Several months ago, I took it upon myself to complete the 4x4x48 challenge. For the uninitiated, this challenge was created by former Navy SEAL David Goggins to test both physical and mental endurance. It consists of twelve four-mile runs in four-hour increments: four miles every four hours for forty-eight hours. You don’t get much sleep, if any, and, in case you missed it, the challenge adds up to forty-eight total miles. Unofficially, this qualifies it as an ultramarathon (any race – or challenge – longer than the traditional 26.2).
It’s not all terrible. There is no time limit to the runs, so you can technically take up to four hours to complete each four-mile segment. I found that the runs that took place during the day were not incredibly difficult, but the runs in the middle of the night had me questioning all my life choices. Ultimately, I completed the challenge and proceeded to sleep for the next six hours (despite it being about 8 am).
I structured my 4x4x48 challenge such that my runs took place at 6, 10, and 2. This meant that I was able to get some decent sleep during the night portions, my intention was to only have one run that truly interrupted my regular sleep cycle. I had originally planned to start the challenge at 2 pm on Friday, but as the day began I found myself on edge and just anticipating the next 48 hours, so I decided to start at 10 am.
The first few runs (10 am, 2 pm, and 6 pm) were not difficult. I cruised through each of the runs at a comfortable 8:30-9:00 min/mile pace in anticipation of the coming miles. I pinned my headphones to some upbeat music (exclusively emo) and chugged along. After each run I ate half a banana and took a quick shower. I decided beforehand that while I didn’t really want to take twelve showers, it was worth it for my mentality to be clean in the periods where I wasn’t running.
I slept after my 6 pm run and waking up for the first 10 pm run was dreadful. It was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit and pitch black except for the faintly lit street lamps. My legs were like cold molasses – as I had woken them from their regular recovery cycle – and my brain was slow. I trudged through the four miles, desiring desperately to quit and return to my sweet bed. This was when I realized that though the 4x4x48 is certainly a physical challenge, but even more so a mental challenge.
Running four miles is, for most runners, an unremarkable feat. But running four miles every four hours for forty-eight hours is tough on even the most experienced athletes. The challenge prevents your legs from ever fully recovering. It also never allows you to get more than a few hours of sleep at any one time. After the first night, I was a mental jellyfish. I spent the day watching running YouTube videos and preparing psychologically for the next run and, more importantly, the next night.
While my daytime runs on Saturday went without a hitch (I even had several where I finished with a 6:50 mile) I was dreading the coming evening. I had planned to watch a college football game (Go Army Football!) instead of sleeping, but after my 6 pm run, I crashed. I barely woke up for my 10 pm run and didn’t set off until about 10:20. It’s worth mentioning at this point as well that while I kept my paces respectable during the day, all four of my night runs were over 10:00 min/mile averages.
My second 2 am run (and eleventh run overall) was both the hardest mentally and the most optimistic because, once I was finished, I knew I only had one more run left. I woke up at 5:55 am for the last segment of my 4x4x48 challenge to a beautiful sunrise and a crisp 32-degree morning. I knew, at this point, that despite the pain in my legs I was going to finish. When I set out, I had entertained thoughts of making it a six-miler instead of a four-miler so that my total distance would be 50 miles, but after the first fifteen minutes, I was convinced to run only the required length. As I cruised home on the last mile I knew it would be a while before I ran another 4x4x48 challenge.
As I alluded to earlier, the biggest takeaway from the challenge was mental endurance. Most consistent runners will have the leg strength to push through the pain and complete each run. It is the mental aspect that differentiates the successful from the unsuccessful. The night portions were by far the hardest because I just. Wanted. To. Sleep. The challenge didn’t necessarily make me any better physically, but it did teach me to push through uncomfortable moments and painful experiences.
If you have the time (obviously 48 relatively uninterrupted hours) I have to recommend doing this challenge if only to prove to yourself that you can. I started on Friday morning of a weekend where I had no obligations from Friday through Monday. I then had almost all of Sunday and all of Monday for my legs and my sleep to recover. After completing the challenge, I believe you could do it in three days, rather than the four I allotted myself, and be fine to return to your regular activities after your “most of the day” recovery. By the way, if you want to do the challenge along with David Goggins, his next 4x4x48 challenge will be on 4 March 2022 starting at 8 pm PST.
It’s important to do hard things for the sake of doing hard things because it shows you that you do have the capacity to push yourself further than you previously thought. At the end of the day, this is one of many reasons we run: because it challenges us every day to get better, to do what we once thought impossible.
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