Running has felt “bleh” since completing the KUS 24 hour race on November 11. My performance did not go my way and I fell short of my goal. I would find out the following day that I ran with the vidd-9teen, despite negative tests all week and on raceday. While I was only sick for a few days, I had lingering issues impacting workouts the following two weeks. I ran the Dallas Marathon a few weeks later before heading into a rest period. My friend Ashley Herring convinced me I should shut off all long runs for 8 weeks to let my body rest, which I did.

My long runs were replaced with short, speed sessions and I increased my DDP Yoga frequency. I also began lots of core training, focusing on getting conditioned better than ever. I’ve been averaging over 100 pushups a day for a month now while logging more strength and conditioning minutes than I have in years. But the running…bleh. Everything has felt a bit off. I’m still angry with my 24-hour race performance and I’ve never wanted a race back so badly. Because of the rest period, it’s been several months since reaching hour #3 of a run. I can generally get through the first two hours smoothly, but hour #3 is when things get difficult. Fatigue starts kicking in, muscles ache, nutrition and hydration become more critical. This is where the mind kicks in and where mental toughness begins to be challenged.

My rest period ended on Sunday when I completed the Not 4 Wimps Trail half-marathon. The race started shaky. My plan was to start slow and work myself up to a steady pace. The slow miles were difficult and hip pain gently crept in. My stride and cadence felt off, my gait felt abnormal and I began questioning every subtle movement, like a golfer evaluating the mechanics of his swing. I was on pace for 25,000 steps, questioning each one. I kept grinding away, at times feeling stronger before regressing back to poor mechanics.

I fired up the new David Goggins audiobook, “Never Finished”. I started this book on its release date in December but quickly shelved it. I didn’t want to think about ultra-marathons while keeping myself to low mileage. As my run continued, he talked about his failures running the MOAB 240 miler in 2019. I’ve been doing self inventory of everything that went wrong at the 24 hour race. Goggins described the same while preparing in 2021 where he’d finish #2 overall.

I noticed my stride, cadence, striking and gait were all working together harmoniously around mile #11. Every movement felt perfect. Time on watch: 2 hours, 5 minutes. I was in hour #3 of a long run for the first time in 70 days. I needed to go to that difficult place for a mental adjustment. I switched from audiobook to the “Rocky” soundtrack and picked up the pace. The final two miles were quick and I wanted to go another 10 miles after crossing the finish line.

I ran a 5-miler on Tuesday and picked up right where things finished Sunday. My other workouts this week have been solid. The fire is back!!!!

Next up, 4x4x48, WBC relay marathon and the Bataan Death March in New Mexico. (And wait till you see what I have planned for the spring… I’m currently finalizing those plans…)

Have an awesome weekend and be sure to do something hard.

Go get it.