(On Running) #17 18 Miles & 18 Holes: Balancing Marathon Training With Life

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 arrive by 11 AM, and was planning to stay for dinner. I simply had to get my workout done beforehand, and honestly would prefer to.  

I knew I needed to start by 7 AM, so my 5:45 AM wake-up allowed for a slow-ish morning. I sorted out my fuel: my routine CLIF bar and Honey Stinger waffle, my Nathan SpeedDraw with a Nuun Sport tablet, and three CARBS gels. At this point, nailing my fueling routine is critical, as I only have a few more chances to practice before the marathon. After I had a proper stretch for the workout ahead, I was out the door.

There is something to be said about the mental friction involved in "getting out the door." This is especially true on long run days, when the effort is highly challenging. It is as if my mind is keenly aware of what is coming, and is launching a protective mechanism most aptly named Stay Inside Syndrome. Stay Inside Syndrome manifests in minor procrastinations. 

The residue build-up underneath the dish soap dispenser? Never a better time to clean it. 

That pumpkin bread recipe you were interested in baking? Better look up the ingredients now. 

Despite battling Stay Inside Syndrome, and checking things off an endless list of non-urgent action items, I am always able to get out the door. Once I do, I am able to start running, and become immersed in the constant dialogue between my mind and body, beginning to wonder how I ever found the motivation to do this every Saturday. 

Running Marathon Pace on New Terrain

Once I convinced my mind to get out the door, my body followed. I started with a 1.5 mile warm-up, which is my exact distance to the Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail entrance I use (colloquially known as the bike path). On my way, I decided I would go left instead of right, because I went right on every other long run workout so far. It had grown rather predictable and boring.

The problem with going left is that it is only 3.5 miles to the start/end of the bike path in Belchertown, vs. the 7.5 miles stretch towards Northampton, which continues for an additional 8 miles into Easthampton. For an 18 mile run, in which I would turn around at 9 miles, this would result in an 8 mile stretch off the beaten path. At first, I decided I would turn around at the Belchertown entrance (5 miles), run back to my entry point (8.5 miles), run 4 miles towards Northampton (12.5 miles), and ultimately have 6.5 miles to get back to my starting point (18 miles). 

But then I decided that I needed a challenge. 

It isn't as if this wasn't already the most difficult long run workout I have attempted this block. Once you get off the bike path, Belchertown is anything but flat. I had gone off the end of the Belchertown bike path a few times and knew I was in store for hills. I figured it would be more realistic. The Baystate Marathon has an elevation gain of only 507 ft, and this run had an elevation gain of 646 ft. 

Here's the workout:

4 x 3 Miles @ Marathon Pace Ladder

Target paces: 6:45/mi (Mile 1), 6:30/mi (Mile 2), 6:15/mi (Mile 3)

Repeat 4 times

1 mile float recovery between splits

This is a workout that a former D1 runner recommended to me earlier in my training. I did a 3 x 3 mi version of this on the track in the July heat (my first time wearing spikes, RIP) and loved it. Changing the pace up every mile kept me focused without the effort feeling too difficult. 

This time around, with 4 intervals, I knew I would need to conserve energy in the beginning. I did a lethargic warm-up at 8:43/mi pace, then I jumped into it.

Split 1:

This effort felt controlled. I was content with being a second off pace and felt good going into Split 2.

Only problem was that after .5 mile of my 1 mile float, I was off the bike path. Here we go, I thought. I didn't have a route in mind, other than the mile stretch I had done previously. Six of the remaining miles would be completely new terrain. 

Mile 1: 6:46
Mile 2: 6:29
Mile 3: 6:16

Split 2:

The first mile was pleasant, with rolling hills. It felt like a normal race course. Mile 2 was TOUGH. It felt like a gradual hill for most of it, which made it tough to stay on pace, until I looked ahead and saw a steep pitch looming.

Oh no.

There was only .15 miles left in the rep, and I was hovering around my target 6:30 pace. If I could stay on pace, I thought, that would be a huge win. Inevitably, though, it slipped.

When I reached the top of the hill, and realized I was expected to go faster than I just had, I felt the full consequences of my decision to do this workout on new terrain. I could not bring myself back to 6:15 pace, but maintained that I would do my best to get close. At least there was a pretty waterfront view (must be a peaceful area to live in!).

Mile 1: 6:45
Mile 2: 6:33 (Grade Adjusted Pace 6:07)
Mile 3: 6:22

Split 3:

I turned around .5 miles into my float recovery from Split 2, which meant I knew what was coming. What surprised me most was that it was significantly downhill. There was the steep pitch (how could I forget!) but also the continuous downhill afterwards. It made these reps more doable, although I still couldn't get back down to 6:15 pace without cooking myself completely.

Mile 1: 6:46
Mile 2: 6:30
Mile 3: 6:18

Split 4:

Home stretch, and I was back on my good ol' friend—the bike path. I've done countless speed workouts on this stretch specifically, yet none felt as challenging as this. By the third mile, I began to feel nauseous. I had taken 3 gels (50g carbs each) during the workout (Mile 5, Mile 10, and Mile 15) and my body did not respond particularly well. The carbs definitely helped, but the spacing was too close, I think.

And then, as quick as it began, it was over.

Mile 1: 6:45
Mile 2: 6:32
Mile 3: 6:27

As I ran my 1.5 mile cooldown, I began to think about what was still to come: 18 holes at the charity golf tournament. By this point, it was past 9 AM, and I wanted to be out the door by 10 AM. I would have time to clean off, have a quick breakfast, and hit the road.

Me vs. The Course

While running has become a large part of my life, there are countless other things that I enjoy doing. As of late, playing golf has risen to near the top of the list. I'm not good at golf, by any stretch, but I am good enough to play in a 4-man scramble for a charity golf tournament with my summer boss. 

Until this year, I had only played golf once a year (if that) when visiting my grandparents in Florida. I learned the fundamental mechanics, but every time I would visit, it was back to square one. When I started to see a lot of my friends get into the game, it motivated me to try and get better. 

Like running, golf is an individual sport. You are playing against the course. I used to be intimidated by these sports—the weight of failure is much larger—but I have since grown to relish the competition. There is nowhere to hide on the golf course, especially in a 4-man scramble where everyone plays the best ball from your team.

My team consisted of my boss and I in one cart, and one of our work-partners and his friend in the other. The first time my boss and I played together, in a 2-man scramble, we both agreed it may have been the best golf we have ever played. This time, we didn't exactly replicate that magic. Luckily for us, our work partner is a remarkably consistent golfer, and we were in a good shape on every hole because of it.

The highlight of my round was sinking a 30 ft putt for birdie. It is the longest putt I have ever made in my life, and it felt amazing. Putting has always been one of the stronger components of my golf game, so it was nice to see it play out in real time.

We finished -15 under par. Now, it was a charity golf tournament, so this score grossly overstates our actual golf ability. -7 was given for not losing two gold balls and one black ball that our team had bought. There was one hole where you could donate to play from the ladies tee, a bendy Par 5 that allowed you to avoid the bend. On another hole, you could donate to do the infamous "Happy Gilmore" golf swing (it was a charity for a local hockey team, I should mention) and skip straight to the green (another Par 5). These two holes resulted in an additional -4. So, really, we were more like -4 under on the day. 

I stayed for the dinner and raffle drawing, in which I won my first raffle in the history of raffles: the Wellness and Recovery basket, which included a yoga mat, foam roller, massage pillow, and creatine monohydrate. After Baystate, I think I will finally experiment with creatine, after having it recommended by numerous people over my lifetime. 

When I got home, it was 7:45 PM. I was simply exhausted, which made crashing at 9 PM on a Saturday even easier than usual. Maintaining the consistent 9 PM bedtime is preferred, as it makes my sleep schedule much easier during the week.

Undoubtedly, it had been a successful Saturday. 18 miles, 18 holes. Four weeks out from Baystate Marathon. Let's do this.

Keep going. 

Weekly Mileage: 49.9 

Stay tuned every Sunday for insights into my training towards a BQ marathon!

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Ryan K. Beck can be reached at rkbeck.writing@gmail.com