Sunday: 8.6.2023 (Day 22 of 112): Easy Run (Recovery) - Utah
The jobsite took a turn for the better and offered a day off this weekend so I had to figure out what kind of adventure I was going to take. Arches National Park was within driving distance and as a Disabled American Veteran, I got free access to the park. I may never have this opportunity to visit this park again, I had to take advantage of the situation.
Before I started the drive for this great adventure, there was one thing that had to get done. My 3 miles recovery run following the 11-mile run on Saturday morning. My legs felt good and I didn’t foresee any issues with this easy 3-mile run at a 10’33” to 11’34” pace. The weather was remarkable at 63F and 55% humidity, simply a great morning to run.
This run was the first time this year that my mind registered that 3-miles was a “short” distance. After the 11-mile run I couldn’t help but think that this run was short, sweet and simple. It’s always a good to run in the morning with the birds singing, ducks on the water and the trail relatively empty. Overall this was a perfectly prescribed recovery run.
3.0 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’36” | Avg HR: 126 | Best Mile: 10’18” | Feeling: Thankful
Following my morning shakeout run I decided to go see Arches National Park. Ever since I saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I’ve wanted to visit the arches and see the amazing desert landscape. It was something so foreign to me, growing up in Northern Idaho with our mountains, tree’s, rivers and lakes.
I packed up some healthy snacks, water and hit the road. I figured I’d get dinner in Moab after my tour of the park so I kept my snacks light and drank plenty of water. I got in just over 5-miles of hiking in 97F heat up and down plenty of steps at +5,000ft in elevation. The hikes felt good and the heat wasn’t oppressive with such low humidity and a slight breeze.
The views were amazing and the park wasn’t too full. It was mostly European tourists where I heard plenty of French, Italian and German. It’s good to see visitors from abroad in America seeing how grand our country is, especially a place as incredible as Utah.
Discipline & Driving:
It was a 3 1/2 hr drive to the park and the drive back was expected to be at night. I was in the park for almost 6 hours and still didn’t hike all the trails or see all the sights. It’s an expansive park that requires a full day to enjoy and see. I wanted to be back in my hotel by 10pm for work the following morning so I had to be on the road by 6:30pm, which left me no time for dinner in Moab. I refueled the car, grabbed some meat and cheese from the gas station and hit the road on the way home.
I wanted to get McDonald’s. I wanted to eat Wendy’s or grab a massive cheeseburger from that local joint that looked incredible. I was hungry and felt justified in eating something that I KNOW I enjoyed. Then the fear spiked like a politician on a polygraph.
The amount of discipline it took to not eat a cheeseburger was a surprise to me. Maybe it’s the fear of dying a slow death by diabetes that scared me straight or the idea of failing at my second Marathon in front of so many friends. Regardless of the reason, no cheeseburgers were consumed and I just kept drinking water and driving. Discipline won the day.
Monday: 8.14.2023 (Day 23 of 112): Quality Run - Utah
After conducting a Google Maps reconnaissance of the area I was unsuccessful at finding a public track I could use for this quality run. However I found a great alternative at a local park that was just about perfect. The sidewalk that created the concrete belt around a plush patch of grass was 0.30mi in length. Just right for these 400m efforts I had to get done for the day’s Quality run.
What was supposed to happen:
1.5mi Warmup
9x400m at 7’19” pace (1:49 reps)
1.5mi Cool Down
The park was flawless and immaculate with fresh cut grass, trimmed hedges and not a piece of trash to be found. The park was well lit with bathrooms and water available. I arrived to the park at 5:20am to find a men’s Pickleball match already in progress. Overall the park looked safe and I didn’t notice any homeless people sleeping on the benches.
Everything looked just right for a Quality Run and then I found out why the grass looked so lush and green. Automatic Sprinklers. This made the run interesting as it turned into an episode of “Wipeout” while trying to avoid getting knocked on my ass by the 800psi sprinklers spewing water roughly 80ft into the field. I was certain there should have been a warning sign posted at the entrance, but then again what kind of fool is running at 5am on a Tuesday? I’m that fool.
As the run progressed, the sprinklers would turn off and another bank of sprinklers would turn on, thus changing my avoidance plan mid effort. It was an interesting morning to run and when it was over I was glad.
The efforts at this altitude combined with sprinkler avoidance resulted in a failure to meet the Rx by Coach Brown.
What Really Happened:
1.5mi Warmup at 11’09”
1:50, 2:00, 1:58, 2:06, 3:03, 1:56, 2:12, 2:11, 2:17
1.5mi Cool Down at 10’58:
While I may have failed hitting that 1:49 time for each of the 9 efforts, I didn’t quit and I finished the workout. Not all of my runs are going to be on target or great. Matter of fact many of them will just miss the mark and won’t feel great, but in the long run there are always more “good” runs than “bad” runs and there’s NEVER been a run that I regretted. I may have regretted eating a large pizza before the run, but never the run itself!
6.5 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’53” | Avg HR: 130 | Best Effort: 7’23” | Feeling: Athletic
Tuesday: 8.15.2023 (Day 24 of 112): Rest Day
It was a full day of work followed by a night of rest. I didn’t lift weights nor do any other type of exercise. Looking back on this, I should have done some Yoga or stretching on this “rest day”.
As a friend told me, “It’s never too late, until it’s too late”.
I’ll get in some yoga and stretching this Friday before my 12-mile Easy Run on Saturday.
Wednesday: 8.16.2023 (Day 25 of 112): National Airborne Day!
I was a Paratrooper once, and young.
SSG Curnutt stared at me with a grin the size of Texas when I stood in the U.S. Army recruiters office and declared “I’ll join your damn Army, as long as I can be Airborne!”
“No Problem” he replied.
That was on August 16th, 1999, coincidentally later to be declared “National Airborne Day”. Just a few months later I was shipped off to Fort Sill, OK and later on my 19th Birthday I found myself in the harness, under canopy hanging by the 250ft Jump Towers at Fort Benning, GA. The following week was Jump Week and I couldn’t wait to get those Silver Wings punched into my chest.
Less than two years later the Army found it appropriate to send me to Jumpmaster school. On the day of graduating from the 82nd Airborne Division Advanced Airborne School, later to be re-designated the U.S. Army Advanced Airborne School, I was the youngest Jumpmaster in The Division. Old enough to be a Sergeant, old enough to be a Jumpmaster. NOT old enough to buy a beer. I was only 20yrs old. What the hell was the Army thinking?!
A standard run for the Airborne was a 4-mile run in 36 minutes. A simple 9-min mile run that in my service days felt simply TOO EASY.
Fast forward two decades and at 42years old I was attempting to meet that standard again here in Utah.
I was unsuccessful. It seems like most of the runs I’m doing here in Utah, I’m simply not getting the speed I need. It sucks to suck. Sometimes I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that I plan on running a sub 4hr Marathon in less than 90-days. The goal seems beyond reach some days.
The plan for the day was a 1-mile warmup run followed by 4-miles in 36-minutes (9’00” mile) followed by a 1-mile cooldown run.
What Really Happened:
1.0mi Warmup at 10’32”
Mile 1: 8’50”, Mile 2: 9’18”, Mile 3: 10’00”, Mile 4: 10’26”
1.0mi Cool Down at 11’48”
Yet another failure, but still grateful to be above ground with a heart full of blood and lungs full of air. I’m thankful to the Lord for those gifts and recognize that if I’m above dirt tomorrow morning, I’ve got another opportunity to do better and improve on my weaknesses and build upon my strengths.
6.0 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’10” | Avg HR: 138 | Best Mile: 9’39” | Feeling: Disappointed
Thursday: 8.17.2023 (Day 26 of 112): Easy Run
I clearly set the alarm on Wednesday night before I passed out for 4:45am, in order to get my 5-miles in. At least I think that was me, because if it wasn’t, that guy is an asshole.
Too bad I can’t go back in time and punch that guy in the face. As soon as the alarm woke me up, I was in a bad mood. I simply did not want to run this morning. I had an early day at the jobsite and all I wanted was to get another hour of sleep followed by a cup of coffee and some breakfast.
I did NOT want to run.
I wanted more sleep.
I was grumpy, unhappy and hungry.
I wanted coffee and breakfast.
I wanted an easy morning before a full day of work.
Fuck that shit!
Goals aren’t achieved by taking the easy way.
I ran. It was miserable. I was unhappy, but I did it.
The Marathon will eat you alive if you do not properly train.
This run was emotionally and mentally draining. I wasn’t in the game.
THIS IS DISCIPLINE > MOTIVATION.
The mind is of the greatest gifts that God gave us. We have the ability to think, to question, ponder and produce great works of art, music and science. The mind is the most complex of all organs. We can overthink something to the point of paralysis and we can conversely not think something through to the point of complete catastrophic failure. The mind can be your greatest strength or your demise.
My mind was trying everything possible to justify staying in bed for another hour and conducting this run in the evening. I’m glad I refused and got in the run in the early morning.
After work there was a massive storm rolling in with lightning, rain and wind. The conditions were not great and after a day of work, I somehow had less desire to run than I did when I woke up.
I got in the run and it wasn’t great. I’m just glad I did it, regardless of how I felt.
5.0 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’52” | Avg HR: 132 | Best Mile: 9’59” | Feeling: Pissed
Friday: 8.18.2023 (Day 27 of 112): Rest Day
Friday was a wash. I guess rest is part of the plan. We’ll see how that plays out.
Saturday: 8.19.2023 (Day 28 of 112): Easy Run (Long Run)
The official 4 week mark. I’ve been training and preparing for this marathon for 4 weeks and that’s included changing my diet, allocating time to running and ensuring I get in the miles, no matter what. Sometimes it’s been easy, other times it’s been downright miserable but no matter what, the constant, unrelenting march towards November 11th is happening.
Today is my travel day back home so I needed to get my long run done early so I set my alarm at 4:15am to be on the trail and rolling at 5am. Compared to Thursday, the alarm wasn’t a jolting reality of forthcoming pain and misery, I was looking forward to this run. I thought I felt good, until I didn’t.
Last night I decided to get some carbs in me, but not the good kind. A trip to Noodles & Co seemed like a good idea; it was a complete mistake! I’ve been eating zero/no sugar and very low carbs for 2 weeks now and that bowl of Spaghetti Noodles absolutely destroyed me. I was sabotaged from the inside out! This insider attack would cripple any hopes of actually completing 12-miles.
This actually turned into a blessing in disguise, I just didn’t know it until after it was too late.
Around mile 2.1 I passed a sign that indicated a bathroom nearby. I thought I already deposited the days goods back in the hotel, but apparently not. I was uncertain if the public restroom would be open, but I knew from last weekend there was a restroom another 1.4 miles down the trail. “Fuck it, I can make it”
My evaluation of the situation was inaccurate. I most certainly could not make it. The trail was still dark and I’ve already passed one runner and a few cyclists. This situation had to be dealt with immediately. So I duck into some high grass, praying I don’t step on a snake and nature took over. As I was looking around, praying someone didn’t run up on me or ride by, I realize I’m basically in someone’s back yard and yes, they have security cameras! Thank goodness I’m flying out of this state today!
So after facing mother nature head on and losing my socks in the process, I decided I’ll just continue down the trail until I hit 4-miles and then turn around. I didn’t have any socks on, my stomach was rumbling and the idea of another 8 miles seemed daunting and painful. I slowly got down the trail to the 4-mile mark and then turned around.
Returning to my car I realize there are work crews showing up on the trail and they are putting up barricades and caution tape. I found a sign posted on one of the mile markers indicating that they’d be closing a 5 miles stretch of the trail to re-seal the path!! The exact 5 miles I would be running this morning. If I would have done my expected 12 miles I most likely would have had to found an alternate route, delaying my time back to the hotel and risking missing my flight home. Maybe there is a silver lining to this fiasco.
But it gets worse.
Sans socks, I made it to the finish where the parking lot was decently full, meaning the trail was filling up. Good thing I was alone when the emergency struck I thought. With some rumbling in the stomach I made my way to the public restroom. A clean, decent looking hard building with lights and a drinking fountain.
Door 1: Locked
Door 2: Locked. Now I’m thinking they must not unlock these doors until later in the morning.
Door 3: Unlocked! As soon as I open it up I can tell something is seriously wrong. The toilet doesn’t flush and it appears a few people have continued to use the commode regardless of this fact. It’s absolutely disgusting. The smell, the look the overall situation. I simply can’t add to the madness. I tried to flush it to no avail.
I turn around and open the door to walk out, just then a young 20-something woman got out of the car and obviously saw me leaving the bathroom. Not knowing I simply entered and walked out.
Stretching is essential after a run and I utilize the nearby picnic table to help. Then I see the young woman walking straight to the bathroom door I just walked out. Fucking great, she’s going to think I blew the damn thing up.
She opens the door, gets slapped in the face by the smell, takes a look inside and with the door still in her hand, she glances my way! I do my best to mouth “That wasn’t me!” but I doubt she believes it.
She checks Door 1: Locked. Checks Door 2: Locked.
Opens up Door 3 again to see if she can manage and decides it’s not worth it. Throws me a disgusted glance and proceeds to her car to find hopefully a facility more suitable. It’s official, at least one person in Utah now hates me.
8.0 Miles | Avg Pace: 12’29” | Avg HR: 122 | Best Mile: 10’34” | Feeling: Disheveled
From this entire event this morning I’m grateful for three things.
I was alone on the trail when privacy was needed.
The trail was open and I made my flight home.
My last sunrise in Utah was a spectacle again.
Overall week 4 has been the most difficult to date with what felt like dead-weight legs and a full work load. However I kept my eating and nutrition aligned with my goals and managed to see 220.8 on the scale this week before I made the trek home.
I started this adventure 28 days ago on July 23rd. At the start I was 234 lbs and unhappy. Yeah, I could still run and enjoyed running but it was a struggle. I’m down 14-lbs in the last 4 weeks and look forward to feeling what it’s like to run under 200lbs.
With the possible onset of diabetes (more testing taking place this week), I really changed my diet to low carbs, zero/no sugar with an increase in lean meats, veggies, protein and plenty of water with some fruit and nuts. I’ve also been tracking 100% of everything I eat over the last 28 days which really keeps me accountable.
With the change in diet, I’ve been re-evaluating supplements and looking for zero-sugar, low sugar options for electrolytes and protein. Currently I’m looking directly at BPN nutrition. It’s a Veteran owned business with an owner that uses his own products to assist in reaching goals such as a sub 24-hr Leadville 100 and 2:20 marathon.
Lesson Learned this week: JUST KEEP GOING! If you’ve been blessed with a body that can move, blood in your heart and air in your lungs, then get out there and use it!
Yes I advocate for running, but I’m not a cultist. If running isn’t your jam, do something, anything. Pickleball, hiking, rucking, cycling, walking, weightlifting, surfing, swimming, volleyball, basketball, softball, SOMETHING…ANYTHING.
Then once you start, KEEP GOING!
Odd’s are in your favor to live a longer life, more capable to do more and find enjoyment in more opportunities to use your fitness as opposed to limited options due to lack of physical fitness.