Introduction

Hello and thank you for tuning in. Just for clarity, the 4x4x48 challenge was created by David Goggins. The challenge requires participants to run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. Participants are allowed to substitute running with walking or general exercise. The main goal is to get people moving as well as donate to charity!

The next thought may be why the hell would someone want to run 48 miles on a perfectly nice weekend? Everyone will have their own reasons, heck for some this may just be a training run, shout-out to all the ultra runners out there (I am not one). I had a few reasons for attempting this challenge. Most of them are pretty selfish of me to be honest. This was a physical test for a distance I’ve never even come close to reaching. Even greater than the physical challenge was the mental challenge I would eventually be faced with. This impacted me mentally way more than physically when it was all done with.

I think this is a good spot to give you all a bit of a background on my running history. I have an okay athletic background. Never been the fastest, strongest, or lowest weight. Heck before this challenge I was sitting right at 235 lbs. My time in the military only required running 1.5 miles under 13 minutes or so to get a decent physical score. I’ve competed with teams on endurance races, but even then I was responsible for maybe one or two legs of the eventual 70 plus miles. Where each leg I may be responsible for 3-5 miles. For this event I wasn’t just the leg, I was the team… yikes!

Since my time in the military I still run 3-4 times a week for about 3-5 miles each run. Last year I had the idea of training for a marathon. It would be my first and I thought it would be a sweet goal. I was up to 16 miles in one session, which I thought was great. Inevitably, the current pandemic we are all going through put a stop to all races. I figured I’d keep training and eventually I could get one marathon under my belt. Well we are all human and around August/September of last year, I dealt with a nagging upper calf injury that wouldn’t go away. I did some PT and took a lot of time off (months). Injuries aren’t new to me, hell I’ve torn the ACL in my left knee 3 times! At least that injury puts you all the way down for some time.

Run Preparation

That was a really long winded background but its my blog so its all good! Now for how I prepared for this challenge. Full disclosure, I am no running expert and this is definitely not the go to plan or even a good plan. Its just what worked for me. I continued running 3-4 times a week for about 3-5 miles after I recovered from the calf injury. I also added weight training using those fancy adjustable dumbbells, yay for home gyms! I eventually started running right after doing a leg day workout. Trying to trick my mind into dealing with the soreness I would face during this challenge. Oh boy I couldn’t be more wrong.

Running Technique

The running technique I use is pretty damn simple. I run for a few minutes… then walk for 30 seconds. This technique was developed or popularized by Jeff Galloway. I heard about Jeff from a fellow co worker and picked up his book to train for the marathon, “Marathon, You Can Do It!”. The thought behind this technique is that you run for a certain amount of time and then walk. You basically do this in intervals and repeat. The small walk breaks in between running lowers the muscle breakdown and soreness experienced from constant running. Runners have even accomplished personal bests using this technique. Some folks may put you down because you aren’t constantly running, but take my advice and tell them to FUCK right off.

Nutrition

Sorry for getting so spicy there at the end. While running the challenge, when I hit mile 30+ and other weekend runners are doing their thing and passing you, don’t get down. Just tell yourself “IM ON MILE FUCKING 30!”. Just a bit on nutrition, again I’m no expert. I basically searched the internets, what are the best fruits to eat after runs? I saw bananas (cramps) / oranges (muscle recovery). Besides the usual protein source to fuel muscles and a whole lot of carbs. I had some chicken and rice as my main meals. Pictured below is my race set up (thanks to my lovely wife).

Food

Pre Race

So now its the night before the race. I tried for a while to place it in the back of my mind. Thinking about that many miles in general makes me nervous and boy was I nervous the night before. My advice would be to lay out all your clothes, gear, food, and chargers in one room or general area. It makes transitioning from relaxing to running so much easier. In my case I left all chargers connected so I just dropped off running watch or earbuds on their charger when a leg was done. Don’t forget this! My running light ran out of juice during one run and damn it was dark!

I did some simple math and figured we would all be running 12 total legs to complete the challenge. Initially I wanted to break down this write up leg by leg and honestly I think its better if I group them into thirds. Since the pain and tiredness you experience is similar between them.

Legs 1-4

Some of the fastest legs here for obvious reason haha. I mentioned before I reached 16 miles in one running session. In my mind I knew I could at the very least make it to mile 16, which would take me to the end of leg 4. These runs were overall pretty fun and the muscle soreness and fatigue was low.

1-4

Midnight Runs

I have to mention this. Being a two day event, you will be running in the dark. I would recommend getting a reflective vest and a light for the front and back. Stay safe out there folks and protect yourselves. The night runs for me were truly special. The world is so silent but loud at the same time. You hear everything; the wind moving grass, stop signs shaking, small critters, the sound of your breath, or the college kid puking his guts out over the porch. I’m not hating, enjoy yourself young man!

Legs 5-8

These legs were honestly a total surprise to me. It would be mileage I have never reached before and that might be what fueled me during these runs. My overall times were pretty good. I maintained a good pace and muscle soreness around the quad, hip, and calf areas just started. Remember when I said “IM ON MILE FUCKING 30!”

5-8

Legs 9-12 “Go get it”

I wont lie to anyone. Unless you are some experienced distance runner, these legs will hurt! I say that for a good reason. No one is making us do this. You can stop at anytime. Whatever the reason is that you chose to do this, I’m so happy and proud of you. It’ll hurt to even think of leaving that warm comfy bed at 4 AM. Just know that you made it this far and you should be so proud. “One more to go!! Go get it!!” – John Spiegel

9-12

Some of you may have wondered, if you have to run 4 miles every four hours, why the hell is this dude running 4.4? Again, for selfish reasons. I’ve never gone for this many miles. This got me thinking, “if I can make it that far, how much will I need to run to hit 52.4”. The equivalent of TWO marathons. From never running one to running two in 48 hours. I thought that would be incredible and pretty damn special.

In Between Time

What do you do in between each leg? I developed a pretty normal routine. I ate half a banana after each leg and some orange slices. I would then hydrate with plain water and get a meal in at normal times of the day. I stretched and foam rolled after each and every run, no exceptions. Even if you have to stretch in bed at 1 AM… do it! Besides that I just played some video games and read messages from awesome supporters.

Support

When embarking on great challenges, having a support team or person is critical. Thank you to everyone who like, comment, and subscribed… wait a minute this isn’t YouTube. Seriously, thank you to everyone that supported me and left a positive message. Thank you to all the support teams out there, y’all rock! Last but definitely not least. Big thanks to my wife Amanda, without her support I don’t know what I would be doing. Definitely not running 52 miles…

You Can Do It

This experience has showed me if you put your mind to it, you really can do anything. Cliché I know. Take me as a small example. After the third ACL tear, I could’ve given up on all athletic hopes and dreams. Maybe now I can claim the title of being the greatest to ever run 52 miles with a twitter handle of Julio_PDX…

Night Run