The Eugene Diaries: Chapter 2
Looking back, four years later
On January 2nd, 2020, I went for a run. There was nothing special about it. I went outside, planning on running three miles. I did, averaging 8:45-per mile with my heart rate averaging 173 beats-per minute across 26:19 of running.
Looking into things a bit more, I got off to a much faster start than I’d finish. I ran my first mile in 8:05. The second, 8:31. I finished with a 9:41, almost two minutes slower than the first. My HR was jacked up.
There’s no extra info on my Strava from January 2nd, 2020. No title. No info on how it went. I went for a run — the first time I had run since December 27th, 2019, my fifth and final run of December — and I assume I was just happy to get it done and move on to whatever the rest of the day would bring. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t interesting. It was three miles.
There was nothing special about it.
Except for everything.
If you’ve listened to my podcast1, you’ve probably heard me mention that my running journey began in 2020. You also might be a bit confused if you’ve read any of my newsletters that mention running marathons and half marathons between 2013 and 2019. In fact, as I went for that run on the second day of 20202, I was almost three months removed from my second ever marathon, a 4:38:55 I put together in Chicago in October of 2019. I came out of that race telling anyone and everyone, “this is it! I’m done!”
I still felt that way on January 2nd. Nothing was special about that day. Nothing changed that day. It was three miles.
Yet, it wasn’t three miles. It was the beginning of what’s come next.
In the leadup to 2024, I spent quite a bit of time looking back on 202. That day in March, when I asked Riss to marry me. An incredible August day, when we got married. Leaving No Doubt in Des Moines, as I chased and caught three hours once again. Moment after moment; 2023 was good to me.
And then my mind continued to wander. My 2022 setting up my 2023. 2021 — adopting Banks, still the highlight of the year — an important year for so many, especially coming off 2020. Which then caused me to think about that year.
2020.
Somehow it’s been four years. At the same time, it feels both longer ago and like it just finished.
I am unable to imagine how I would have handled that year without this becoming my passion. There’s a run I remember, where I found myself outside all alone for a while, taking in everything — thinking of how weird everything was — but how happy I was I had this. How thankful I was to have running.
Maybe that’s why I always tell people, “my running journey began in 2020.” There’s always this awkward, “even though I had ran before that, even in high school,” sentence that follows the first. I certainly didn’t run for the first time in 2020. I didn’t even enjoy running for the first time in 2020. I didn’t compete for the first time, train for the first time, or race for the first time3.
But I had never fallen love with running like I did in 2020. Four years later, I’m still smitten by it; my love growing bigger by the day.
This week in podcasting:
My best friend, David McCon, joined me on this week’s episode to discuss his own running journey, which really ramped up itself that same year. We talked about 2020 — the marathon we both signed up for, and the reason why he wanted to run it in the first place — as well as embracing sobriety, something he did just over a year ago.
This was a special episode for me to record. I hope you enjoy it.
The log:
January 1st: 6 miles
January 2nd: 8.01 miles with 6 x 12 second hills + 8 x 100 meter strides
January 3rd: 11 miles
January 4th: 6 miles
January 5th: 13 miles
January 6th: 6 miles
January 7th: 17 miles
Total: 67.01 miles
Year to date: 67.01 miles
January 1st: The year got off to a great, if late, start. After a fun New Year’s eve — aptly enough for the above podcast mention, David and his wife Danyel came over to spend the evening with Riss and I — I took Banks for a walk when we woke up, before going through my usual pre-run routine. By the time I got to the trail, it was after 11:00am. Thankfully, six slow miles were on tap. Given all the food and drink enjoyed Sunday night — and let’s be honest, the entire week leading up to it — I didn’t really know what to expect. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was the number of runners I saw; whatever it was, this run was incredibly fun and much easier than I expected. I averaged 9:04-per mile and my HR averaged 126.
“First of many,” I wrote on Strava. First of many, indeed4.
January 2nd: I took things easy throughout New Year’s Day. After my run, I got a lift in, but otherwise sat on the couch and watched both College Football Playoff games. The issue? The Sugar Bowl started (and ended) much later than I would have liked. The alarm that hit on Tuesday, as I went back into the real world, had me feeling quite tired. It showed on the run.
Eight miles total, I did 3.5 before hitting hills six times over, did another couple miles, before adding in eight 100-meter strides. I added another slower mile to finish things up. I’ve done this run, or something similar, quite a few times at this point, but this was among the least favorite I’ve ever had. You know how you really enjoy all that time off and then are ready to get back into a routine? This run was that personified. Averaged 7:46-per with my HR at 148. Metrics were there, vibes were not. Was happy to move on immediately.
January 3rd: Felt much better when I went out Wednesday for eleven miles. This run turned into the most consequential run of the entire week. Close to five miles in, I went under a bridge, stepped on a branch5 with my right foot, which snapped it up into the ball of my left foot. Had some pain over the next six miles, but didn’t think it was anything serious. Checked for bruising or anything else when I got home. Thankfully, all seemed in the clear. That said, it’s bugged me ever since, though less and less each day. Guessing the soreness will continue to subside, but was absolutely not the way I wanted things to go just ten days into training.
Worse, it really took from what was an enjoyable run to that point. Finished at a 7:45-per mile average with the HR hanging at 147 throughout.
January 4th: Recovery miles were just what I needed on Thursday and the numbers were pretty much a mirror of Monday’s. 9:04-per mile, HR at 127 on average. Given my pace, my foot pain was surprising, but days later, I’m happy to report that’s the worst it felt all week long.
January 5th: Given how the foot felt on Thursday, I went out Friday knowing I could juggle with Saturday if I had to. 13 miles were scheduled, with six on tap Saturday, so it would be quite the difference in distance, but also pace. Started a little slower than normal, going right at 8:00 for that first mile, but things felt good, so I decided it would indeed be a 13-mile morning.
It was cloudy the entire time.
Gray.
January.
Happy to report that was the only bad part about this run. I felt so good for almost every second of 1:41:16, finishing within a second or two of both Tuesday and Wednesday’s runs. 7:47-per with the HR averaging 146. Gave me a big boost of confidence going into the weekend, especially with a big dog scheduled for Sunday.
January 6th: But first, had one more recovery run. Another January AF morning, I practically begged the sun to show up, never seeing a single peek of it. The consistency of the week continued, as I averaged 9:03 on the six miles, with my HR again in that zone I like, averaging 126.
9:03, 9:04 (x2), 7:45, 7:46, and 7:47 paces in the six runs ahead of Sunday. Don’t think I’ve ever had a week that looked so similar like this.
January 7th: The original plan for Sunday was, as said earlier, a big dog. 17 miles total, with the last eight coming at marathon pace. For now, we’re still aiming for 2:49:59, so I hoped to run those miles at a 6:29-pace. As Saturday unfolded though, the sidewalks (and presumably trails) were filled with just enough snow, on top of already wet streets, that I wondered if it would be in the cards. By the time I went to bed Saturday night, it seemed like it wouldn’t be possible. Throw in feeling under the weather as I fell asleep, and I just hoped to get out and run.
Thankfully, I woke up feeling better. I was excited to get to Lake Cunningham.
I’d be running with friends from the Aksarben Athletic Club.
I put out the word earlier in the week inside our Discord server — I had a 17-mile run on Sunday, anyone wanna join? — and was so excited as more and more people said they’d be there. We live all over the city, or even outside of it, so to get this many together was something I appreciated all morning long. Made the miles fly. It was pretty obvious early on that any sort of fast miles wouldn’t be in the cards. Just enough snow was covering too much of the trail. It wasn’t going to be feasible. No harm in it; I’ll get them in eventually.
Given the sickness from Saturday, I worried my HR would be high throughout. It was, but only early, and once I got going, I had a super enjoyable run. Chatted with a bunch of freind about all sorts of stuff and couldn’t believe it when it came to an end. All told, 17 miles at a 7:40-pace, with the HR averaging 147. Even finished with a sub-7:00 mile at the end, to make up for the lack of MP miles.
Two weeks down, 16 to go. Cheers to a great week to start 2024.
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What a year, am I right?
Well, to be fair, I had never raced virtually before.
My goal for the year? 3000 miles, which is about 58-per week.
I think! It certainly felt like one, but could never figure out exactly what it was.