4 Miles every 4 Hours for 48 Hours
What I learned from accepting an arbitrary challenge
A couple of months ago, a friend posted on Facebook that she and her husband had decided to run four miles every four hours for 48 hours: 48 miles in 48 hours. She posted a photo that appeared to be her husband, running ahead of her in the dark. As I imagine would be the case for most people, my first thought was…why? Probably unlike most people, however, I also thought this sounded like a great idea. Besides the running part — something I do anyhow — what most appealed to me about this was its total arbitrariness. It made me think of Cool Hand Luke randomly declaring “I can eat 50 eggs!” Why is not the point: he says he’s going to do this ridiculous thing, and then he does. And having done the (idiotic) thing, he wins over all his fellow prisoners and becomes a hero.
If you haven’t seen Cool Hand Luke, this might sound even stupider than it does in the movie. I’m not going to belabor the connection in my mind between this running thing and a scene from a classic film that’s nearly as old as I am — a scene that also features explicit Christ imagery and other complicated implications. Go watch the movie. I could argue, though, that there’s perhaps a parallel between deciding to take on a challenge just for the heck of it while being in a modified lockdown and deciding to eat 50 eggs in one hour while in prison. It is, at least, something to do. By trying this, though, I most certainly do not anticipate becoming anyone’s hero. I have no idea what I might get from this. Perhaps that is the point of doing it.
Anyhow: it turned out that the “4x4x48 challenge” was not something my friend and her husband randomly came up with. It is a proposal put forth by David Goggins, a (retired) Navy SEAL, fitness guru and motivational speaker whose hard earned fame and fortune have resulted from being brutally driven and tackling enormous goals. Examples: world record for doing pull-ups; and he’s the only person to have completed Navy SEAL training, US Army Rangers School AND Air Force Tactical Controller training. He’s one of those I-was-a-fat-loser-and-now-I’m-Superman characters; if this tells you anything, his recent book is called Can’t Hurt Me; Master your Mind and Defy the Odds. That is to say, he is inarguably a total badass. His shtick is advising you to do everything that your really don’t want to do, and do it to great excess. Evidently, throwing out hideous-sounding challenges to his many followers is a thing he does. Prior to this, my knowledge of this man amounted to having heard him mentioned, and I saw him run past me in a 100-mile ultra (which he finished in impressive fashion, and I didn’t finish at all).
So, consider me newly Goggins-curious, and here is my report on doing this 4x4x48 thing:
Friday, 8/28: Having had this kicking around in the back of my head for weeks, at some point in the late afternoon I am prompted by the profoundly shitty state of the world and my increasingly urgent desire to get out of my house — and also to just…I don’t know: DO SOMETHING — to decide I’m starting this challenge at 9:15 PM tonight. I chose this time based on the desire to minimize runs in total darkness and to finish just before a nice celebratory dinner and going to bed. I figure this way I will have only 4 night runs and my 12th and final run will end around 6pm on Sunday.
I have no idea what I might get from this. Perhaps that is the point of doing it.
Run #1, 9:15 PM, 8/28: Off I go. I don’t have a nice 4-mile route planned out, so I’m approximating and relying on my GPS watch to help me figure it out. My standard runs are quite a bit longer and I prefer to be on trails as much as possible, but in the dark I feel more comfortable sticking to pavement in residential neighborhoods, with maybe a few streetlights, so I’m really just meandering. My first guess turns out to be a bit long: a loop of 4.20 miles. Done, no problem; seems short and easy and kind of pointless.
Run #2, 1:15 AM, 8/29: Having returned from Run #1 predictably sweaty, I was confronted with the issue of whether to sit around in my damp clothing for 3 hours or to take them off, clean up, and then get re-dressed to run almost immediately. This is not a problem everyone is likely to encounter, because it is largely an issue of the Sweaty Running Bra, a phenomenon only familiar to women who find that no matter how warm the ambient temperature may be, a wet bra will become miserably chilling as soon as your body temperature cools back to normal after a run. David Goggins does not wear a bra (I mean, does the man even own a shirt?). I realize this is not a huge problem, but it’s definitely going to be a factor.
Since I had not planned to get any sleep until after this run, I had decided to stay in the same clothing this time, and try to bundle up to avoid the chill while awaiting this outing. However, at Go time I decide to remain bundled (because I’m f**king freezing) and it turns out not to have cooled off that much outside, so I am way too hot while running. As it happens, there turn out to be a surprising number of creepy people out and about in the wee hours, and it is weirdly comforting to have on extra layers. Or anyway this is my positive spin on what is really a mistake.
Run #3, 5:15 AM, 8/29: I had attempted to ‘go to bed’ after Run 2, which involved stripping down and doing a quick wipe-down with a washcloth before lying down. I am not at all excited about getting up again. I have to go through the whole get-dressed-to-run routine, which means applying anti-chafing lube before putting on a clean (dry) bra, clean shirt, etc. Perhaps I should have thought to lay out the clothing before the freaking dead of night. I had planned on daylight but it appears darker than I expected, so I put on a headlamp. It also feels chilly, so in spite of being overheated last time out, I grab a light jacket. I’m startled by how stiff and sore I feel as I set out (really? after EIGHT MILES?). Almost instantly I’m way too hot, and while a little extra light is helpful for the first, like, half a mile, I am quickly annoyed by the headlamp and take it off. At least the benefit of the jacket is that I have a pocket in which to stick the damn lamp (positive spin…). From where I am I can’t see the sunrise but it’s nice that it becomes daylight as I go.
Still, this run sucks. This is a stupid idea.
My purpose in doing this — if, indeed, I had one — was to shake up my routine a bit, or rather, to remind myself what it is to even have a routine and stick to it.
Run #4, 9:15 AM, 8/29: I again did the strip down/wipe-off and went back to bed after the last run, so once again I have to get up and get dressed. As it is now legit daylight, I have to add applying sunscreen to the getting ready routine. I feel generally sticky; the dressing thing is a pain in the ass. I’m still quite stiff and sore starting out, however now that it’s light I feel comfortable going on part of my usual trail route — which means steeper hills and a slower pace, but a much more pleasant experience than running on pavement past a bunch of houses. Slowest run so far, but maybe not so bad.
Run #5, 1:15 PM, 8/29: I am experimenting with taking off only some things, or taking off and putting back on some things, as opposed to having to completely change my clothes every freaking 4 hours, and there are perhaps some chafing issues developing. I am beginning to note that I have even less time between runs than I had anticipated. And I’m sticky. Okay then. Since afternoon is my preferred time to run, this is the first outing so far that feels pretty normal (stiffness and stickiness aside), and I forget what I’m doing and go quite a bit farther along the trail than intended. As a result this run ends up more than half a mile longer than it was supposed to be. On the other hand, my pace was much faster, I felt much better, and it did not suck at all.
Run #6, 5:15 PM, 8/29: In the interest of forcing my hand a little, after the last run I posted about this undertaking on Facebook, so that I would be less tempted to quit and pretend I never tried to do this. Until now I had only told the people in my house (my son and his girlfriend), and only so they would count me out of meal planning and not be alarmed by my coming and going in the dead of night. Now I feel more accountable. The run is a little bit slower this time, but also shorter — this is the closest I’ve managed to exactly 4 miles, and I would plan on just repeating this route, but I’m not going on the trail in the dark so next time will have to be different.
Half-way done. As a special treat, after this run I take an actual shower.
Run #7, 9:15 PM, 8/29: I have always felt that the hardest part of any race is not finishing it but getting to the starting line. This is confirmed by how f**king hard it is to keep having to get dressed and get out there every 5 minutes. I am more convinced than ever that a 4-mile run is not worth the time and effort, let alone the laundry. I’m thinking that after this stupid undertaking I am never running less than 10 miles at a time, if for no other reason than that would postpone the start of the next run.
Also, I kind of wish I had not posted about this on Facebook.
Run #8, 1:15 AM, 8/30: Whose f**king idea was this?
Run #9, 5:15 AM, 8/30: I return from this run thinking: “Scarecrow, I think I’ll miss you most of all.” No idea why. I find the hints of ultrarunning delirium weirdly gratifying. Also, I have acquired a zucchini on the run. As one does. I leave it in the kitchen and go (sort of) to bed.
Run #10, 9:15 AM, 8/30: Okay, so maybe there is a point to this. I don’t know what it is yet. I must say, the playlist running through my head is exceedingly eclectic — Bob Marley, Dolly Parton, selections from Jesus Christ Superstar. WTF? The best thing about this run is the knowledge that in less than 12 hours I will NOT be running.
Run #11, 1:15 PM, 8/30: Admittedly I tried to go back to bed after the last run, but was unable to fall asleep. And yet, this is my fastest pace since the first two runs — the most enjoyable outing so far. Still, I have confirmed that I much prefer going for a very long run and then being done with it for at least 12 hours. Also, short of being toward the end of an ultra, I have rarely if ever found myself literally fantasizing about taking a shower.
Run #12, 5:15 PM, 8/30: Neither the slowest nor the fastest, longest, shortest, worst or best of the twelve, but it is, thankfully, the last. When I’m done I take a long and glorious shower, put on regular, non-running clothes, make pizza, enjoy a couple of beers and go to bed, having first made damn sure I have turned off all the alarms I had set in case of sleeping through a designated run time. Done. The End.
What have I proven?
Aside from having done a thing I set out to do, I don’t feel particularly accomplished. I felt most triumphant as I started out on Run #12, because for me the only truly daunting thing about this challenge was getting dressed and out the door every 4 hours. I have run much more than 48 miles, continuously, in much less than 48 hours, so in terms of volume this was not a challenge. My purpose in doing this — if, indeed, I had one — was to shake up my routine a bit, or rather, to remind myself what it is to even have a routine and stick to it. To anyone considering trying this at home, I would advise that first you scope out a 4 mile route that you can safely and comfortably run both day and night; consider what clothing and other gear you might need and have it ready to go; and if possible, find a partner or group to join you.
Also I feel it should be noted that if you are looking for a quick fix to being out of shape and/or overweight, this is not it (in fact there is no “quick fix” for that). This challenge is probably counter-productive in that regard, as it does not result in quality “work-out” type runs but is quite conducive to random fatigue-induced eating and the cumulative sleep deprivation is likely to require at least a few days of rest when you’re done. You’d be better served by running 4 miles a day for 48 days, or 48 miles a week for 4 weeks (or for 48 weeks), or whatever routine you come up with that is sustainable over a long period of time. If this challenge does anything for you, it has to do with building mental (and perhaps emotional) toughness, or discipline, or something. Or it will just make you really tired and cranky, but I’ll bet doing this is less awful than eating 50 eggs.
I will leave you with some stats from my 4x4x48 experience:
Pairs of running shorts worn: 4
Pairs of running shoes worn: 5
Pairs of running socks worn: 9
Running bras worn: 7
Running shirts worn: 8
Total time running: 9 hours, 20 minutes and 12 seconds
Total miles: 50.02
Vegetables acquired: one zucchini*
Water consumed: not enough
Hours of sleep: Yes, please
*The zucchini was delicious.
