Reflections: by Ryan K. Beck

Chicken parm w/ homemade sauce Let The Taper Begin In my first marathon block, I was extremely excited for the "taper" phase of my training. Essentially, a taper involves lowering the intensity (speed and effort) and volume (mileage/distance) of your running to keep your legs fresh for race day. It typically begins after the peak intensity and volume week of your training.  I fear the first time around I was too excited to taper. I ran my peak long run workout—20 miles with the last 6 mi at marathon pace—5 weeks before race day. It was a 63 mi week, and the workouts felt great. But in the weeks that followed, I ran 30 miles (including my 5K race PR of 17:28), 47 miles, 41 miles, 32 miles, and 21 miles (plus the marathon). The structure, unintentionally, caused me to lose fitness before race day.  This time, I have left the taper late. I peaked at 60 miles last week, including a long run workout of 20 miles with the last 8 mi at marathon pace (6:30/mi). I ran 52 miles this wee...

The starting point for most long runs Comfort in Complacency Before I got into running, I lifted weights consistently for 10+ years. Over time, I varied the number of workouts per week, target muscle groups, and workout length. When I started graduate school two years ago, I started going four days per week: Push / Pull / Legs / Core for exactly 45 minutes each workout. When I was younger, I often spent two hours lifting per day, but when I started graduate school, my schedule only allowed for time-constrained workouts.  These time-efficient workouts were predictable, measurable, and consistent. I began to log individual exercises with the weight, number of reps, and sets in a composition notebook. I felt like an experienced gym-goer, and the habit provided insight into the progress I was making. Over time, my note-taking revealed a clear pattern: I consistently did the same workouts, at the same weight and number of reps, week after week. The workouts were becoming easier, but I w...

Crazy cajun alfredo meal prep Stay Inside Syndrome One of the most challenging aspects of marathon training isn't the running itself—it's balancing the running with everything else going on in my life. As a third-year graduate student with a variety of professional roles, I often struggle to balance marathon training with my personal and professional pursuits. This Saturday, I again was confronted with competing priorities. I am four weeks out from my second BQ Marathon attempt at Baystate 2026, and had an 18-mile long run workout on the calendar. I also had committed to playing in a charity golf tournament with my boss at my summer job, which would demand playing 18 holes immediately after my workout. 18 miles, 18 holes. Over the summer, I played 18 holes of golf before my long-run, due to having an 8 AM tee time. This meant running the 20 miles I had self-prescribed in 80+ degree heat, after already being outside for 4 hours playing golf. For the tournament, I was told to arr...

The Story of My 2026 Tree House Half Marathon With my two hard-earned, delectable beers Believe in Yourself The night before the 2026 Tree House Half Marathon, my second race at this distance, I wrote in my journal: believe in yourself . These three words seem to hold immense power when preparing for a race. Because if I don't believe, then how can I expect anyone else to? How can I expect success? Looking at the weather forecast ahead of the race, the chance of rain was, unfortunately, 100%. To make matters worse, the worst of it seemed to be forecasted between 8-9 AM, which meant it would likely downpour for the entirety of my run.  I did would I could to weather the storm. I packed a bag the night before: a change of clothes and towel for the post race party, a rain jacket and windbreaker to tackle the elements, and my fuel—CARBS gels, a chocolate chip ClIF bar, a Honey Stinger waffle, and a Nuun Sport tablet for my Nathan SpeedDraw water bottle. I laid out my race day outfit, a...

After my Saturday long run Over the past 12 weeks, I have written, plainly, about putting one foot in front of the other each day. Every step is proof of progress, a sign of growth, and a measurable metric for change. Continuing to pursue difficult marathon goals has inspired me to be the best version of myself.  Despite my growth, I often find it difficult to keep moving forward. One of my favorite quotes is "C omparison is the thief of joy ." In running, there will always be someone faster, someone ahead of where I am today. I have found this out in races, where I place high but never high enough. I run fast but never fast enough. I train hard but never hard enough. It begs the question: is it ever  enough ? The problem, clearly, is that I am a recovering perfectionist. Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. It can inspire moments of brilliance, the satisfaction of a job well-done. And, it can create self-doubt, decision paralysis, and keep me stuck. Perfectionism is the ...

Naive and Impressionable  Like for a TBH (to be honest) .  Hot or not? Secret crush. If you recognize these terms, you may have grown up, as I did, with the launch of Instagram. I downloaded Instagram in the 5th grade, two years after its initial release in 2010. I remember feeling like I had just accessed something I shouldn't have—yet the platform was too new for anyone to care. It was innocent in concept; a photography app, a way to make life look cooler. In reality, it became detrimental to my mental health and view on relationships. As a middle schooler, my everyday usage involved sharing memes and viewing the memes others posted. I hadn't yet assimilated to the "phone eats first" mindset that often overwhelms life's otherwise ordinary experiences. My impressionable mind easily fell victim, though, to the belief that nothing was more important than my social image.  Original Instagram logo In its earliest stages, my profile was a true reflection of my persona...