It was a million dollar idea! I knew it as soon as the electrical signals traversed the grey matter between my ears. The synapses were firing in rapid succession and the idea was instantly becoming something that I had to put into motion.
It would help me be a better runner! It would would increase my pace and help with tackling the hills at the City of Oaks Marathon. The science behind it was sound and it was something I was interested in.
I would do more in 2024, specifically I’d starting lifting weights again. Consistently.
The first week of January would be two-a-days!
To ensure this brilliant plan would be executed properly it required planning and in that I purchased a 2024 planner specifically for my running and fitness goals. I made the plan and on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 I would put it into action.
What the fuck have I done to myself?!?
This was supposed to help me. Now I can barely get into my Jeep! Walking upstairs is almost impossible and when I cough, everything hurts. I surely can’t run, which is clear after I hobbled my way into Costco.
Everything hurts. Arms, shoulders, chest, thighs, hamstrings, calves and back. My abs are destroyed and trying to do basic human functions has turned into a fiasco.
I knew this was going to happen, yet I did it anyways. This better yield results!
So how did I find myself in this predicament and how did the week end? Let’s take a journey.
January 1st, 2024: Resolution Run with the Club.
I couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off 2024 than with my club on a New Years Resolution run. We had 40+ people show up for this run in a quintessential Carolina winter day of cool air and cloudy skies. Despite the overcast it stayed dry and overall everyone had a great run.
Going into 2024 I plan on getting much stronger by lifting weights often. Lifting has been in my life for 20+ years so I’m not a stranger to it, I’ve just been estranged from it for the past 18 months or so.
3.17 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’42” Avg HR: 136 | Best Mile: 10’28” | Feeling: Hopeful
On January 1st, my only goal was to get in a run and enjoy it with friends. That’s exactly what happened and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start 2024.
I made a decision to end my membership with Planet Fitness in 2024 and make my way back to the YMCA. I did this in large part because the YMCA’s in my region have recently installed pool heaters and they now allow lap swimming year-round at two nearby pools with water temperatures in the 80’s. I haven’t done any lap swimming since 2019 and in compliance with my intentions of “Doing More in 24", it just makes sense.
The local Y opens at 5:30am and I was there at 5:20 waiting for the doors to open. I was a little apprehensive as there was a line waiting to get in. I figured the place was going to be packed and it would be a struggle to get on the machines and weights I’d want.
I couldn’t have been more wrong! 90% of the people entering were carrying Yoga Mats and attended the morning Yoga session. The YMCA floor was empty, machines were free and all the weights I wanted were free. I was really blown away by the fact that the place was so empty from 5:30am-7:00am!! I guess the Y is my new place.
The focus of the morning was on Chest, Arms, Abs and Shoulders. I threw in the Air-pods and went to work for an hour moving steel.
My lifting schedule basically looks like the following:
Day 1: Chest, Arms, Shoulders and Abs (Upper Body)
Day 2: Leg Day: Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges and More (Lower Body)
Day 3: Back and Biceps (Pullups!)
Day 4: Chest, Arms, Shoulders and Abs (Upper Body)
Day 5: Leg Day: Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges and More (Lower Body)
In addition to lifting, I’m keeping my running miles between 25-30 miles a week until I start my Marathon Build in July at which point my weight lifting will decrease in volume while my miles increases to 40-50 miles per week.
After a great morning of lifting weight and starting this new journey off right I decided to get in a run with the club and ended up getting in another 5K with a new runner. It was a great conversation and another good run to start the year.
3.22 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’55” Avg HR: 130 | Best Mile: 10’12” | Feeling: Stronger
WEDNESDAY: The day that broke me.
It was LEG DAY. I knew precisely what I was getting into. I was going to keep the weights light and the repetitions low. I simply 5x5 plan was established and I went to work!
I’m not going to bore you with the minutia of what I did, but rather focus in specifically on back squats! This is a movement I haven’t done in almost 2 years and I knew it was going to leave me wrecked.
The weight on the bar seemed easy and I was surprised at how it felt. I worked my way up to reps of 225 which moved easy enough and decided not to go any heavier. Thursday was going to be difficult.
It was a Wednesday, so that means I was going to get in another run with the club. Instead of the standard Wednesday 5K I decided to get in just over 4 miles. Immediately after stepping off my entire upper body was sore. With every step I could feel my chest and shoulders sting with soreness. Nothing necessarily hurt, but it was a constant soreness that seemed to never go away. I sucked it up and did the run anyways.
After the run I knew my legs were going to be sore………..I just didn’t know how sore.
4.52 Miles | Avg Pace: 11’09” Avg HR: 119 | Best Mile: 9’20” | Feeling: Sore
Thursday hit me like a freight train! I woke up naturally and was excited to get back in the gym and start working on my back muscles and progress back into pullups! As I threw my legs off the side of the bed I knew I was in trouble!! I could barely fucking walk!
After barely making it down the stairs and out of the house, the next major hurdle was getting into the Jeep!
Why the fuck did I buy a Rubicon? Damn thing sits so high. This is dumb!
After making a successful attempt to getting my fatass into the Jeep, I made it to the Y and started my workout. Moving between equipment was a challenge and I probably looked funny as hell trying to get around. I was moving extremely slow and trying to stretch seemed futile. I did my hour of weights and moved on with my day.
Later that day I had to run some errands and knew I’d be going past the local greenway. I figured, hell, might as well try to get in a few miles! Even on sore legs, getting them moving and the blood circulating has to help!
JUST KEEP SHOWING UP!
My legs were destroyed, but I had to do something. So I grabbed the Go-Pro and hit the trail. It wasn’t much, but the sky was blue and the trail was empty.
2.27 Miles | Avg Pace: 11’24” Avg HR: 130 | Best Mile: 10’'41” | Feeling: Wrecked
If Thursday was bad, Friday was worse. I was basically useless. Could barely get down the steps, sitting on the toilet was dangerous and trying to function like a normal human was beyond the realm of possibility.
That morning I slowly made my way to the Y and got in another upper body workout. I must have looked rather ridiculous, an otherwise healthy looking man, hobbling around without a cane.
Later in the day my wife wanted to make a trip to Costco, on a Friday. If you’ve ever tried at that particular time, you know the pain. Of course the parking lots were full! This left us with no choice but to continue the search. After no less than 8 laps through the parking lot, the decision was made to park as far away as possible in the only slot available.
The long walk to the entrance was miserable, made even more entertaining by my wife who always finds entertainment in my misery and physical ailments. For the past 20 years, I’ve generally been strong, fast, balanced and dependable. So when she see’s me off my game, weak and hindered, it’s rather entertaining. In 20+ years she’s only seen me lose my balance and fall twice, one of which ended in a broken finger of which she still laughs at 15 years later.
The day ended with ZERO miles ran with over an hour with the Impact-Gun on my legs and a handful of Advil. I was really hoping Saturday would be better because I was back to LEG DAY! I also spent 20 minutes in the sauna in an attempt to help ease the pain.
Saturday was a game changer!
I woke up Saturday with very little soreness in my legs! I felt almost fully functional and I gave credit to the sauna, Advil, impact gun and a full nights rest. The day was absolutely horrible as a storm front moved through. It was cold, wet and rainy. I made the decision to get a few miles in on the treadmill.
The game plan was to log a few miles on the treadmill followed by more squats, lunges and carrying around a heavy bag.
4.14 Miles | Avg Pace: 10’28” Avg HR: 133 | Best Mile: 9’54” | Feeling: Surprised!
After the semi-sore run on the treadmill I completed my squats and lunges then went to work with the sandbag. 50lbs with a sandbag can build the core and legs. Overall it was a great workout.
SUNDAY RUNDAY!!
My friend Leah setup a group run on the greenway and I had a few miles left to meet my weekly goal. The only soreness left was some discomfort in my legs but nothing that would hinder me from running. I felt really lucky to have done TWO leg days in the first week and still able to run on Sunday!!
I logged just over 9 miles with friends, most of which with Mike who is a strong runner who has more tenacity than most. It was an incredible morning to run with temps in the mid 40’s, blue sky, sun shining and great people on the trail. A few of my friends hit PR’s on distance while a few more were recovering from injuries and hadn’t ran that far in a long time. It was great to see so many people accomplishing so much.
The Secret is: JUST KEEP SHOWING UP!
Taking on strength training as a runner can seem intimidating, especially when the soreness leaves you with the inability to run. It can be incredibly frustrating and maddening, but stick with it! Keep showing up. The soreness will fade away and you’ll be able to consistently put in great effort in the weight room without degradation to your pace or distance. In fact, to be a better runner, you need to be a STRONGER runner.
2024 is the year I do MORE. More lifting, More Rucking, More Swimming and More Running. This is only accomplished with proper time management, discipline and to KEEP SHOWING UP!
Week 1 by the numbers:
26.87 Miles Ran: This is within my goal of 25-30 miles per week.
Weight Lifting: 5x in 7 days. Within my goal of 5x per week.
Running with the club: 4 of 6 weekly runs with the club.