Being Present :: 2022 LA Marathon

The last few months have been a fun journey of deep introspection and personal growth. In the beginning of this year, I dove into a lot of books to work on my mental game. Some of the books I read included, “The Practice of Groundedness,” “The Passion Paradox” and “Stillness is the Key” and many podcasts from some of the same authors (Brad Stulberg, Steve Magness and Ryan Holiday), Rich Roll and Tommy Rivs, Stephen Covey, Deena Kastor and others. Ultimately, what came out of this was a deep appreciation for how hard it can be for a goal-oriented person who is always looking for the next opportunity and challenge, with staying in the present moment. The sport of running is very black and white - there’s a place and time associated with every result - so it’s easy to fall into a trap of being results focused.

One of the key lessons learned was that I needed to use goals as a destination, but then instead of dreaming about the goals, just focus on enjoying the process, being in the present moment, and building deep connection with those around you. To me, that sentence is incredibly and deeply powerful. As Steve Magness puts it in The Passion Paradox it is about

"finding a harmonious passion and loving the process of trying to master a craft."

​After CIM I was left with this feeling of being so close.  A few slow miles at the end and I went from fighting for 2nd place and a big PR to 6th and 90s slower than my best time. I met with my coach of nearly a decade, Steve Jones, and we made some adjustments to get my legs under me in that last 5-10k of the marathon.  I upped my mileage to hitting 120 miles per week several times, I pushed the long run from typically 20 miles to 22 miles every Sunday, and I made Wednesday’s medium distance run longer so that I was doing 16-17 miles most Wednesday mornings. It took really a decade of training under Jonesy to be able to handle that volume and those incremental increases in training.

I did my best to, instead of daydream about LA or the next opportunity, be more present in those runs. There were a couple runs where I was just entirely in flow. While those runs in the past have typically been the most difficult, like 22 miles at a solid pace - my best long runs felt so smooth and as far from a grind as they should have. On these runs I was rarely thinking about if there was a Strava segment, or my average pace, but rather running at the appropriate effort level while doing my best to have positive thoughts, enjoying the surroundings, etc. On those Wednesday runs where I was getting in 16-17 miles, 

it was often in the dark starting sometime in the 5am hour. For the first time I started to enjoy aspects of running in the dark. I saw shooting stars and owls, finishing with fantastic sunrises. By being more intentional and process-focused, I came to enjoy training even more than I have in the past.

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The first race I did in this block was the Pensacola Double Bridge Run 15K in early February, one of my favorites each year. The first 5K of the race was into a pretty good headwind and I looked down at my watch after 3 miles and mentally tossed out that I had any chance of a PR. Then, I turned onto the 3 mile bridge with a bit of a tailwind and I just focused on running hard. When I got to 10K, I realized it felt hard because I was pushing so hard that I was actually moving pretty fast. Instead of thinking about the result as I would have in the past, I just ran really hard in the mile that I was in. I ended up crossing the finish in 44:12, a massive 49 second PR over 15k. I actually ran the last 10k in 28:48, faster than my track 10K PR!

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The next race was four weeks later at the Greenville Half in South Carolina. This race had a fast course profile, but you never know what competition will show up to push the pace. Although a bit of a net headwind, the temps were cool and the pace started fairly comfortable. James Quattlebaum and I were running side by side for the first five miles in a little under 5min pace. Once again, I thought a PR was out of the question because we were too slow. Then, James surged and we started rolling on the bike path portion of the race. Between mile 8-9 I pulled away and repeated in my head, “What time is it? Now. Where am I? Here.” 

That helped me stay present and focused. ​With a mile to go I realized I had a shot to not only break my 7 year old half marathon PR, but also the 1:03 barrier. I hammered home that last mile, flying around the final few turns and I was stoked to run 1:02:54!

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The final race of the training segment was the LA Marathon - the goal race I had done my best to put out of mind until it was time to race. The field was surprisingly competitive, and the organizers added in a $10,000 bonus to the first man or woman to cross the finish with a 16min head start for the women. I thought this may make the pace a little faster but I didn’t expect the pace to go out at world record pace (leaders went out the first two miles in 4:31/mi and they’re actually quite hilly). Jonesy does a great job coaching us to trust our instincts and I had the confidence to run strategic and smart, rather than brashly going with the lead group. I settled into low 5min pace with a headwind that was relentless. There was a wind advisory for 15-25mph winds gusting to 45mph, and unfortunately with a point to point course it turned out to be a headwind. How tough was that wind? Well, on two separate occasions the road barriers blew over due to wind gusts. 

​​At around mile 6, Kevin Lewis and I were together and quickly chatted to trade off leading into the wind every couple miles. We couldn’t even see the lead group so we worked together for five miles until I started to get a bit of a lead before mile 12. At that point, I knew it was going to be a, literally and figuratively, tough road ahead - headwind, challenging hills, and solo for the final 14+ miles. Those middle miles were tough but I kept repeating mantras in my head of “grounded” and “trust.”

At mile 22, there was a u-turn and I tried to count the numbers of guys ahead. I passed two guys and started to pass some women. I guessed I was around 4th or 5th place but I wasn’t confident. During mile 23, a spectator yelled “go get him, he’s not that far ahead” although I could only see women ahead of me. I rolled the next two miles close to 5:00/mi. Finally I saw the guy ahead, and after looking at my watch when he crossed mile 25 and then when I crossed mile 25, I calculated he had 40 seconds on me. I pressed that last mile only once thinking that I had the 2024 Olympic Trials Qualifier in the bag and instead simply trying to fight for every second that I could. Rounding the final turn I knew I was close and I was moving fast that last quarter mile but I finished just 8 seconds back of 3rd place and the final podium spot. Final result: 4th place. 1st American. 2:15:16. 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifying time.

That was likely the best marathon I’ve run. When I ran 2:12:28 it was on a fast course (CIM), perfect weather, and I had a pack of 12 guys I was running with through mile 20 and competing for the win through the final miles (I finished 2nd). This course was much more difficult, weather not conducive to running fast, and I did much of the work alone. It took the best mental game I’ve ever had in combination with the best physical preparation.

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Simply an incredible first three months of 2022. Not only in the race results, but most importantly in how much I enjoyed the process. I felt I had won before the race started - it honestly was a fun journey even in those 120 mile weeks! I’m beyond grateful to all the support from coach Jonesy and the Boulder Harriers, the Fort Collins Running Club, rabbit, family, friends and especially my incredibly supportive wife Kristin. There was NOTHING I wanted more than to see Kristin and Levi immediately after crossing the finish line and having them in LA was the best. I feel truly grounded by having the most loving wife, family and friends around me.

To close out this lengthy post, I really felt like I personally grew in positive ways these last few months by focusing on process over results. By focusing on cultivating deep roots with an incredible support system. And by being as present as possible in races I’ve competed in to the best of my abilities…and getting closer to that feeling of personally mastering the craft of what I’m passionate about (in this case, distance running). Whatever you’re passionate about - work to find that harmonious passion, surround yourself with the best people and have fun enjoying the process.