The Same Race. Four Years Apart. Déjà Vu?

In 2021 I ran a Thanksgiving morning 5K in Palm City Florida. Age 39. 20:04.

In 2025 I ran the same race, same course, same distance. Age 43. 20:04.

I wasn’t trying to replicate anything. It was Thanksgiving morning and as I often visit my brother in the area around this time I run the local 5K.

Here’s what I think that means — and what it doesn’t.

It doesn’t mean I haven’t aged. It doesn’t mean my body is the same as it was at 39. And it certainly doesn’t mean everyone who trains consistently will produce identical results.

What it does suggest — at least for me — is that the consistent sustainable habits I’ve maintained over years can preserve performance in ways that occasionally surprise even me.

The approach between those two races didn’t change at all:

Woke up naturally around 5 AM most mornings. Ran 20-30 miles per week. Never more. Went to bed around 9-10 PM. Ate real food most of the time. Took zero supplements. Cross trained when I approached my weekly limit.

The same things. Most weeks. For four years.

I’m not claiming this works for everyone. Bodies are different. Circumstances are different. But these are my results.

If you’re looking for evidence that consistent moderate habits maintained over time are worth something — here’s one data point.

Same race. Same course. Same pace. Four years later. Consistency did that. Nothing else. I’ll be ready for the next one.

— Kevin