I completed this challenge March 16th, 2019.
Challenge
Run 26.2 miles on a treadmill
Training plan
- wrestled 3x a week for the last month
- ran 1-4 miles a week for the last month
Needless to say…I did not train for this. Why the heck did I do it then?
Story time: During my high school weight cutting days, I lived on the treadmill. Not to “build character through adversity” but to do the exact opposite – lose pounds of my physical character through agonizing hours of running.
“Wow, Jordan. I’m sure running while dehydrated was the hardest part!” You’re half right. I was far more mentally sensitive in my dehydrated state so little things irked me greatly. Running for 30+ minutes was incredibly boring and pushed me to the edge more than anything else.
I remember a specific workout my sophomore year of high school when I was less than 6% body fat at 107lbs and had to get down to a “hydrated” 103lbs for weight certifications the next day. A mentor of mine had me run on a treadmill for 1hr+ and I nearly broke. I’ve been through workouts that made that treadmill one look easy but none of those ever pushed me to the point I reached that day.
So I’ve decided to face that demon and conquer the boredom that is treadmill running by doing what I do best – running through it.
“Only way out is through.”
All of the products mentioned below have made a positive impact on my life. None of them are sponsors or affiliate links
Morning Preparation
- Woke up at 10:30am (~3hrs before start time)
- Made a smoothie w/ 1 frozen banana, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 spoonful of almond butter, 1/4 bowl of steel cut oats, 2 spoonfuls of collagen hydrolysate powder, and roughly 10oz of almond milk.
- Consumed 70oz+ of water between 10:30am – 1:00pm
Strategy
- Start at 7.0 pace and adjust accordingly
- Cover the treadmill with a t-shirt to block the time/distance
- Put orthotics in my running shoes (my flat feet need the arch support)
- Take a sip of GU Roctane Gel (this stuff is amazing) every 15 minutes for sodium, potassium, carbs, and caffeine.
- Drink water every 8-10 minutes to stay hydrated
The Setup
GU Roctane Gel on left. Water on right. T-shirt covering stats
Simple yet effective setup. Had a nice view of the black squares on the building across from mine.
Play-by-play
1st hour of the marathon
I feel amazing after the first hour. I didn’t know the treadmill automatically enters “cool down mode” after 1 hour of running so I have to end the workout and start over again.
2nd hour of the marathon
Still feeling awesome. Strongly considering going for 30 miles instead of 26.2 miles. Might as well use this cool down time to quickly refill my water and use the bathroom.
3rd hour of the marathon
My leg/foot pain is significantly greater than it was last hour – no longer considering 30 miles. Time for a quick water refill.
Final segment of the marathon
Cranked my speed up to 7.3 mph for the last 5.09…boy oh boy that was a mistake. Had to lower it to 7.0 at the 3.5 mile mark and then cranked it back up at the 4.5 mile mark. Upon completion, I stepped off the treadmill and was very unsteady; not due to exhaustion but because I stared at one spot (black square) for nearly 4hrs which made looking at anything else afterwards disorienting.
Thoughts
This is the best I’ve EVER felt during a long run. After plenty of research, I learned that gels like GU Roctane are essential to endurance events. They’re relatively lightweight and provide the sodium, potassium, carbs and caffeine necessary to fuel a workout and minimize cramping. Drinking water every 8-10mins also saved me. The key is to drink even when you’re NOT THIRSTY. Thirst indicates dehydration so never get to that point. Also, it helps that I consumed 70oz+ of water 3-4hrs before the run so I was hydrated from the start. Biggest benefit from my strategy is that I NEVER suffered from GI Distress. Every long run I’ve ever done has involved excruciating GI Distress due to a lack of fuel and water. I’m glad I learned my lesson; an impromptu “painting of the porcelain” is no fun.
This is also the best my body has ever felt structurally during a run. I credit this to the light warm up and 30-40min stretch before starting (something I never used to do) that got rid of residual stiffness and lactic acid in my legs. I also credit it to my shoe orthotics that provide the arch support my flat feet (termed pancake feet by my doctor) badly need.
The entirety of the marathon, I stared at a black square on a building outside of my gym window. I thought the hardest part would be staring at the same thing the entire run. Turns out it didn’t bore me and actually helped me zone out/work through thoughts in my mind.
This has been the most meditative challenge for me to date. Runner’s high is truly a thing. The hardest part was dealing with my throbbing right trapezius. I learned that running like a brute overworks the heck out of your traps. I had to run like I was carrying suitcases the last few miles to alleviate the pain.
Overall Time : 3 hrs 56 mins (start time – 1:23pm, end time – 5:19pm)
Treadmill Time (all time on treadmill): 3hrs 44 mins 39 secs
Total Calories Burned (based on treadmill calculations): 3,433 calories
Post-marathon pic with Greg
Big thanks/shout out to Greg for joining in on the fun. He absolutely crushed it and will be ready for his marathon in May. Guy is TOUGH!
Time to recover and gear up for the next challenge!
In Hindsight
Looking back at this challenge three years later, there are a few things I would change.
Protein Powder
My morning preparation consisted of...
"A smoothie w/ 1 frozen banana, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 spoonful of almond butter, 1/4 bowl of steel cut oats, 2 spoonfuls of collagen hydrolysate powder, and roughly 10oz of almond milk."
The plant-based protein powder is trash.
It's full of "Natural Flavors" which are really added sugar. It has a lot of ingredients that sound like made-up words and its plant protein isn't as nutritious as they make it sound. So, if I were to use a protein powder again, it would be something like Equipfood's Grass-fed Beef Isolate Powder.
It comes in chocolate, peanut butter, vanilla, and strawberry flavors. They contain up to eight ingredients including: Grass-Fed Beef Protein, Coconut Cream Powder, Natural Flavor, Stevia Extract, Cocoa Powder, Coconut Milk Powder, Sea Salt, Acacia Fiber, Beet Juice, and Light Roast Peanut Flour.
I'm not a fan of Natural Flavor, Acacia Fiber, Beet Juice, and Light Roast Peanut Flour so I opt for the unflavored bag. It is strictly Grass-Fed Beef Protein Powder. Take a look.
It tastes like death, but no protein powder beats it. To enhance the flavor a bit, I plan on using a dash of monk fruit, vanilla extract, and a liquid base of some sort. I'm still experimenting. But, I need to figure it out because this protein powder is what I plan to use to supplement my workouts. I get most of my protein from my animal-based lifestyle, but a little supplementation can't hurt.
Food
That covers protein powder. Now what would I eat instead? Easy, a new york strip steak, 3-4 eggs, a bowl of fruit, and hydrating bone broth. Let's break that down.
- Steak – I feel at my best eating dense nutritious proteins like beef. The new york strip steak happens to be my favorite variety of it. The salt-covered steak, bathed in grass-fed butter, cooked four minutes on each side at a high temp, and with salt on it...life-changing. I might have to go make one right now.
- Eggs – I can eat 5+ eggs a day with ease. Matter of fact, I do. Few foods trump the nutrients eggs deliver. And they're easy to cook. I'd eat these for their nutrients and out of habit.
- Fruit – eating a low-carb, animal-based diet can suck the energy out of you at times. It makes running a marathon extremely tiring. That's why I'd eat fruit with local honey for carbs and natural sugars.
- Bone Broth – low-carb diets also lack some essentials minerals: salt. potassium, and magnesium. Well, to be fair, all of us are lacking magnesium since it's been stripped from our soil. But that's a topic for another day. I used to take 1 DrinkLMNT packet a day to get these minerals, but that got expensive. Thanks to DrinkLMNT's FAQ section, I've started using Redmond's Real Salt, Potassium Chloride/Citrate Powder, and Magnesium Malate for a DIY electrolyte drink mix.
I like adding the mix to my bone broth because it tastes alright. I need to keep tinkering with recipes to find what I like most.
Shoes
Last but not least, I'd change out my shoes. I've become a barefoot, minimalist shoe fiend. I own four pairs of Xero Shoes. They are flexible, have a wide toe box, and little to no support. This is perfect for strengthening my feet, toes, and arch; muscles that are neglected in your typical, modern-day shoes.
I wouldn't wear Xero Shoes for the treadmill marathon though. At least not yet. It takes time to strengthen your feet. Especially after disregarding them all of our lives. I've worn my Xero Shoes for months now and my feet still get tired after only a few miles. Instead, I'd opt for Altra Running Shoes. Some of them have a wide toebox and arch support. Just what I need for a run that's a lot more than a few miles.
I would forego orthotics because they are a band-aid, not a solution. The end goal is to strengthen my feet, toes, and arch so that I never need to wear shoes with support again!
Parting Words
I conquered the TreadMill Marathon Challenge demon three years ago. It was far easier than I expected and turned into an unexpected meditation session. The hardest part was starting.
For those workouts you're dreading, put your shoes on, hit the road, and get to work.
"Don't think, just do"
Member discussion