The Cold Reality
My stomach lurched with each step, the sound of liquid sloshing inside me becoming impossible to ignore. Two hours into my planned 20K run, that morning coffee decision was coming back to haunt me. Nothing had moved past my stomach since I'd started, and now I was paying for it — one uncomfortable stride at a time.
The Plan vs. The Weather
This morning's ambitious plan: a 20K trail run with a 10-pound weighted pack (5-pound vest plus extra water). My optimism about winter finally releasing its hold had been thoroughly crushed by the 28-degree temperature that greeted me at the trailhead. The sun offered false promises — bright enough to look warm but powerless against winter's lingering grip.
"Winter is not yet done," I muttered to myself, cinching the straps on my fastpack.
The weight would make this challenging enough. The cold just added another layer of difficulty. But that's why I was out here — to push limits, not retreat from them.
Finding Rhythm in Discomfort
Twenty minutes in, I finally started warming up, though my arms still felt the bite of cold. I briefly second-guessed my decision to skip the windbreaker, but I knew I'd have regretted carrying extra layers once my body temperature rose.
The first 5K clicked by in 42 minutes — not bad considering the weight. I focused on maintaining zone 2 heart rate, occasionally creeping into zone 3 before deliberately slowing to a walk to bring it back down. The discipline of pacing with weight isn't just physical — it's mental arithmetic, constantly calculating the effort-to-output ratio.
One hour in: 4.5 miles covered, holding steady around 4.4 miles per hour. My body had warmed up, but the air remained stubbornly frigid. The second 5K passed in 46 minutes — slower, but still moving well enough.
The Turning Point
At the two-hour mark, I'd covered 8.25 miles — noticeably slower than my unweighted pace from two weeks ago. The 10 pounds were making themselves known with each footfall. But it wasn't just the weight slowing me down.
My stomach had become a liability. The unsettled feeling wasn't terrible yet, but it prevented calories from being absorbed when I needed them most. The third 5K ticked by in nearly 49 minutes — my pace dropping to 4.1 mph.
"Just one of those days," I thought, a phrase that every endurance athlete knows all too well. Some days, the body doesn't cooperate, no matter how willing the mind is.
The Mental Game
Hitting the 10-mile mark at 2 hours and 27 minutes, I found myself walking faster to keep my heart rate down — counter-intuitive perhaps, but necessary as my body seemed determined to push into higher zones regardless of pace.
Each climb became a negotiation with myself. The final significant ascent was particularly brutal.
"Some days it sucks. Today is that day," I admitted aloud to no one.
I contemplated cutting the run short at 15K multiple times. But the simple logic prevailed: I was already out here, I could physically continue, so I might as well complete what I'd set out to do. Not every training day feels good — sometimes the value comes from pushing through when your body is screaming to stop.
Crossing the Finish Line
The 12-mile mark arrived at exactly 3 hours — almost half a mile off my unweighted pace from two weeks earlier. The final 5K had taken nearly 50 minutes, but I was still holding above 4 mph.
I pushed the final distance to the parking lot, finishing with 13.11 miles in 3 hours, 17 minutes, and 49 seconds. A half-marathon distance, weighted, in cold conditions, with an uncooperative stomach. It was not my fastest effort, but perhaps one of the most mentally challenging.
The Unexpected Victory
Looking at my watch data, I was genuinely surprised. Despite how difficult the run felt, the metrics told a different story:
Only 2 minutes and 50 seconds were spent in zone 4
38 minutes in zone 3
Over 2 hours in zone 2
Training effect: Threshold 4.2, with zero anaerobic contribution
Status: "Training productive"
I would have guessed my body was in recovery mode, not making productive gains. But that's the beauty of training with data — sometimes your perception doesn't match reality. What felt like a struggle was actually a well-executed endurance session.
Final Stats
Here's the breakdown for those keeping score:
Distance: 13.11 miles (half-marathon)
Time: 3:17:49
Pace: 15:06 min/mile
Elevation gain: 1,522 ft
Heart Rate Zones:
Zone 1: 15% (≈29 minutes)
Zone 2: 64% (≈2 hours, 6 minutes)
Zone 3: 19% (≈38 minutes)
Zone 4: 1% (≈3 minutes)
Weight carried: 10 pounds (5 lb vest + water)
Temperature: 28°F
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