• Monday: 9.5 miles
• Tuesday: guilty lazy day :)
• Wednesday: 7 miles: decent pace
• Thursday: 4.5 miles - I didn’t want to sit in a car for 8 hours and NOT have a run under my belt for the day
• Friday: 7.5 miles - that uphill/downhill run I did that was an AWESOME workout 
• Saturday: 5 miles - was planning on doing that uphill/downhill twice, but coming uphill was HELL (probably because of the previous day’s run), so I did it once and then added some. Legs felt like the devil’s handiwork
• Sunday: 8 miles

Total: 41.5 miles - WHOOOOOP! I haven’t done this since my ultra training, and even that was just 3 days a week. Also, you may be wondering, “Is it smart to increase your mileage so much each week like you are doing?” And I will answer, “No, no it is not.” But to tell you the truth, I’m kind of seeing how much I can handle, and I don’t care if I injure myself.

How do I feel you may ask? Fantastic and shit. It’s cool to do this much mileage again like I used to, but I also wasn’t really prepared for it, so my legs and ass are SO TIRED.

Me, my dad, my step-mom, and my sister went like 20 minutes North to this cute, little town called Kent (CT). It’s literally .5 miles to an Appalachian Trail head. They dropped me off at this state park, and my dad showed me this trail of about 2 miles. I told him to come back in and hour, and that was that.

The VAST majority of those 2 miles is uphill, and the trail is super wide because it was originally made for carriages. It was really pretty and green and sunny, so it was a beautiful run. I went up, down, and then did that again to get 8 miles in. I averaged 8 at the top after the first leg, then like 7:45 at the bottom of the second leg, 8:01 at the top of the 3rd leg, and then I tried to kill it downhill and finished with an average 7:47. That means I was running like 7:00 for the last 2 miles which is cool.

Then we went into town, and I had a mouth-watering Black Sheep sandwich (mozzarella balls, pesto, sun-dired tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette on a french baguette). TWAS DELICIOUS.

But then my bowels were fucked up for the next hour. FUN.

If there was one word to describe this run, it would be moist. Shut up all you people who say you hate that word. DGAF. It was humid as HELL and sunny and hot today when I went for a run, so it was NOT FUN. I did about 5 miles, so it was solid, but going uphill (about 400-500 ft climb in 1.25 miles) was so fucking tough. My legs were hardly working at the end.

I would undoubtedly say it was so hard because I did that downhill/uphill run twice + extra, and that was tough. But that one uphill was tougher than that whole run. Whatevs, I still got a run in so I am glad. I think that puts my mileage at 32 for the week so far. Not bad. An 8 mile run would get me to 40, so maybe I’ll do that.

When I got back, I was already DRENCHED in sweat, but then I did some abs and I ddidn’t feel my bodily existence anymore. I was the salty sweat dripping from some nonexistent beginning under my hair, then down my forehead, nose, and finally to my upper lip. From there, it would be wiped off, thrown off, or drunk.

Hot and humid outside?

Don’t feel like running today?

Don’t want to run that last track workout rep?

So my dad lives on top of this large hill with lots of houses and shit. Any way you leave his house, you will end up going steeply downhill to the main road.

I took a right out of the house, and went 1.25 miles downhill (just about all of it is literally downhill), to the main road. I then turned around, and proceeded to baddassedly (a.k.a. looking like I’m about to die) run up the ginormous hill. I was breathing like a tazmanian devil. So then I got to the house at about 2.5 miles, turned around, and went back downhill. I added a .5 mile sidestreet, then went back up the hill…again. It was awesomely hell. I added the sidestreet again, got to my house finally, and stopped. I looked at my watch and I had like 50 minutes and 6+ miles.

Then something happened - I started running again. Fuck if I know why, but I did. I then thought I might as well add another 10 minutes to my run to make it an even hour. So I did. Once I was done, I was fist-pumping to myself and feeling like a major badass. TWAS AWESOME. I hope you all have a wonderful memorial weekend with the family and don’t forget to make your run glorious, because every run has that potential - you just have to bring it out.

None of us are hardcore.

But then again, we are all hardcore.

Great run today. I added some big portions, and I felt SUPER strong. I was a little sore and tired, but I just kept it up. I mapped the run, and it looks like it was about 7 miles. I ran it in about 53 minutes (accidentally left my nice watch on), and that came out to 7:30-7:45/mile pace. That really isn’t too bad. I’m not ecstatic about that, but I’m also not disappointed with that. However, I am definitely not content. I want to get faster. For three weeks at one point in my life, I was running every run at an average of around 6:30 pace. I really got a breakthrough then, but then I got injured, switched to Vibrams, and I haven’t had that same fitness yet. Oh well, I’ll just have to work for it :)

For the past…long time, I’ve always felt that my aerobic/anaerobic ability was far superior to my muscular ability. I think that statement is scientifically faulty in some way, but that’s just the gist I’m trying to get across. I just feel like I need stronger muscles. I kind of wanted to just run and gain muscle that way, but I really might start doing a strengthening regimen for glutes, quads, and calves especially. If I’m consistent with it, I think it would make me so much faster. 

If I had to guess how long I ran, I would have said 7 miles MAX. But 9.5!? AWESOME! And that won’t even be my long run. Off to a great start this week :)

It took me some time (like, 5 hours) to get outside and do it, but I’m so glad I did. I felt weak and sore yet strong and capable at the same time. My calves were burning, and I maybe started a bit too fast, but I still yearned to go faster, to hurt myself, to let my body feel that arbitrary sense of dull pain you get when running. I loved every minute of it. My mind entered the emptiness. Thoughts were simple or nonexistent. I didn’t have to think, “Take a left up here.” I would just do it. I didn’t have to think, “Wait for this car.” I just did it. 

Perhaps that is part of the appeal of running. It’s simple. It can be complex with training and strengthening and stretching. But sometimes, it’s so simple. It connects the mind and the body, making it whole. The soul comes along for the ride, and all three of them combine to fulfill their potential. They come together to make me. Matthew Bigman. That is why I love running. And that’s also why I am partially crying right now. Because running allows me to express myself.

I am running, and running is me.

• Monday: 12 miles
• Tuesday: 6 miles
• Wednesday: 4 miles - Felt like going hard so I ran it SWIFTLY
• Thursday: lazy
• Friday: 7.5 miles - I just found myself adding on more and more to the run. I was feeling the love in the summer heat
• Saturday: 3 miles - joggling
• Sunday: Climbed for 4 hours. Does that count? NO? Okay…:(

Total: 32.5 - Not bad!!

almondsofjoy asked: 1, 3, 4, 12, 17, 20! I think #20 will be a picture of your bare feet...

1. List 5 of your running goals: Qualify for Boston, run some more ultras, maintain a consistent running schedule, increase my barefoot running capabilities, share my love of running

3. What’s your favorite running quote? “Running doesn’t get any easier - you just get faster.” - My coach

4. Starting 5k time and ending 5k time: My first ever 5k was a 24:25, and my last 5k time in high school was 17:35. I couldn’t run that now though, but maybe sometime again in the future

12. How often do you run? Varies. When I trained for my ultra, I only ran 3 times a week (high mileage runs though). Now, I am running about 6 times a week

17. What has changed you started running? Everything. My friend-base, my passions, my health, my life, my experiences. It has made me who I am today.

20. Post a picture of your favorite running shoes.

You got that right! Nothing beats it :P

Joggling = running and juggling. Have no idea what I’m talking about and can’t even fathom it? Check this out.

It’s a craze.

Anyway, I had been wanting to do it but never had the “balls” to do it. (LOL get it?) So I finally did it today, and it was surprisingly hard. I just have to train at it and get better, I suppose. I could tell I got better towards the end, so that was good. But at the beginning, I was dropping a lot, and that is never good in the world of joggling.

So I only did 3 miles, but whatevs. I want to do a 5k sometimes joggling. People will laugh.

Which reminds me, I got a lot of stares. One kid was like, “Look at that juggler!” Another kid was like, “Look! He’s juggling!”

‘Twas an experience

When I started running, it was for the social aspect. My freshman year in high school consisted of playing Halo 3, staying up late, and eating lots of oreos. My friends did XC and track, so I did it sophomore year to pass the time and get fit.

Running sucked. I hated it my entire sophomore year. It was fun to be with friends, but I complained everyday. Before the summer, a coach I despised ironically inspired me. He told our team of a boy who wasn’t very good, wanted to get good, worked REALLY hard, and became a top-caliber athlete. I wanted to do the same.

That’s when I found my fire. I started running a lot, reading running books, reading running articles, and following professional running. I eventually became a captain of my XC team senior year, but then quit beginning of spring track because of the horrible track coach.

After that, I wanted to put aside this “impure” desire of running to run faster and begin thinking purely about running - running to run. I rejected the other side of running. After taking it less seriously throughout the school year, I have come back with a new passion for running.

I now see both sides - the running to run faster and the running just to run. I think I now can partially let these two desires to coexist and encourage one another with their synergy.