Week 2: Just Keep Going
The Phenomenon of Consistency
The phenomenon of consistency can be observed in nature no matter where you look. In the picture above, you can see what happens in nature when wind and water have an unyielding consistency in it’s friction against stone. It punctures holes, breaks rocks and creates incredible land features like the arch above.
Many of the great inventions we have today are the results of consistency of action. The Light Bulb is the most notorious example of tenacity and consistency. Of the 10,000+ failures, Thomas Edison finally found success.
Google search any reputable fitness personality or program and you’ll find a few common themes. Consistency is key and there is no magic pill to weight loss and fitness accomplishments. It takes tenacity, discipline and consistency. When you adhere to those principles, some weird things start to happen. You’ll read about one of those phenomenon’s from my Wednesday run.
Often in the health and fitness realm I see the common question: “How do you stay motivated?”. I believe that is the wrong question. The right question is, “How do you stay so consistent?” The simple answer is “Discipline”, but discipline of consistency, especially towards a goal must be driven by passion. If you care about something, if you have a passion for something then you will do what must be done, regardless of how you feel or if you’re motivated.
This week gives you a glimpse into my process. Doing what must be done, not out of motivation but out of passion and using discipline to stay on track.
Overall Mileage this week: 26.08 with a monthly accumulation of 46.79mi.
Monday: Training Run 1
“Never miss a Monday.” It was echoing in my head when I woke up this morning. I reached over and looked at the time, 0530. I had an alarm set for 0600 to get to the local park by 6:30 to start Week 2 with a 5K run but that was no longer necessary. I already had my running gear ready. It was a rough start.
Changing habits is hard and takes dedicated effort. I was used to waking up and drinking a cup or two of coffee while doing my morning reading and learning. However, with the Marathon on the schedule there was no time for that this morning. I had to get get going. Monday already had a tight timeline on the day and wasting time with coffee wasn’t going to help with the matter at hand.
Arriving at the park, I see about a dozen cars already parked and some people already on the trail walking and getting in their fitness. There’s only one other person on the 0.48mi loop who is running. A gentlemen who appeared to be in his mid 50’s and just getting started with the running lifestyle. You have to respect that. He’s doing the work. That’s the thing with the running community in large part, they recognize hard work and can appreciate it and respect it. It doesn’t matter if your a D1 college track star, an Ultra Runner logging 50 mile weeks or a post-partum woman. Those who are outdoors, putting in the effort to better themselves, their effort is seen. It demands respect. I don’t know anyone who points and laughs at the obese man walking, or the overweight woman trying to walk / jog. It’s only encouragement. Hell, if there was anyone in this world to point at and laugh, it’d be me.
Before I started running my body was moving slow, like some mad scientist injected my joints with Super Glue instead of the WD-40 I needed. My muscles weren’t tired but certainly weren’t awake. “Fuck it” I thought, I was already on the trail. Let’s roll.
As with most things in life, those hard times don’t last. Soon enough I broke a sweat and my joints seem to be gliding along. I was warmed up and cruising along. After the first lap I soon realized I would need seven or eight laps for the 5K. It ended up being 7.5 laps. Afterwards I felt happy with myself that I got on the trail and put in the work. After reviewing my pace, I realized I need to run slightly faster than that for an additional 23 miles, nonstop. It felt like a massive mountain to climb, yet not impossible. The path ahead for a successful Marathon won’t be easy. I don’t expect it to be. If it was easy, everyone would run a Marathon.
Final Stats: 3.11mi, Avg Pace: 9’28” with an AVG HR of 135
Tuesday on the track: Training Run 2
Interval training was on the menu this morning. My training plan called for a 10-minute warmup followed by 6 repeats of 3 minutes at pace followed by 2 minutes of recovery and ending with a 10-minute cool down run at a comfortable pace. I was able to program this training into my Coros Pace 2 watch and it gave me all of the alerts on when to run and recover.
I put out an open invite to my run club to join me on the track and luckily two friends showed up. Not just two friends, but two very strong runners who could easily run me into the dirt. This was winding up to be a great training session.
We met up around 0515 and immediately got into the program after a quick stretch and chat about what we were doing this morning. It was agreed, we’d all do the same program.
Running with friends really is better. On the 3-minute efforts my plan was to stay at a 9 min/mi but we ended up being a little faster. See the chart below.
Overall I felt strong on this run which was surprising because my paces were faster than expected. I felt like I didn’t want to slow down Mike and Carlos because they are undoubtedly better runners than I. Mike is consistently running in the 8min/mi range and could easily push into the 7’s if he wanted. His consistency is contagious and his Strava data is incredible. Carlos is just a few years older than me but a much stronger runner. I’ve never heard him complain and when it’s time to pick up the pace or increase mileage, he’s always there to say yes. Carlos also has one of the most unique running tattoo’s I’ve seen, more on that in a future post.
Final Stats: 5.11mi, Avg Pace: 9’47” with an AVG HR of 144.
Tuesday: Ran Again! Two-on-Tuesday
Honestly, I was contemplating running twice today but then mother nature gave me a sign. Just an hour or so before the run a rain storm passed through the area and brought the temperature down from 93F to 85F but humidity stayed high at 62%. Honestly, it felt great outside as compared to last week which was hellish. So, with it feeling nicer outside I decided to pull the trigger and get some.
Met up with the run club and decided on four miles with Dave. As you’ve read, Dave is a far superior runner than me, but if I want to get better at this running game, I’ve got to run with people who push me.
With the weather feeling cooler and my legs feeling strong, we settled on four miles. Honestly, the run felt good and the times ended up being good. The route was mainly flat with a few gradual inclines which weren’t too difficult.
Final Stats: 4.14mi, Avg Pace: 9’41” with an AVG HR ?? (Chest Strap Malfunctioned)
Wednesday 5K: Training Run 2
It was uphill all day long. Not one of those long, gradual uphill struggles that you can probably tackle if you just put your head down and keep grinding. No, this was a steep, in your face uphill that was wearing me down. It was Humpday and I was struggling uphill, all day long to get over the hump. I had meetings starting at 8am and running through 5pm along with additional obligations throughout the day. At one point I got to relax on the couch over lunch and my legs felt HEAVY and TIRED. Not a good sign.
At no point did my mind ever consider or entertain the idea of not running on Wednesday. It’s now a tradition that I run with the club every Wednesday and get in my 5K. Heavy, tired legs be damned. I have an obligation to my training and Wednesday’s really are a break in my otherwise hectic week.
The drive to the tavern was hot and humid and looked like rain was on the way. I was hoping for that summer rain that cools you down on a hot day just enough, without making you cold. The cloud cover gave me hope that the sun would stay hidden, nobody wanted more sun today.
It did end up raining! Too bad it was 15 minutes before the run started and just 1-mile away. It never rained on us. As the run progressed we went from dry sidewalks to hot, humid sidewalks that just received a torrential downpour. Amazing that just 1-mile from the start, it was raining cats and dogs. What made this run so difficult was the humidity rising off the sidewalks. You could feel it rising up, you could breath it in, it tasted like a cement factory looks. It was downright miserable.
On tonight’s run, Dave chose to run with me again. I think he must need a break and some slower times in his training. I appreciate his patience with my pace and current ability. We started strong but had to slow down on the last mile, which wasn’t soo bad because the humidity was incredible.
During my run I pulled up next to a woman who I’ve seen making a consistent presence at the club runs. She was ahead of Dave and I and running a strong pace. Kelli was running the normal 5K route and doing good! It was good to meet a new person on the trail and hear her running origin story. It was impressive, her first race was a half-marathon and she was beginning her training for her first Marathon. By the looks of her pace and determination, I have no doubt she’ll be successful in her training and at the finish line.
Before I knew it, we were at the turn around and heading towards the finish. A few glances at my watch and our pace was much faster than expected. My first thought was “weird, my legs are heavy and tired” but then came the realization of a running phenomenon I’ve experienced over the last 20+ years of running. It’s those runs, where at the start I don’t feel ready or great, that end up being some of the best I’ve had.
Final Stats: 3.14miles, Avg Pace: 9’22” with an AVG HR 151. Best Mile: 8’53”
Thursday: Zero Day
I had every intention of making it to my run club meetup but it just didn’t work out this week. Family obligations, meetings and work all took priority and before I knew it the time had already passed. I was a little upset to have a zero day, but I kept my nutrition on point and didn’t get to caught up in eating everything.
Today is Friday, and looking back to yesterday, there was a short window of opportunity to run before some summer storms rolled in. This cold front is bringing in some cooler weather this weekend. I imagine the weekend long runs around here will be phenomenal. Too bad I’ll be in Arkansas where the summer heat continues.
Friday: Training Run 3
My training plan called for 30 minutes of running for distance and I was looking forward to getting in a run in the cool 71F morning. I was up and moving and starting my drive to the trail when the rain started. I had to fly on Friday and I most certainly couldn’t put wet running shoes in my luggage. Could you imagine that stink?
So I flip a U-Turn, head back to the house to grab my earbuds and take off for the gym. Running on the dread-mill will require music! The thought of a 30-minute run on the treadmill wasn’t the greatest but I have to do what must be done to arrive on race-day ready to tackle 26.2 miles. As it turns out, running on the treadmill ended up being a great decision. I chose a machine facing a window to the outside and about 10 minutes into my run, a massive thunderstorm arrived with lightning and an incredible amount of rain. My shoes stayed dry and I got in my 30 minute run.
I’m no stranger to treadmill running, I’ve done it on and off again over the past 23 years. Whenever I’m on the machine I set the incline to 1%, I find this helps replicate the effort level of running on flat ground outdoors. Running on the treadmill can become very monotonous, so every 1/2 mile I turn up the speed a couple notches. My goal is to always chase those “negative splits”.
My run started off great and just kept better. I was paying close attention to my breathing and feedback from my joints and muscles. Everything seemed to be in sync and going smooth. I kept pushing the pace into the 9’s and then the 8’s and found that my cardiovascular capacity was much greater than I thought. Not once on the run did I find myself out of breath. Yes my breathing was increased but I was never out of breath. I felt strong. The last couple of minutes I pushed the pace to 7’45” !
In another life, 7’45” would be considered “slow” and unacceptable. Now at 41, I was pleased that at Week 2 I was back into the 7’s, even if for a short stint.
Final Stats: 3.36miles, Avg Pace: 8’56” with an AVG HR 129. Best Mile: 8’33”
Sunday: Long Run
This weekend I found myself working in Arkansas and decided that Sunday would be my long run. After receiving a few recommendations on where to get in the miles, I decided to go to the Petit Jean State Park. I reviewed all the trails and decided this was the best option as the trails were groomed, it was out in the woods and there was a lodge with a full service restaurant for my after-run breakfast.
According to my plan, I had 8-miles to complete. The trails map indicated there would be plenty of trails to make this happen. What I wasn’t expecting was how difficult the trails would be. I started off running and was soon walking over the more treacherous portions of the trail. It was a great adventure into the woods just south of the Arkansas River that had me walking.
The views on this run were incredible. I had just over 1,000ft of elevation gain during my run/hike, something I’m not used to in the sandhills of North Carolina. The effort was worth it though!
Following this run/hike I decided to hit the restaurant at Mather’s Lodge, which turned out to offer amazing views and food. I was even happier to see my bill was under $10 for this massive breakfast with orange juice.
Overall my weekend long run was challenging and had me on my feet and moving for nearly 2 1/2 hours. Getting more time on my feet and my legs is what I’ll need to get through the +4hours of the Marathon.
Final Stats: 7.26miles, Avg Pace: 21’02” with an AVG HR 119. Best Mile: 16’23”
If you’ve read this far, thank you! I appreciate you taking this journey with me.