This weekend I completed the 4x4x48 challenge which involves running 4 miles (6.44 km) every 4 hours for 48 hours. This results in a total of 48 miles (77km) ran. Here is my recap of the of event.
We raised $4682 for Kid Sport, thank you to everyone that donated! It was great to see that we had a large number of donors (75) rather than just a few big shots. Seeing everyone donating really added a lot of meaning to the event for me.
This event poses two sorts of challenges: physical and mental. I think the physical challenges are self explanatory but the mental challenges less so. I found the mental aspects of this event to be more of a challenge. These included:
Sleep deprivation
Having to run every fours hours meant that you really only had about two hours at a time that you could try and sleep. It seemed every time I was just starting to get some actual rest the alarm would run and it would be time to suit up.
Always thinking about the next run
The short amount of time you do have between runs was focused on getting ready for the next run. Stretch, water, roll, eat, poop, etc etc. Your mind never fully relaxed.
Knowing you have 77km ahead of you
You may be feeling good now but knowing you had many many kilometers to go meant you were always worried about that small pain in your knee, or tight hip flexor turning into a bigger issue.
Challenges aside this was an awesome event. It was a great physical challenge but a bit different in nature than the usual running a marathon type of thing. Doing the runs with two other guys made it much more enjoyable. Running in the dark at 1 am is a lot less fun when you are by yourself (especially when the police are performing a drug bust at 4am and the suspect escapes into the neighbourhood). It was also nice to be able to share the “suffering” with other people. Everyone knows “happiness is only real when shared”.
I enjoyed the runs, they were the easy part. All you had to do was run until you hit 4 miles. Simple. At a certain point the mind tuned out and you got into the rhythm. It was nice to have a singular and well defined goal to work towards. Each finished run brought you closer to the 48 miles and gave you a small sense of accomplishment.
Overall I think it is great to take on physical challenges like this every so often. It motivates you to train and makes life more interesting. In training for this event I ran more than I ever have in the rest my life combined. People reached out to us encouraging us onwards or saying they thought what we were doing is cool. If anything it gives you a story to tell.
I am already planning the next challenge…
– Mitch
Quote of the Week
Stay Hard! - David Goggins
Favourite Things of The Week
James Clear on the Daily Stoic Podcast (Ryan Holiday )
I really enjoy both of these guys works. Atomic Habits is one of the most impactful books I have read and Ryan Holiday has opened me to Stoicism. Some of my takeaways from this podcast are
- Saying no more to have control over how you spend your time.
- Develop systems
- Focus on the process and the systems instead of the outcome
Jordan Peterson on Gad Staads Podcast
Both of these guys are academics who have embraced using the internet to spread their ideas. They hold some non-traditional ideas in the world of academia. I find it interesting to listen to Jordan Peterson and try and understand half of what he is saying.
Factfulness by Hans Rosling (Book)
The world is not as messed up as you think!! It is the best it has every been. 80% of children under 1 are vaccinated in the world.