Reflections: by Ryan K. Beck

The Runner's Paradox A book I was reading this week "A paradox is the appearance of contradiction between two related components. Although light and darkness seem to be opposites, you can't have one without the other—the opposing elements of a paradox are inextricably linked."  - The Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown (82) This week, I sought to rediscover the joy in running. My consistent running practice has brought so much to my life, yet the monotony and demands of marathon training have grown tiresome. My pursuit of a Boston Marathon qualifier kept me highly motivated in my first training block, but now that I have realized that it may take several more training blocks to run sub 2:48:00 in the marathon, I am experiencing the challenges of delayed gratification for long-term goals.  Running, in many ways, is a paradox. The act of running itself is grueling, exhausting, and monotonous. Running at high mileage demands that you build your schedule around your trainin...

A Paradigm Shift A recent sunset at Wachusett Mountain I have realized something critical about running and sports in general: your mindset determines your outcome. If you go into a run believing you can't complete it, then you simply won't, no matter how physically capable you are. This isn't to say that you can mentally will yourself into running a marathon without training. Though, if you believe in your capabilities, then you will have the confidence to train and perform.  When I set the goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, I had some outlandish idea that it would happen in my first marathon. I ran a debut 1:25:23 half marathon in October 2025, and had seven months to train for my first marathon in May 2026. I figured that if I devoted myself to running for seven months, then I could essentially run my half marathon time back-to-back for a debut marathon around 2:50:00, which would qualify for Boston.  Instead, I ran a 3:07:10 debut marathon, after being on pace ...

Stunted Recovery  After the most difficult week of training I have ever done, I entered this week ill-recovered to tackle an increase in mileage. My plan had me running 68 miles this week, a five-mile increase from last week. My only true recovery time to prepare is on the weekend, when I am typically free of obligation.  Last week, with the 4th of July falling on a Saturday, my typical recovery was stunted. After squeaking out 17.76 miles to commemorate America's birthday, I immediately drove to the North Shore to spend the day with some college friends. On Sunday, I headed to New Hampshire to catch up with family, before heading back home late in the day. In total, I drove roughly six hours in the span of three days, managing to fit in a 10 mile run on Friday and the 17.76 miles on Saturday, despite the heat. I also slept poorly Fri-Sun nights due to disruptions in my typical sleep schedule.  As an introvert, recovery is more than just quality sleep and leisure time. Re...

​This week of training was the most difficult of any training block I have ever done. I completed 4 runs in the middle of a heat wave (90+ degree days), totaling 43 miles in that span and 63 miles for the week. Outside of training, this was a week in which nothing seemed to go right. I had the week off of work and a lengthy to-do list, filled with both passion projects (writing!) and fulfilling my obligations (car inspection, cleaning…). I was excited to have a few days to get things done. 4th of July 17.76 miler (start)   After celebrating a friend’s birthday on Sunday, I returned home on Monday night to an army of house flies. They gathered on both my kitchen window and living room window with the AC unit, desperate for escape. After thoroughly cleaning my apartment in places I hadn’t bothered to check before, I determined that the flies must be coming from somewhere I can’t reach. I went to Walmart and bought some fly traps, RAID spray, and apple cider vinegar (for homemade trap...

Outgrown Allergies I came up with a comical way to describe my dietary restrictions growing up, and would often use it to explain the extent to which my food choices were limited. The conversation may have gone something like this.  Friend: "What were you allergic to?" Me: "Well... I was allergic to dairy. You know how people with dairy allergies drink soy milk?" Friend: "Um... yeah?" Me: "Well, I was allergic to soy, too." Friend: "So what did you drink? Almond milk?" Me: "Unfortunately, no. I was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. I had to drink rice milk." Friend: "Wow..."  Having allergies growing up made getting essential nutrients difficult. In addition to dairy, soy, and peanuts/tree nuts, I was also allergic to eggs. I had other non-food allergies, like dust. My food allergies meant I had to be especially careful about what I ate, especially since my allergies were common ingredients in processed foods. ...