can level it up notch. We all have more to give. I promise that too. LFG. V

I got amped off the turkey trot and signed up for another little race in December! It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas theme. I’m doing the 10k. Anyone else doing any races in December?

Oh you all thought that because of Thanksgiving and all the "Turkey trots" yesterday that might change Eat Cake Run Club BIG RUN WEEKEND..... NOPE... Consider those Trotting miles a warm up.... Because the weekend is here.... and it is time for EP: 16 Big Run weekend. Can the 20 mile 💣💥 run last and live to "play another day'? LETS GOOO.... What BIG RUNS DO WE HAVE PLANED THIS WEEKEND.... ? ps: Pie is cake too!