> my students asked me why i ran races, since i wasn't a professional
> and wasn't going to be. one of them told me the medal was useless —
> that it can't get me a job. i didn't reply. i remember him to this day.
i wrote the long answer separately. it lives here.
// race log
chronological. dates, distances, times, conditions. ▲ flags rough ones.
← swipe to scroll →
2023-01-2021.1KBangabandhu International Marathon2h 07m
got to the race point 5 minutes late, still managed
a better-than-expected time. nobody knew i was running.
2023-02-2325KRun Bangladesh CU2h 53m
misty winter morning. ran the first 30 minutes chatting
with a foreign participant. cramped a few times.
my father came to watch.
2023-03-1721.1KRajshahi Half Marathon2h 04m
first time in rajshahi. saw the padma. my father ran
a 3K event with me — first time we raced together.
2023-09-2910K▲Mirpur 10K1h 02m
restart event after a gap. walked dhaka for 4 hours
afterwards — left foot started hurting.
became an injury later.
2023-10-0421.1K▲UCR Half Marathon2h 45m
ran injured. pain hit at 7K. finished anyway.
2023-10-2021.1KSunamganj Half Marathon2h 20m
first time in sunamganj. stayed two days. tanguar haor,
niladri lake. wanted a better timing, didn't get it.
2023-11-0225KRun Bangladesh Sylhet3h 10m
family trip to sylhet. cramped hard near the end.
2023-11-1710KCR 10K57m
hometown race in chattogram. finished strong.
my friend also participated for the first time.
2024-01-1042.2KBangabandhu International Marathon5h 30m
first full marathon. cramps everywhere.
went to dhaka with the friend who ran 21.1K in that event.
2024-02-2452K▲Vertical Dreamers Ultra (bandarban)8h 20m
first hill ultra. ~1000m elevation gain.
at the end i wished i'd stopped. didn't.
2024-03-0725KRun Bangladesh Dhaka2h 36m
reached late, missed the baggage drop, ran the first
5K carrying my bag. still my strongest, fastest finish.
─── 1.5 year gap ─── trained briefly. stopped. money was tight.
2025-10-1821.1KBandarban Hill Half Marathon2h 30m
back on track. tough. no injury.
2025-11-0142.2KCox's Bazar Full Marathon5h 30m
family came on the trip. roamed the seabeach.
ran sick, finished strong. foot injury appeared after.
2025-11-0842.2K▲Comilla Full Marathon6h 20m
back-to-back full a week later. shouldn't have run.
went anyway. first time in comilla. finished slow.
injury kept worsening.
2025-12-0552K▲Vertical Dreamers Ultra (bandarban)~9h 00m
the toughest event i've run. side tendons blew at
26K. walked the rest with a stick. 6h for the last 26K.
finished.
2026-01-0321.1K▲Bhatiyari Half Marathon3h 05m
walked most of it. running triggered the injury.
2026-06-1925K▲Dhaka Run 25K2h 32m
first race back after the injury months. even splits —
second half matched the first. right glute gave out at km 18.
68th of 942. strongest comeback i could've asked for.
// not a race, but
> the most characteristic run i've done wasn't a race.
> no medal, no audience, no event.
on the third day of eid, april 2024, after a couple of weeks off, i wanted to shake something loose. so i went out at midnight and ran from my home to sitakundu, hiked a 1000-foot hill, and came back. fifty kilometers, ten hours, alone. didn't feel good. got sick afterwards. nobody knew i'd done it until later.
> this is the answer to the medal question, i think. or part of it.
// races i didn't run
every runner has these. mine:
← swipe to scroll →
2025-12-256hStadium Rundid not run
knee hadn't recovered. consulted a doctor. wasn't
going to make 6 hours. one of my dream events.
2026-02-0550KBhawal Ultra Marathondid not run
registered months ahead. by the date, i knew the leg
wouldn't finish. didn't go.
there are also events i wanted to register for and couldn't, mostly for timing or money. they happen often.
// training, briefly
three sessions a week. two short — five to ten kilometers — and one long run, mileage going up each week. strength work at home, no gym. no coach. no plan more sophisticated than "next week, a little further."
i train in shoes that aren't actual running shoes. cost is real.
things i'm bad at: load management, injury management, pacing. i sweat heavily — more than is normal. i don't yet know what a sustainable mileage curve looks like for my body. i'm working on it. that's part of why this site exists.
activity log lives on strava: @nj on strava.
// targets
aspirational. not where i am.
> 25K in 2h 00m> full in 3h 30m> 50K in 4h 30m> 100K in 10h 00m
// 2026 calendar
races i'm watching. weighted by interest. not all of these will happen.
← swipe to scroll →
2026-07-1021.1KChatto Metro Half Marathon 2026
2026-08-0842.2KSylhet International Marathon 2026
2026-10-1642.2K / 21.1KActive Pulse Chattogram Marathon
2026-10-30100K / 50K / 33KAlbatross Ultrail 2026
2026-11-1442.2KCox's Bazar International Marathon
2026-12-17161K / 100K / 50KCostral Ultra 2026
— nj · last updated 2026-07 · still going