Certainly a busy week! Where do I start? My second week of travel would offer more challenges and more flights. Short winter days keep me running on the treadmill as I try to fit runs in before morning and all-day meetings.

Three different time zones on multiple occasions. My internal clock is a little messed up. Once again, 36 miles for the week was the goal.

 

This week in running…

Monday – Snow Day. Rest Day.

Winter finally showed up for a day in the Denver metro. We were warm on Sunday and woke up to icy roads on Monday. This ended up in my working from home and not leaving the desk for 8 hours, except for trips to get coffee. Which pretty much means there were practically no steps taken and lots of conference calls! I made an awesome flat iron steak in the instapot!

Tuesday – Amarillo by evening

Took my first flights of the year on Southwest for a trip to Amarillo, through Dallas. I timed it just right to land and do some running on the Rock Island Line path before sunset. While the Texans were complaining about temperatures in the mid-20s, I forgot to pack running pants. Of course, this made for a fast a chilly run. 5 miles @ 7:45 pace without lunch. I had only planned for 4, but went with it when I felt pretty good. Dinner was a good lean top sirloin steak.

Wednesday – Early treadmill

Wednesday was an early start with a morning workshop to kickoff. I’ve found morning running before an 8 a.m. meeting helps me to have more energy throughout the meeting. The Texas Cattle Feeders were quite confused by my running addiction. 5k on the treadmill @ 8:46 with negative splits did the trick. I wasn’t feeling it on the miles, but pretty good considering the short night. Steak tacos at the Dallas Love airport fueled my travel today.

running training beef half marathon

Thursday – Dark run with calls

My one day in the office this week was a busy one. This ended with doing my miles in the dark at home with a few phone call breaks. With the interruptions, I wasn’t in a good groove, but I had to get my travel rearranged. With forecast of bad winter weather over the weekend, I’d rather not be stuck in the wrong city. 5 miles @ 8:57 before supper wasn’t so bad. Planned-overs of flat iron and potatoes saved the night!

Friday – REST Day. Travel Day.

Once again, doing well to avoid 6 a.m. flights and landed in Lansing, Michigan early. Even with a trip to Chicago O’Hare, the trip was smooth. I made my goal of 50% average steps for an active rest day. I was in the mood for chips and salsa, so beef enchiladas it was!

Saturday – Meetings = Run x 2

And again, a day of meetings and presentations calls for an early morning run to wake up. 3.1 miles @ 8:58 on the treadmill went well enough. My heart rate was @ 136 bpm, which is lower than it has been. My presentation for the Michigan Cattlemen’s meeting went well and I was able to meet farmers from across the state. The evening included 7 miles @ 8:40 on city sidewalks dodging puddles and a happy dog. I had only planned for 6, but 7 would round out 100 miles for the month. Steak flatbread pizza Steak flatbread pizza and Red Wings hockey was a good way to wrap the day.

Sunday – Calm before the storm

The forecast snow hit Denver and I’m glad I wasn’t there. Instead, I flew directly to my next stop in Minneapolis with a layover at O’Hare. I ate literally ALL morning – omelet, yogurt with granola, muffin and bananas. Oh, and of course lots of coffee. Thanks United Club and upgrades! After half an hour to decompress at the hotel, I hit the neighborhood streets. 13.1 miles @ 9:44 went by quickly as I finish an audiobook on grit and perseverance and made it most of the way through another on training. My heartrate stayed low at 137 bpm even with a couple hills. And of course, I capped off the run with a DoubleTree cookie! I’m waiting on Carrie to get in town so I can get my lean sirloin steak for the day!

Overall, I think the week in training went really well. There were several runs where I felt that I could have gone farther, and two where I added a mile. I stayed committed to the plan with several days of travel and left plenty of fuel in the tank.

Next week, I did a dumb thing and planned an ultramarathon in Moab, Utah – Arches Ultra 50k. I plan to take it slow and use this as an opportunity to invite a friend to experience a trail run. It’ll serve to inject some variety (and camraderie) into my month of training.

Is Motivation Overrated?

Outside shared this article suggesting motivation is overrated. An interesting read.

TLDR: “To practice regularly, even when you seem to be getting nowhere, might at first seem onerous. But the day eventually comes when practice becomes a treasured part of your life. You settle into it as if into your favorite easy chair. It will be there for you tomorrow. It will never go away.” – George Leonard

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Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.