Japan. Hopefully within two months I will be living and working there. In the meantime I have quit my job and have some extra time before I head off. The trouble with all the extra time is that boredom has been creeping in to my days. This has caused me to turn to ridiculous strategies to fill my time and this last one may have been the most ridiculous of them all – I decided that I was going to run about 100 miles (more accurately 170km) in one training week.
That was my goal, here is my story.
Day 1 – Monday
It all begins with a 34km run through the woods, up to the dam, enduring pouring rain. I explored a new lake, ran some new trails, and powered through multiple podcasts. The only issue on my first run of the week had to do with my feet. In all of my infinite wisdom I decided to embark on this trek wearing a new pair of running shoes – big mistake! Let me just say that my toenails did not agree with these new shoes and two of my toenails began the journey of detaching from my foot. Other than that, it was a successful first run. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as hard as I thought!
Day 2 – Tuesday
With a new day came a new strategy. I decided to go out on two shorter runs throughout the day rather than one long run. The first run was a casual meander through both trails and roads and I was able to cover just over 11km.
Run #2 was a run at dusk through the streets of North Vancouver. I weaved my way up and down the blocks until I reached home with just under 12km under my belt.
As the sun set on the second day of my self-imposed challenge I was feeling pretty good with a solid 57km under my belt, but what I did not realize was that the challenge really hadn’t begun; Day 3 was when things started to get real.
Day 3 – Wednesday
Continuing on from Tuesday, I split my day into two very different runs. My morning run was a journey through the trails up the creek to a place known as Third Debris Chute. The trail is a slight uphill all the way up to the Chute and then the opposite back home. Clouds lingered low touching the tops of the trees as I made my way up the valley that surrounds Lynn Creek. The first signs of fatigue and overuse crept into my legs as the run progressed. It felt good to be out in nature, but I knew that my body wouldn’t be able to handle much more of the ups and downs that the trails of North Vancouver inevitably bring; I was going to have to stick to the roads and flat gravel paths for the rest of the week if I wanted my legs to last. The 14km run took a lot of energy out of me.
The second run of the day is where the discomfort began. I decided to mix it up by running the seawall in Vancouver. I weaved my way around False Creek on flat pavement that would usually seem like the ideal surface for fast miles, but instead just exacerbated the pounding that my body was going through. Once I made it 11km to my destination, Vancouver General Hospital to visit my Grandma, I was glad that the third day was over, but I was beginning to get scared of the next four days to come.
Day 4 – Thursday
Finally, a clear sunny day. With the amazing weather I decided to venture down to the oceanfront and run around beautiful Stanley Park. The flat seawall offered great views and minimal climbing. I ran a couple of laps around the seawall for a nice 22km. As I got back to the car a nice surprise awaited me – a parking ticket! In my eagerness to get running I forgot to pay for parking. Strangely, this was actually the best time to get a ticket because my feelings of happiness and relief of finishing the day’s run overwhelmed any feelings of annoyance about the parking ticket.
To end off my day, I decided that I would go for a quick 5km run just to knock down a few more kilometres and make the next three days easier. I made my way out on to the dark streets and as I ran the thing that I had been dreading all week began to happen – it started snowing. Running through wet west coast snow is certainly not one of my favourite things to do, so when that snow started coming down I knew that my last three days were not going to be easy. I increased my pace and added a few extra kilometres to make it eight for the night. I added the extra kilometres because I knew the steps were only going to get harder once the snow had covered the ground. Four days in I had run just over 112km with a seemingly short and cool 58km left for the last three days (Spoiler: those 58 kilometres were not easy).
Day 5 – Friday
Friday. I wake up to snow on the ground, but rain falling from the sky. A great mix that means that you get the great pleasure of running ankle deep in freezing cold slush! The plan was to make it into the easy trails for some running that was a little easier on the joints. I got started with a slow slog to a local trailhead. As I sloshed my way to the forest I started to become more and more uncomfortable as my shoes filled with wet snow. I got to the trail and that was when I realized that running on a slope in this slush for a significant period of time was nearly impossible because for every step I took forward I slid backwards half a step through the slush. I quickly diverted from the trail back to the road and faced the dark reality of the next hour; I was going to have to run back and forth along the road to the trailhead if I wanted to meet my goal of just over 16km for the day. I plodded along in physical and mental pain along the same 750m stretch of road because that was the only path that my mind could focus on. I ran this road 14 times, but it all blurred together. I returned home exhausted, downtrodden, and committed to making the last two days count with 42 and a half kilometres – just over a marathon – left.
Day 6 – Saturday
The sixth day provided the small boost I needed to finish this off. The sun was out and I was determined. Other than an emergency bathroom break, the run went smoothly and I finally realized that I might actually make it through the week. It was a day of revival and enjoyment, but it was a little bit of false hope because the good weather was only to last for a little while. The rain and snow always returns as was the case that night as the sun decided to hide away again and give way to clouds, snow, and freezing rain – the perfect combo for a great last day…
Day 7 – Sunday
This was it – day seven; the last day. Instead of day seven being the day of rest, it was the day of ultimate exertion. I woke up with pain in my legs, 3 inches of snow on the ground, and freezing rain falling from the sky. I sat in my living room for many long minutes contemplating why I was committing myself to this goal. I had never ran more than 150km in ONE MONTH, let alone anything close to 170km in ONE WEEK. Before I could talk myself out of the last 17km I jumped out the door. I slowly made my way back through the doorway 2 hours and 58 seconds later having completed my goal of 170km in a single training week. I had a cup of hot chocolate, sat down, and just relaxed. The goal was accomplished…now I just needed to find other ways, hopefully less painful, to fill my time before I left for Japan.
Prologue
As I finished writing about this intense week of running over two months later I can’t help but look back with longing even after thinking about all of the pain I experienced. I am currently sitting at home during the time of COVID-19, social distancing, and a damaged IT band wondering when the next time will be that I am able to run far and run around others. Looking back has helped me to see why running is so amazing; it can cause immense pain, but the satisfaction brought on by running far outweighs the negative. Somehow, I can’t help but get excited for the next time I decide to run 100 miles in seven days.
Update: due to COVID-19, I am still waiting for Japan.
bctrekker 