(On Running) #6 17.76

​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 traps). My mission of the week shifted from getting things done to eradicating my newfound housefly population.


I remained dumbfounded on Tuesday and Wednesday as to the root cause of the house flies. Then, as I raised my RAID spray towards a house fly resting on the sticky foam wedged in the gap of my window, I saw it slip out of a tiny gap in between the window. It couldn’t have been more than a half of a square inch. Immediately, I dropped the RAID can, grabbed more sticky foam, and sealed the gap on both sides of the window.

I had missed these gaps after triple checking the window for entry points. After sealing them, the house fly population in my apartment has dissipated, with the store-bought and homemade traps working their magic.

House flies, even before this sudden influx, have been the bane of my existence. I pride myself on keeping my space clean and orderly, so any sign of infestation is rare and anxiety-inducing. A single fly is an imperfection. A dozen are a roadblock in what was supposed to be a stress free week.

But even before I massacred multiple generations of houseflies to find peace within my own home, I was able to maintain a sense of calm. I managed to steadily cross things off my to-do list, flies swarming around me, progressing consistently throughout the week.

My fly situation held parallels to my week of running training. Despite having more time to train and recover, the heat caused me to slow beyond my normal paces. The 38 miles I ran from Thursday to Saturday were the hardest miles I’ve done this year, aside from the last 6 miles of my marathon. Yet, I got them done.

On Saturday, it was the fourth of July. I was prepared to run 18 miles before driving to my friend's place to celebrate, but plans shifted around Mile 12. It was hot, for the fourth day in a row, and I didn't have proper fuel and hydration. Moreover, I was running in my hometown, which is scenic yet hilly. From Mile 14 onward, my body wanted desperately for relief, to walk, to quit. But I had a thought that kept me going.

"Today is America's 250th birthday, born in 1776. Wait, why don't I run 17.76 miles?"

4th of July 17.76 miler (Mile 17)

I will never have the chance to run 17.76 on America's 250th birthday ever again, which drove me forward. If I continue to view each day as an opportunity, however small, I may find the drive to keep pushing forward, even with seemingly endless flies swarming around me. 

Week 4: Training in Summary

63 miles | 8h 10 min workout | 2,133 ft elevation

(E) = Easy | (W) = Workout | (L) = Long 

Monday (E): 8.23 miles | 7:32/mi | 259 ft elevation gain | 7:45 AM

Ran this one in Ipswich, MA where I was visiting for my friend's birthday party. I love exploring new places on my runs! Even places I have lived or visited have something new to discover on a run. 

Tuesday (E): 12.00 miles | 7:24/mi | 266 ft elevation gain | 7:44 AM

Same exact pace as last week, with a different route. Decided against the usual route due to later start time increasing traffic. 

Wednesday (W): 5.0 miles | (?) pace | (?) ft elevation gain | 5:45 PM

The Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club's cancelled this week's workout due to the heat. I intended to complete a workout independently. I imported my data from last week's workout into Claude to create an adapted workout, given the heat. This is what I was prepared to run.

The workout:

  • 1.5 mile warm up
  • 4 x 800m @ 10K pace (400m rest)
  • 1 mile @ marathon pace (400m rest) 
  • 6 x 300m @ mile pace (100m rest)
  • 1.5 mile cool down
Impulsively, I decided to do the workout at the Amherst High School track, which is brand new. After doing the warm-up, I completed the usual stretches and strides, before starting the first 800m interval. After completing the first 200m, my watch started to read my pace as a sub-4:00/mile. If only! It also started miscalculating distances, meaning I had no idea how fast I was truly going. Given that the "feels like" temperature was 100 degrees at this point, my watch malfunctioning felt like a signal to cut the workout short. I finished my 800m reps and called it a day. I tried starting a new workout, but encountered the same issue. I discarded both workouts from my watch data (I don't want false PRs). I had to estimate that I ran 5 miles.

Thursday (E): 10 miles | 7:30/mi | 436 ft elevation gain | 7:42 AM

I stayed up the night before to watch the USA Round of 32 World Cup match, meaning I got to bed much later than usual. This delayed my run start time, and I was met with the same heat as the day before. I have never been particularly heat tolerant, and it was beginning to show.

Friday (E): 10 miles | 7:51/mi | 230 ft elevation gain | 7:37 AM

Slowed the pace down as the heat continued. Went on the bike path for shade, but it was still nearly unbearable. I paused at Mile 5 to let my body recover somewhat, but those last 5 miles were still the hardest of any 10 miler I have done.

Saturday (L): 17.76 miles | 8:14/mi | 942 ft elevation gain | 6:08 AM

Was on the struggle bus for this one. Elevation and heat got to me. 4th of July proved to be the ultimate motivator, in hitting 17.76 for 1776. Planned to run 8:00/mi but quickly adjusted, as this became a run that I was happy just to finish. 

Insights on Improvement

This week was unexpectedly hard. Having so much free time worsens my discipline, as I can mentally justify staying up late or sleeping in slightly. Starting the runs after 7 AM in the heat was just awful. And, as I write this, I am dealing with significant soreness in my right calf. 

It shows how important it is to stay focused on recovery when ramping up mileage. It is the little things, like stretching and nutrition, that enable my body to perform at a high level. I have to prioritize these things, rather than view them as "nice to haves," if I want to truly progress as a runner this block and avoid injury.

Week 5 totals 68 miles. Stay tuned every Sunday for insights into my training towards a sub 2:48:00 marathon!

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