4x4x48 Challenge

4x4x48 Challenge

What am I trying to accomplish? What is the inspiration of this challenge? Why on earth would someone do something like this?

Really good questions, ones that I tossed around when the idea was presented to me. Sure, it's a physical feat to spend 48 hours depriving yourself of sleep all while running 4 miles every 4 hours. This challenge is derived from David Goggin's outlook on life. David is a former Navy Seal who looks at life for its challenges and strives for discomfort. By testing himself mentally and physically, he advocates the Seal slogan 'Embrace the Suck'.

This challenge will suck. This blog may suck too. Both are the first I've attempted. I wanted an outlet to process how I'm feeling after each leg of the challenge. The good and the bad will be expressed through words and maybe a few pictures.

Running has become an amazing way for me to alleviate stresses in my life, explore the places around me, and feel better physically and mentally as a result of it. Training has its ebbs and flows. I need something that will stretch my tolerance for pain and discomfort and gauge how well I have been able to prepare myself for something like this challenge. Tate Davis, my roommate from college reached out and said he'd be taking on the 4x4x48 and wanted to do it alongside someone, even if that was from a distance. We found a weekend that made sense and started planning out what those two days would look like. Drawing routes, planning nutrition and training around the first weekend in April was the start. Tate in Raleigh, and me at Litchfield Beach. Following each run is a little synopsis of how I'm feeling in the moment following a run and preceding my next run four hours later.

Run 1: 12pm Friday

First one done. I would compare the feeling leading up to this run as the moments leading up to a race you've been training for. I'm checking the clock every minute leading up to noon. Is it time to get this thing going? How ready am I really? Out of the gate, I wanted to go slow. Really slow. Just like in a race, if you're out of the gate too quick, you're going to spend all your effort trying to get that heart rate back down to a normal rate. In this case, if I flew on this first run, who knows the problems it could cause later this evening or into the next 48 hours. The only goal was to get the first one done at a nice, comfy pace and keep that HR down. Mission accomplished. 4 miles at 10:03 min/mi pace, with an average HR of 134 bpm. I had my trusty sidekick out there with me. She crushed it. She's excited, nervous, but she's been here before. Now it's time to hydrate, stretch, rest, read, chill, who knows? See ya at 4pm!

Run 2: 4pm Friday

Two down, 10 to go. I was eager to feel what was different during the run. I wanted to see what would start to fatigue and break down first. Thankfully, there was minimal differences to the first run aside from normal wear. This one gave me confidence that this is doable. I was diligent during the hours between runs with electrolytes, foam rolling, Normatec Sleeves and trying to stay off my feet as best I could. My early prediction is that the soles of my feet will experience the most affliction by the end of this. After any long run, the dogs bark. I can't imagine this will be any different. It's time for some dinner, so more recovery activities, and trying finish this book, Why We Sleep. Dr. Walker, if you read this, I know how much you love restorative sleep. I promise I'll sleep better next weekend. See ya tonight!

Run 3: 8pm Friday

A sudden change in events! Just when I thought I was aboard the evening struggle bus, my body actually had a good time with that one. Sure, I was a little achy when I left the drive way and my mind wanted to feed into that pain, but my legs woke up quickly and got to it. There's a beautiful thing about running in the dark. The lack of sensory details like light and sound let's my mind zone out a little more and just focus on breathing. Miles go by quicker and quicker as the sun sets lower. Though this run seemed promising, I'm still weary of what the night will bring. Lack of sleep and true recovery is bound to catch with me at some point. But until then, see ya tomorrow!

Run 4: 12am Saturday

After a short bout of sleep, we're back at it! Felt like night ops out there. Anyone out on the streets probably shouldn't be, including myself but we've completed the first third of this challenge. Definitely a little spooky out there. My shadow managed to startle me pretty good on the second mile. All in all, stiffness is the main concern when you jump straight out of bed for miles. Really proud that I just got to it. Sleep is the reward. Back to bed, see ya in the wee hours of the morning!

Run 5: 4am Saturday

Sleep is a good thing but I noticed that it's hours you can't eat or drink. Those hours catch up to you. I felt dried out and tired. My thoughts are not super positive anymore. I'm thinking more about future runs than the one I'm currently a part of. I'm imagining how bad I'll feel if I feel this bad in the moment. I'm thankful I've managed about 5-6 hours of sleep split up across the night. This was going to be the hardest stretch and I did my very best to manage the fatigue and soreness but getting as much sleep as I could. My goal is to continue this trend into the middle of the day. Hours I normally would be up and moving, I will try to catch 30 minutes to an hour of napping to hopefully bank some sleep. I know this will be tough. Everybody says their tough until they're in a position to show it. Time to show it. See ya later this mornin'!

Run 6: 8am Saturday

Three consecutive rounds of at least two hours of sleep. And DEEP sleep. That far exceeded my expectations of what the night train was going to look like. That still doesn't make things that much easier, though. Stiffness, soreness, fatigue all setting in nicely going into the new morning. Additionally, I realized I hadn't eaten a thing since the ending of my 4pm run yesterday. Focusing on sleep and rising shortly before each night run suppressed my hunger to the point that I forgot there was even food in the house. I felt that this morning. Finley said she felt fine though, she cruised alongside me this morning. I'm curious if others completing this challenge have struggled with the most. Obviously the physical toll is relatively the same across the board unless you actually are David Goggins. One thing my brain leapt out of bed to see was the sun. Contradicting the point I made following yesterday's 8pm run, the dark started to play tricks on my mind. With no one but yourself out on the streets running, you hear sounds differently and see objects differently. I was convinced that bushes were some sort of wild animal. Wind chimes gave me the willies. I feel like just about every horror movie has a pair of wind chimes blowing in the wind in at least one scene. Though on edge, I pushed through and found excitement in the fact that my next runs would be in the daylight. All in all, we are hanging in there. Focus today will be on good, whole foods to keep me energized and plenty of electrolytes to maintain my hydration. Also probably like 3-4 cups of coffee but that's none of your business. Excited to enjoy this Saturday morning with Finley and prepare myself for another long day. See at around lunchtime!

Run 7: 12pm Saturday

We're hitting that second wind! Fueled by a full brekky and a good bit of coffee, this run really felt awesome. Pain subdued temporarily and I got it done quicker than the previous 6 runs. This route really worked out nicely as a simple out and back. Normally I stray away of O-A-B's but I just had to fight the wind for about 16 minutes before I rode a tailwind home. It's amazing what food can do for your energy levels, morale and recovery. With 28 miles done in the last 24 hours, I can feel my metabolism cranking up and I craved another bite as soon as I knew I was close to home. Also, headbands. Underrated tool for running. Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand. Felt good, probably looked decent. A lot of people waved at me so I'll keep that headpiece in my back pocket. We'll see what the afternoon brings. I feel like I'm killing time during the day in between each of these runs since I don't really feel like sleeping. Excited that I've only got a handful of runs left. We've crossed the halfway point and I can see the light. This will be a hard stretch, no doubt but I'm ready to embrace it. Whether I'm flying or creeping by, the miles will be done. Nick Bare says 'Go One More'. That's the mf motto. See ya later!

Run 8: 4pm Saturday

The momentum continues into the afternoon. I took the greenway to get away from the wind and I'm glad I did. It's a route that allows me to turn my brain off and zone out for 3 miles. A quiet mind during this challenges takes the pressure off tremendously. I'm really seeing how much of a mental feat this is rather than a physical one. Don't get me wrong, my body is feeling it. But to a certain point it really doesn't get any worse. Pain vs. injury. I can feel the difference between suffering through pain and sustaining an injury. What also helps is feeling how close we are to the finish line. This is the last third of the challenge. I'm planning to change up the sleep routine just a bit. I want to hold on until after midnight's run before I hop in bed. Though I know I could hop in for 2 hours of sleep, that stiffness is no joke when the alarm goes off and you've got like 15 minutes to suit up and start your journey in the dark. I'll also try to sneak in a light snack before the midnight run so that I don't go another 12ish hours between food. This evening is gonna be fun. If I keep telling myself that, it really won't suck as much. 16 more miles, let's ride! See ya tonight!

Run 9: 8pm Saturday

BOOM! That was a strong one. Out of the gate the body was quiet. No real tweaks or pains. I decided at the one mile mark to press the gas pedal a bit and see what I could do. Just because its late in the challenge doesn't mean I can't see what I've got in the tank. I'm really proud of this run. I apologize to the sweet old couple I ran by toward the end in basically a dead sprint. They were walking their dog and there went a shirtless man breathing as loudly as he could trying to push it. I also got back just in time for SDSU to hit a buzzer beater. Very cool. Rest, sip, relax, repeat just three more times! See ya Sunday!

Run 10: 12am Sunday

Ready for this to end. Body is tired, I'm tired of killing time leading up to each run. During this run I was nothing but anxious for the next run. Thankfully we've only got one more in the dark. This is becoming a bit of a mind game now. It's time to get some sleep and plug out one more early morning jog. Goodnight!

Run 11: 4am Sunday

Top 3 worst runs I've been on in my life. It's safe to say the wheels are falling off this bus quickly. Everything was quite painful on this run. Aches and pains were heightened likely due to sleeping for just 3 hours. I knew that this run would be the most difficult. Tate, who started 8 hours sooner than me, finished up his last run at midnight leaving me to finish the next two remote-solo (we've been supporting each other from different places this whole time). I have a pretty good fear of owls and they were in full fledge this evening. Anything that could have made this run more difficult presented itself to me this morning. I'm excited to be done and I know the 12th run will feel a bit more celebratory than anything so I'm not too worried. The sun will be up and I will be able to take it nice and easy knowing I won't have to run again for the next few days. My Garmin officially hates me at this point. It told me my 'training readiness' was 1/100 when I woke up. Its begging me to stop pressing the start button but I've got just one more. Excited to sleep a bit more and hopefully wake up a bit more refreshed. Even if I don't it will still be over. Let's go, baby! See ya later this morning!

Run 12: 8am Sunday

Wrap it up! Super excited to be done with the 4x4x48. Down to the wire this challenge really tested me. Physically I'm worn out and ready to take it easy for the next week to let the body recover as best as possible. Mentally, I feel free knowing I don't have 3.5 hours before the next time I need to get outside. I think this is a great checkpoint to see where you're at. It shows you that you can compile mileage and with modest pacing, continue for long stretches. I really have aspirations to run ultra-marathons like my dad did when he was my age and this is just the beginning. I'm digging my pain cave and becoming more comfortable in it. I learned running solo is fun, but having company for this is probably way more fun. Thanks to Tate Davis for the constant encouragement and texts throughout the 48 hours. He's a beast and I couldn't have done it without his help, even in a different city. Lastly, I really enjoy writing after runs. I didn't know I did until now. It helps me process how I felt and remember the moments that shaped the run. I'm hungry and tired so that completes it. Peace!

Smile or you're doing it wrong. - Andrew Glaze