Week 4: Time and Effort
From the Track to the Trails
Life, like running never stays in a constant. It is always changing with highs and lows neither of which end up lasting for any prolonged period of time. We’ve all had these moments in our lives of extreme joy and happiness, from the birth of a child to winning a race, a new job or a promotion at work. There are also those low moments where we deal with financial struggles, deaths, broken friendships and more. In all cases, the moments pass and we are on to the next great adventure.
In all of those moments of joy and hardship, having friends with you really makes the experience better. On all but one of my runs I was with friends and fellow runners. The week started on a low note but ended fairly well with a long run around a lake followed by a great breakfast.
Marathon training takes time and commitment, it also takes support from your family and friends. My wife recently gave me some great encouragement when she told me I should stive for 1,000 miles in 2022 and it felt great. Getting in long runs, week in and week out takes encouragement from your friends because as the weeks and miles progress, there will be highs and lows.
Another low hit me this week. I am now unable to attend the San Antonio Marathon in December with my friend. This is a huge disappointment as I was really looking forward to it. However, my job requires me to travel out of state that week and it’s just not possible. My quest for another Marathon continues, possibly the Wilmington Full Marathon in February 2023.
Weekly Stats: 27.61 miles with my best mile at 7’54”
Monday: ZERO Day
Never miss a Monday! A well known motto and philosophy yet here I am missing two Monday’s in a row. They day just got away from me and was way too busy. My reality is such that if I don’t wake up early and get in the run, I won’t have time the rest of the day. This is part of the struggles of training for a Marathon. It takes time and time is valuable. Time is something we never get back and it’s always moving forward. Managing, allocating and exercising time management is a key factor to success in Marathon training and this will be the last Monday I miss in a while.
Tuesday: 1-mile intervals (Week 4, Run 1)
Is it a talent derived from fear or just trained into my being? I’m really not sure how it came to be, but it happens more often than not. I can wake up when needed, without an alarm clock. I set my alarm for 4:30am to be out the door at 5:00am and per usual, I was awake at 4:23am and rolled out the bed.
Immediately I noticed that I had an incredible headache, it felt like some tiny construction worker was in my head, methodically hitting the inside wall of my brain with a 20lb sledgehammer. It wasn’t pleasant. Regardless of the headache I was happy to be alive and have all of my faculties at my disposal. I was going to be on the track this morning at 5:15am. I told my friends I’d be there and my word is my bond. I’d be there.
Walking onto the track entering through the “tunnel” must have looked silly. I was a little discombobulated, walking in my crocs and carrying my running shoes in hand. Everyone else was already there, stretching and ready to go. This was an event I organized and there I was looking crazy and unprepared.
After a short discussion with everyone, we decided to get started. Carlos was there to do the work with me and I was grateful for that as when he is there it pushes me to go just a little bit more.
The workout for the day was 0.5mi warmup at 10’30” followed by 3x repeats of 1-mile at 8’00”- 8’30” pace + 0.25mi rest and finishing with a 5min cooldown.
Part way through the run my friend Anthony showed up to the track and started lapping us, which is about as expected. Anthony is an incredible runner who is selfless and helps everyone in the club be better. When he is around, everyone does better. I was glad he showed up, I strive to be as strong a runner as him.
The 1/2 mi warmup was done with everyone and then we all split ways when the pace increased. My first mile was my best at 7’54” and it was a tough one. My second mile was 8’01” and my third mile was at 8’19”. I met or exceeded all training goals this morning. Physically I felt good, despite the headache.
The mental training this morning was a consistent thought process of telling myself “This pace is comfortable. This 8’15” pace is not as difficult as it may seem. Get used to it, this is now my comfortable pace” I know my body can handle the pace, it’s the mind that is regulating my ability.
Results: 4.67 Miles in 44’49”, AVG Pace: 8’36” with AVG HR: 148bpm. Best Mile 7’54”
Two on Tuesday: “GET SOME”
After a long day of meetings and obligations an evening run somehow sounded just right. I sent Dave a message and he was good to go with a 1 hour run. In my mind I had a plan and a route. It was a route I’ve ran before that was mostly flat with just a few small inclines along the route. On the drive over to the meeting spot my mind was set on this route. I could picture it. I’ve ran it before. This was going to be a semi-easy run that would suffice for my 1 hour training run.
I met up with the club at 6:30p and welcomed a few new runners to the group and spoke to Dave about the plan. We were lucky this evening to have a new runner to the club join us this evening. Marcus was going to join us on our course and would stick to our pace, which honestly surprised me because Marcus is a far superior runner to me. I’ve been to a couple of club runs and it was clear that Marcus is a strong runner, much faster than most. He has an “Ironman” tattoo on his calf, a symbol of completing the Ironman Triathlon. 140.62 miles of grueling physical competition consisting of a 2.4mi Swim, 112mi bike and a 26.2mi (Marathon). I knew going into this run, it was likely not going to be what I expected at the onset.
We took off on my planned route and then it all changed. As we were running through a neighborhood there were some side roads that none of us have ever ran. All I heard Dave say was “Someone in the club lives back here, I heard these roads were an interesting run. Let’s do it”. Of course the challenge was laid down, so my only response was “Yeah, fuck it. Let’s do it”.
There were a handful of side roads through this neighborhood, each with a common theme. Run downhill to the creek, then uphill into the neighborhood, hit a round about and back down to the creek and back up. It was a fucking challenge! It’s obvious whoever designed this neighborhood was not a runner. Steep hills and no side-walks.
When things got tough, all I could think of was the Jocko Willink motto: “Get Some”. No use bitching or complaining, that doesn’t accomplish anything good. Just suck it up and keep going. Once the hills hit full force, Dave and Marcus were ahead of me most of the time but as good running partner, they turned around to pick me up on a few occasions.
Overall the run was physically tough up the hills and mentally challenging as it was a route I’ve never been on. Now that I know, we’ll be doing it again! You don’t get stronger, faster, better by avoiding the challenge. Staying in your comfort zone won’t result in growth. It’s time to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Results: 5.85 Miles in 60minutes, AVG Pace: 10’16” with AVG HR: 149bpm. Best Mile 9’31”
Wednesday 5K
The day started busy and kept busy with meetings, phone calls, emails and more obligations. I was looking forward to my Wednesday 5K as it’s one time of the week I can relax and hang out with friends and not think about these life pressures that we all face on a daily basis.
I arrived at the tavern a little early, talked to my friends about my goal pace of a sub 9min/mi and then we stepped off. We had a group of about 20 this evening and somehow I was the lead runner for the first mile! I think this was a first time ever in a group I was breaking trail! Well not really, I was running with Carl who is a far superior runner than me. The only reason Carl was staying with me is because he had a dinner full of spaghetti and meatballs before the run! Not sure how he did it in 88F degree heat!
The reality was I was only breaking trail because others let me. In tonight’s group were a handful of runners that could have easily dusted me off. It was fun for a minute to be up front!
I ran hard the first 2.5K but felt like I had more in the tank still. Mentally I felt strong because I knew I could go faster on that first 2.5K, which was surprising because just 24hours before I was running up and down hills. The last 2.5K I stuck with my friends Robert and Jon. In the past 6 months it has always been Robert who slows down to my pace and deals with my intermittent walking as I’m trying to catch my breath and not pass out. On most of my hard runs when times were tough, Robert stuck with me and didn’t complain once. Tonight things were a little different, I think he was in hurt status and had to walk a few times. I gladly stayed at his pace, which was actually pretty damn good, and we finished the run strong. A group of 3.
Following the run I got to catch up with Becca and Jenn, both of whom I haven’t seen in a while. Becca is a strong runner who after just a few short weeks of training could easily leave me behind. She starts her Marathon training in September with a goal of a sub 2hr Half Marathon. I’m certain she’ll achieve that goal.
Jenn and I had a good conversation about running without talking. It’s great to run with friends and have that friendly competition and conversations, but sometimes you just want to stay quiet, keep running and really take in the feeling of running and doing your own pace on your own. I get it. As much as I love running with friends, a solo run can be satisfying and lead to growth. I get in Jenn.
Overall my Wednesday night turned out to be pretty good. I ran a sub 30min 5K, which in my unwritten rule book earns me a beer. One Mango Cart pint down and some good conversations with friends and the night ended late at 8:30pm.
On another note. If Robert’s wife has read this far, WE NEED ROBERT THERE ON WEDNESDAY’S! They say if you do something twice, you’re doing it all-the-time. Well, Robert running at FST has now become a Clayton Area Runners staple. Something’s just off kilter when he’s not there. So thank you!
Results: 3.11 Miles in 27’09”, AVG Pace: 8’45” with AVG HR: 151bpm. Best Mile 8’14”
Thursday: Zero Day
After three runs in two days my body needed a rest. Mentally I still wanted to get out there and log the miles but my body just needed a rest. So I rested.
Friday: Training Run 3
This morning I woke up and just wasn’t feeling it. The walk downstairs was a clear indication I was in my 40’s, every step was a reminder that at some point in my life I’ve carried heavy shit for a long period of time. It was a slow, lethargic wake up. I figured a cup of coffee would help ignite the desire to run. One cup of coffee later it was 6:15am and I felt no different. This morning was going to be a struggle. I made a decision though that I would be out the door at 6:30am, regardless of how I felt.
The clock must have been malfunctioning because those 15 minutes seemed to pass by in about 45 seconds. The clock read 6:30am and I got going. Discipline was carrying me through as my motivation was somewhere in the crawlspace of the house and emotionally I was just drained from a long week. My good ole friend discipline, making sure what must be done is done.
I knew that if I didn’t get out the door and get this run done, it wouldn’t happen all day long. I simply didn’t have the time to get it completed later. This was it.
The weather was incredible this morning and you could feel mother nature trying to hold on to the last few weeks of summer before the big fall change started happening. It was a cool 68F but with 100% humidity the summer air was just a few degrees away. The cicada’s were going strong already by 7am and the leaves were still green and glistening in the sun with dew. You could sense a change in the air. It was most noticeable halfway through my run when I stopped to get a picture of a spider web and there was steam rising off my skin. It was a surprising sight as I couldn’t remember the last time I saw that. Change in the air was imminent.
As I started my run, it hit me that I was on the same trail, doing the same workout as I was on Day 1 of this Marathon training. I was curious how much better I would do today as opposed to August 1st. Turns out my times were far superior and I felt much strong. Amazing what 25 days of consistent exercise and dedication will do for you.
The course is a rather flat out and back journey on the Greenway just next to the nasty Neuse river. The path was clear with few bikers and even fewer runners. My only company on the trail were two gentlemen getting in a “ruck” with their weighted sacks and iconic “Go Ruck” patches on display. As I passed them I was reminded of how God designed me to be a pack animal. In all the miles and years of carrying ALICE on my back, rucking just never seemed to be an issue.
Today’s run was programmed to be a Heart Rate regulated run for 40 minutes straight. I only stopped twice to take a picture and answer natures call. The plan was to stay at my Aerobic Power Heart Rate (Zone 2) which was 146-153bpm. The initial 2 miles I ran what was comfortable and then the last two miles I did my best to stay within Zone 2. This resulted in a slower pace on the return.
Overall the run turned out to be pretty good and I enjoyed it.
Results: 4.39 Miles in 40’00”, AVG Pace: 9’06” with AVG HR: 147bpm. Best Mile 8’48”
Long Run: Two Hours with breakfast.
My long run this week was set to be two hours of running. Dave reached out to me and asked if I wanted to get it in around Lake Johnson in Raleigh. This is a location I’ve never ran before so I was a little apprehensive about how well this run would go. I spoke to Anthony about it and he warned me about the “hills” and how some of them would require walking. If Anthony tells me that they require walking, they must be difficult.
We started as a group of four and had a good first mile at around a 10’00” /mi pace. I could tell instantly that the humidity this morning was going to get me and was happy I decided to bring my running vest with me. My vest carries 1.5L of water and I was already drinking water every 1/2 mile due to the humidity. Temperatures were increasing about 8deg every hour and the humidity was just going to get worse.
By mile 2 we were already splitting up and I found myself at the back of the pack with Dave. He was going for 16 miles and was easily staying with my pace. The route kept us on a paved trail for a bit and then onto single track, technical trail with roots, hills and rocks. Yes it was difficult, but it’s doing the hard things that makes you feel alive.
The run was a difficult on the single track trail. I just couldn’t get into a rhythm and a comfortable stride. Such is the way of trail running. Step after step, mile after mile it seemed to be an emotional struggle to just not stop. I felt my body temperature rising and at a couple of points mother nature was calling and it was unavoidable. On more than one occasion I was walking up or down a hill and over the more severe rooted areas.
Today’s run was physically draining and a mental challenge. I was grateful to have Dave running with me. For my last 22 minutes of the run Dave and I ran together and then parted ways at minute 11. I had the last 11 minutes of the run to myself and did what I could to increase the pace on my own. It was tough and I was counting down the seconds that this run would be over.
After the run the four of us gathered together and had a tail-gate style breakfast. Everyone pitched in and we had egg-scramble tortilla’s. Carlos brought in some legit tortilla’s, hand-made in Mexico. It really brought the meal together! The best part of the morning was being alive and being able to move my body on my own accord at my own will followed by a great breakfast with friends.
Results: 9.59 Miles in 2-hours, AVG Pace: 12’30” with AVG HR: 143bpm,Best Mile 9’52”
Sunday: Rest and Recovery
I’ll be spending my day resting and recovering and implementing some Yoga and stretching into my day.
I’d love to see your comments below.
Can you describe a run you had recently that took you through highs and lows? How did you get through those difficult phases?