The Quest #20: Feets Don't Fail Me Now

In the final weeks of my first Hal Higdon training program. I've even got a 5K race coming up in the first week of June! I'm listening to my body with each step and not rushing to complete a marathon just to cross it off my list. Pace still isn't fast, but now I'm training with consistency and purpose.

My biggest challenge is that I'm not eating nearly enough. More mileage equals more calories burned...meaning that I'm turning into a string bean. I can see it in the mirror and from the comments of people that haven't seen me in a while. And I haven't been able to bang out pullups in the last week so the boulder shoulders are slimming down too. What a tragedy. I've been drinking lots of Ensure when I can, but I know this isn't enough. Time for a re-up at Trader Joes and a serious focus on consistent eating.

Overall I've been pushing myself creatively and at work, thinking and working more towards a future and life that I want. It ain't easy, but we'll make it happen.

So many little updates to Sendō. The site looks super clean, graphics and the general aesthetic is getting dialed in and I've got a new t-shirt design that I think will be a good first start. Even got an artist lined up to make some actually cool things. I feel in my soul that this is something I was meant to do. I ain't ever gonna stop (until I cross the finish line of The Speed Project). And even then...

April 29th, 2025 to May 31st, 2025

Long story short: I became a WFH deadbeat because life got too hard for an emotionally unstable yuppie. Now I'm trying to redeem myself by running a lot and talking about it. Hopefully you find this entertaining enough to subscribe, tell a friend and follow your own Quest.

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"I wanted to quit because I was suffering. That was not a good enough reason."
— Ted Corbitt

I'm grateful that this running plan has been easy enough to encourage me to keep running. At the end of Week #6 of 8 my body is feeling it but I'm getting faster and stronger. Let's go!!!

Didn't get a ton of long sessions in this month (45 minutes+) but I felt good and strong. The end goal is a balance between cardio, strength training and yoga so less long yoga sessions is OK because I pushed more on running. The sweet spot is dedicating a solid amount of time to each. I worked in some more Vinyasa flows to keep pushing myself in new directions. I love Ashtanga and I love consistency, but I know if I don't push for longer sessions then new growth won't come easily. The goal for next month is four in-person yoga classes, even if they're on the easier side, and at least four hour+ ashtanga yoga sessions. Let's keep pushing.

A picture's worth a thousand words; here's nine.

Running more with music and Places and Spaces by Kerri Chandler has been great. It's just solid, straight forward club bangers. The beats across the album are a little slow for running but the beats just hit right. Every song is solid, all 5+ minutes, and they all build up slowly overtime.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is an absolutely fantastic show. It has so many little 70s throwbacks from the music, sound effects, and subtle changes from the original 70's Gundam TV show. Like many other media properties these days, Gundam is going through a soft reboot. This is told in an alternative future to the original Gundam universe, though there's many hints that it may be connected to that original timeline through some multiverse shenanigans, but this time it doesn't feel lame. It's just different enough to make watching it exciting and entertaining. The new characters are great and what I love about Gundam in general is that a lot of the story is somewhat unspoken. Just like real life, a lot of people's ambitions and feelings and desires are left ambiguous and for you to pick up on the details of their actions. People actually act like humans, which leads to incredible storytelling. GQuuuuuuX looks like it'll only be like 14 episodes so much shorter than traditional Gundam stories, but still very good.

The E-Myth Revisited is a business book that focuses on how effective franchises are, and the power of creating business systems that are repeatable. It's given me a lot of insight on how to think about this project, my professional career and the future ahead. Systems are everything. Systems to serve customers, systems to think of new ideas, systems to get shit done in a repeatable manner every single time. Consistency is everything.

No Shelter by Rage Against The Machine is just a banger song: I've been listening to a lot of nu metal lately, especially Infest by Papa Roach. That 90s angst has been in my soul since the beginning and has never left I guess. I think I've got a little bit of that rebellious dog in me after all.

Don't go anywhere! The Quest will be back after a short break.

Ted Corbitt (1919–2007) was a trailblazing American long-distance runner, physical therapist, and advocate for inclusivity in athletics. Born in Dunbarton, South Carolina, to parents who were the children of enslaved people, Corbitt grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he discovered his passion for running. Despite facing racial discrimination that often barred him from competitions, he excelled in track events during high school and at the University of Cincinnati. After serving in World War II, Corbitt earned a master's degree in physical therapy from New York University, embarking on a 44-year career at the International Center for the Disabled in Manhattan.

In 1952, he became the first African American to represent the United States in the Olympic marathon, competing in Helsinki. He completed an astounding 223 marathons and ultramarathons, including 22 Boston Marathons, and held American records in distances ranging from the marathon to 100 miles. Known for his rigorous training regimen, Corbitt often ran over 200 miles per week, sometimes commuting from his Bronx home to his Manhattan workplace on foot.

Beyond his personal accomplishments, Corbitt was instrumental in shaping the landscape of distance running in the United States. He was a founding member and the first president of the New York Road Runners Club and served as the third president of the Road Runners Club of America. Corbitt pioneered accurate course measurement techniques using a calibrated bicycle wheel, a method that remains standard today. He also advocated for the inclusion of masters divisions in races, promoting opportunities for older athletes.

Corbitt's legacy endures through numerous honors and memorials. He was among the first inductees into both the National Distance Running Hall of Fame and the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame . In 2021, a six-mile loop in Central Park was named the "Ted Corbitt Loop" in his honor . The New York Road Runners' annual Men's Road Ultra Runner of the Year award also bears his name. Corbitt's dedication to the sport and his pioneering spirit continue to inspire runners around the world.

Hope you learned something new. Back to The Quest!

Unedited manic ramblings, typically after a run.

4/30/2025

First run of Week #3 yesterday. Went well, just a three miler around the neighborhood. Felt good, in fact managed to push to 3.5 without noticing. Today is going to be sprints. No doubt I'm feeling a little sore though I'm hurt my training watch said I'm detraining. But we keep going, I actually feel good and I can tell I'm getting a little faster. I'm understanding the little nuances in my body as I run, and towards the end of yesterday's run I started picking up speed. Interesting.

30 minutes of yoga today. Trying not to feel too bad about it, of course I'd like to bang out hour+ sessions every morning like a god, but I'm still not waking up early enough for that and also I'm lazy. So ya know. But the goal this go-around is balance, so I need to accept that to truly live in a yoga way, you know it ain't just about the poses. So staying in the pocket, staying focused on my dreams, is the goal.

--

Intervals today, 6 rounds of 4 minutes of running, 1 minute 20 seconds of walking. The run itself would've been easy, but I started cramping within the first five minutes and it like a motherfucker for a good chunk of the run. But this too was good, it forced me to push through despite the pain and make sure I drink twice as much water. It's about to become May and the heat is already creeping up there. Had to wait until 7pm before it was even tolerable to run outside. Feeling good though, the running is putting the fire back in me. I guess I'll have finished this training plan by July...that's kind of neat.

5/2/2025

https://melbourneaikido.com.au/musubi-a-single-thread-tying-us-all-together/

Musubi: another way of expressing that it's all connected. I've always been fascinated by spirituality and religion since I was a kid: there was stuff that seemed obviously made up in all of the different religious texts I would read, and stuff that was eerily similar, regardless of whether it was developed in the Western cultures, Eastern cultures, African cultures, the native peoples of America, Australia, on and on. The same stories, the same ideas, the same experiences repeat. The same message seems to be clear - in many different ways, we are one. There is no division between all things, it is one thing expressing itself in many different forms. But who cares? What does that do for my existence on this planet, trying to get this money, get laid and find happiness? Well, today I felt really happy because I helped my teammate work on a project. And I felt good when I got in an Instagram comments fight with another artist and by the end of it we ended up following each other and encouraging each other to keep going. I cut myself off from the world, but I was so happy when I got the wedding invitation of a friend - I was happy that they found someone they love and feels like a great fit for them. In pursing my true self, I found that the actions I took to help others made me happiest. When I'm trying to start a new business or two, I'm starting to get that you only win if you're helping others, through mutual benefit and just good ol fashioned kindness. A business, an idea, a dream: it lifts others up too. That's how you create something great in this world. The idea of it being a business that makes money is just a good way to validate that it's running efficiently.

5/5/2025

Got my four-miler in on Saturday, should've done the 6 miler on Sunday but I slept in and life was full of adventures that day. Saturday's run: able to run further and stop less. I think I maybe stopped once or twice, and that was to change my music more than to recover. Starting to dial in my different "gears" for running. Like, I can see when I'm pushing my legs too push which starts to rob my breath, so I slow down to keep everything moving in sync and smoothly. Smooth really is the key.

I've been thinking a lot about how I've always been obsessed with surfing and it's funny that running and bicycling are the two closest ways I've found to replicate that obsession but never truly recognized that. And in that same vein, I've loved the counterculture spirit and energy of surfing and subsequently, skateboarding. If I'm just another kid trying to follow my dreams, then I know the brand I'll create has to be a reflection of those things. This website absolutely feels like it, I just need more refinement and more epicness.

Back to that run - I noticed on my last run as well but I have been getting faster in the last mile or two. I guess that two or three miles is just a warmup for most athletes, but man it's like my legs finally activate and I can take longer, more powerful strides. Very cool!!

--

6 miler, and the last run of Week #3 is complete. Today was actually kind of easy. It was raining while I ran, an actual full on downpour for most of it, but that felt good and healing. It might that the air wasn't insanely hot as I ran, which made the run far easier. I don't think I stopped once the entire run. Slowed down a little bit to take out my headphones because my Spotify is tied to my mom, so when she's jamming to Diana Ross back home I can't listen to music on my AirPods. I mean I could I upgrade my plan but I'm cheap. Anyway - the run was good. I was completely soaked from head to toe, but, and I had this thought while I was running; I actually love this shit. 6 miles is baby stuff, don't get me wrong, but it felt fun from start to finish. I think this is my destiny. Not because it felt fun, but rather....it just seems right. This is my work. This is my purpose. I'm at the bottom of a mountain but somehow it gives me hope that I've only got one direction to go.

Same as last run too - I actually got faster later in the run.

5/7/2025

This is just rad:

That's it. See you later after I hit my three-miler today.

5/12/2025

My three miler in the city went well. City running in NYC is a different beast. I kept my headphones in but it forced me to navigate my surroundings with more focus. The time was good: 3.22 miles, 35 minutes, 10:51 /mi pace. Apparently that's my PR in the 5K. That's how slow I've been but I'm also happy about that progress. Like everything in life, it's about consistency. I'm also grateful that I found a training program that works for me and that I've got a vision of what is coming next. I have to keep going. There's one more run for this week - the 5K test. It'll be tomorrow most likely. I know I can get faster. But I haven't been eating well, some days I have very little energy, some days I can run forever. I had been drinking Ensures and eating yogurt for breakfast but I need to consistently be eating high quality meals.

Outside of the running, I'm feeling anxious AF again. I've whined about it here before but work hasn't been going great. And every relationship I've ever had is either gone or on the verge of disappearing. For a long time I hated my father for abandoning the family, his life, running away from all of it...now that I'm at a stress level 10, I'm understanding it a bit more. Like I made a bunch of decisions, some good, some bad, and I'm stuck right in the middle of the web of those choices. Maybe that's what a midlife crisis is. Why the fuck am I even talking about this? I decided that I realized who this website is for. It's for me. It's for people like me. Those that have screwed up, made mistakes, lost everything, at the end of the road. Maybe we can save ourselves through this. I'll prove to myself, I'll prove to the world that by the end of this I'll win.

5/14/2025

Finished my final run of Week #4. It was so hot that I had to start running at around 8PM, so by the final mile of my run it was pitch black outside. Felt good though, and even that late I sweated my soul out. Maybe I really am in hell. But I believe that this intense heat will make me a rocket ship when it's time to really kick ass. When it was cooler, I ran much faster and didn't feel as winded.

The final run of this week was a test for the 5K. I finished it in 38 minutes, which is honestly average. And when I look back at my first 5K race time in December 2023, it's the same. But I guess the reality is that's my life. I haven't grown at all physically. But that just means I'm on the right path. I'll keep on training and get even faster and surpass my limits. I've found a few other runners that are like me on Instagram, and seeing them be vulnerable and share their stories is honestly exciting. And it makes me feel like I am on the right path.

5/16/2025

Got my first three-miler of Week #5 in yesterday. I wasn't totally expecting to do it - I took my dog for a walk in the shaded park near my house after work around 7PM. Once we started walking I decided to just go for it. Didn't have my fanny pack, running sneakers or headphones. Just some casual sneakers and my phone freeballing in the pocket of my shorts as I ran.

Did the first mile with the dog so she could get her cardio for the day, then put her in the car on Dog Mode while I banged out the rest. It was hot. Honestly maybe like 85, and hold up don't yell at me for being a bad dog parent, I observed her the whole time and the moment she looked even a little tired I took her back to the car. She's a good training partner; stays close and keeps up the pace. But it was hot, and because this park is pretty isolated I can relieve myself in the woods and my urine was orange AF. I didn't run as fast as I would've liked, and actually stopped quite a few times to text, but in the end my time was consistent with other 3 milers I've done: just under 40 minutes. The mission is to get that under 30 minutes, so the work continues. My belief is that by the end of this 8 week training program that I'll reach that goal.

A storm front must've passed through last night, today feels so much cooler. On the menu for today's run is 7x400m sprints. I just run for 4 minutes, walk for 1:20, repeat 7 times. Let's make miracles happen.

—

got my 7x400m in. I do it as 7 intervals of 4 minutes of running, 1 minute 20 seconds of walking. Today I did it mostly on the track near me, which was a good change of pace. I'm learning to dial in how to run at different speeds. The algorithm delivered to me a YouTube video of these Kenyan runners and their form was just perfect, watching them run unlocked the form in my brain to replicate. It resonated with what I read in the Born to Run book; it's all about being gentle and relaxed and using the natural pump and rhythm of your legs to move forward. I'm humbled by the depth of body mechanics in something I took for granted. Respect to all runners. My roadwork needs work.

Anyway the intervals were good, being on the track was fun, it wasn't insanely hot, listened to Justice, the French electronic duo's sophomore album, Canon. Great BPMs for running. I ran half in one direction on the track, then turned around and did the other half in the other direction. I figured it was good for my legs to balance them out or something, but is that true? Intuitively that's what I figured.

5/18/2025

Got my 3 miler in today. Middle of the day so it was hot, around 90, but still got it done and performed OK. Time is about the same 40 minutes to run a 5K. But I've learned not to fixate on pace, just to stay consistently running and keep the faith that by the end of Week 8, I'll be zooming. I've got three more runs for Week #5. We'll finish strong. What I'm noticing is to focus on the "pump" of the legs more consistently, and I try to focus on that body mechanic when I can. I believe I have flat feet, so it affects how I approach running. I feel like I have to consciously flex my foot to get that perfect strike pattern. And maybe that's just how it works, I'm training my feet to make that maneuver flawless every time. The great work continues.

Now that I'm running more, my Instagram feed has rotated over to running content, which is teaching me new little things. I'm also feeling intimated a little too - if I do turn this into a brand, there's so many ways and avenues to pursue to build up mindshare. I'm also learning there's a lot of good runners out there from all corners of the world in all shapes and sizes. It's super intimidating, but also exciting - it's a giant group of peers to learn from and compete against. Trying to keep that Pokémon mindset. We're not fighting each other, we're fighting ourselves and the terrain while doing it with another person. That's a beautiful thing. It is an art form as well, and I'm appreciating that this is a sport. It's OK that this is a sport I like. Don't care about competitions, just about the pursuit of self and how to use these human machines a bit more efficiently. Let's keep learning.

Also - Zone 2 training, as in keeping your heart rate in that heart rate zone for sustained periods of time, is apparently key to greatness. Basically doing something at a strong-mild effort for long periods of time makes you tough as nails. I wonder if my daily yoga counts as that? If you're reading this out there in the future, someday I'll turn on comments so let me know. Minimum is like 18 minutes of ashtanga yoga on a lazy day, 30+ minutes is respectable, 40+ minutes is putting in work. Consistent 60 minute sessions would be the goal. And I'm still on Level 1 of training. The longest I've done on app is 70 minutes, maybe I've even done an 80 minute which is the full beans. IRL the class was hard but good, learned a lot and saw how hard a real ashtanga yoga class pushes you.

5/21/2025

4 miler yesterday. Again the first mile is agony, maybe even the second, but after that I feel like my body is listening to me and I'm in finer control of each step. I'm semi-consciously taking each step, which is mentally exhausting, but it's enabling me to fine tune the muscle coordination to run in the best way. Eventually once my body is warmed up, I can "pump" my legs to run faster. Like there's a certain mechanism that I can activate and my speed increases. Now I'm consistently under 12 minute miles. We'll see how the 6-miler for today goes - going to have a big breakfast and attack the course whenever I can. I've been running in my neighborhood recently but I'm thinking I'll go to Walnut Creek since it's nice and shaded.

--

Going back home for the summer so I looked up some run clubs. Found out about Black Men Run, which has been around for the last ten years. Here's a great article about the benefits of running and this run club: https://blackdoctor.org/black-running-group-want-othes-to-follow-in-their-healthy-footsteps/

--

6 mile run, final run of Week #5 of 8, is complete. Did it on the Walnut Creek Trail I think, it's almost completely shaded so it's perfect to run on at any time of day. Got after it about an hour after work, and the final 6.2 mile total took me about an hour. I'm not faster, maybe barely, but the change I'm noticing is that I have more control over each step, and I know my body decently enough to know where I can push a little faster without running out of energy. That's been the number one lesson I'd say this chapter: it's all about energy management. First it's about eating good food, right food, and then using the energy that food gives me to run effectively, then use the energy to write and send out more energy into the world. Little dramatic that last part, but it's about energy management. Good energy in means a good output. I didn't stop once which was amazing, I thought I would walk a little bit at 5 miles but I figured, just keep powering through to the end. And the bonus: someone gave me a high five on the trail which was good encouragement and energy, and I saw two deer at the tail end of my run. I always take that as a good sign, and I've only seen deer on this trail one other time, and I've been on it dozens of times.

The great work continues. Two days off and then a 3 miler. I'm driving back home from Texas so I have no clue where that run will be, but I'm kind of excited to go for it. It might be in a dangerous neighborhood outside of a cheap hotel in bumblefuck Georgia, but I'm looking forward to more training. Also finally got a good pair of sport sunglasses. I look stupid but it feels like the mask of a superhero, so I'm bout it.

5/24/2025

Got to get back on the road so this is quick. got through 3 miles in Baton Rogue, LA. Even at 8am it was humid as shit, so my pace wasn't incredible. But it's a cute spot where I stayed. I love the old brick buildings, that's what I want my dream house to be built out of. Or maybe that Mediterrean stucco. Either way that's the vibe. Back to the run - left my watch at home so had a couple stops but otherwise felt OK. Didn't feel comfortable running today as I didn't eat too much yesterday, I did feel some cramping and less energy in the system. Grateful to learn more about the deeper systems that make me work. The battle for greatness continues.

5/26/2025

Haven't run in the last few days. Was fixing to do it today but I was so tired after all of the driving back home that all I did was some chair yoga with my mom. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm aiming for a 40 minute tempo run. I think by the end of this chapter I'll be able to get through the remaining runs of Week #6.

5/27/2025

40 minute tempo run today. Not totally sure what tempo means but didn't stop once the entire run and pace felt good. Here in New York it's much cooler than Texas so you can run in the middle of the day and not pass out from heat exhaustion. Neat, right? Did a couple laps around the local park. Still frustrated that I am not become speed yet, but I know I'm getting older and it's about consistent training and cross training.

5/28/2025

I'm still learning about the running world. But I just discovered someone who is an absolute fucking legend: Ted Corbitt. A legend and a pioneer. A black marathon and ultramarathon god. I was looking up the Black Men Run race at Shirley Chisholm that's happening in a couple weeks when I came across the Ted Corbitt 50K which is run in his honor. Then I read about and wow!!! This guy was badass! So was shirley Chisholm!! Sometimes I get scared as shit at the challenges I've got to face but when you think about how fucking hard and long these people had to struggle to succeed, our challenges pale in comparison. So I'm fired up. He did crazy fast, long runs on the regular. He ran over 200 marathons. He was a legend. He'll be the Quote of this month. Maybe I'll do a blurb on him further down. He was also the first African-American to represent the United States in the Olympics for the marathon. The amount of GOAT stuff this guy did is unreal. Here's his website: https://tedcorbitt.com/

5/29/2025

Last 3 miler of Week #6 is locked in. I'm realizing that I'm not getting enough nutrients. My legs feel like crap for the first mile or two. Like they're slowing getting pushed to their limits. Or maybe it's that they're slowly getting stronger. Either way, while it's not pain, there is a basic level of discomfort that I'm fighting with during these runs. However I also have to keep in mind - this is the most I've run in basically two years, and most of what I've done since then has been low-impact yoga, so no shit my legs are going to hurt. But they do. Felt good though - did my laps around Marine Park, the neighborhood park I've been running at since I was a kid.

Honestly I had planned to make this blog anonymous forever, but there's no point not talking about myself. I'm a kid from Brooklyn, I'm a New Yorker, I am who I am. Marine Park is a zen piece of paradise in this part of the city, and all races and ages come there to enjoy nature. It's a wonderful place, even if it does look depressing AF during the summer. But more importantly I'm recognizing that this is what I love about the city compared to Long Island; it's so diverse. I'm running alongside American whites, blacks, Africans, Indians, West-Indians, Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Hasidic Jews, Muslims, on and on. And YES I know some of those are religions, not races, but you know what I'm saying. We've got runners, cricket players, baseball players, that game that you hit balls against a concrete wall, the bocce ball thing that old Italian guys play, so many things.

Sometimes I'm disgusted by myself because of how blind I've been to where I was raised and who I've been. I had the blinders on for so many years that I couldn't appreciate this place until I'm coming back home as an adult. I wouldn't live here again, that's for sure I need space and nature, and living in Texas has shown me that, but....I get it now. I get why this place is special, I get why it's a place where we can all interconnect and grow from each other. The city, just like the rest of the country and maybe the planet, is run mostly by evil greedy people, but mixed in with that is the story of millions of regular Americans just hustling for a little more out of life. Can't knock the hustle.

See you maybe tomorrow for the 5 miler. Oh - and I did my first 45 minute ashtanga yoga session of the month which was good. To keep growing I want to push myself to visit an in-person class, though I'll probably have to drive out to Park Slope or something to get after it. Either way, the journey continues. See ya.

New York, and not smoking pot or taking gummies, has brought out a bit of the asshole in me again, so I'm learning to reign that in. Sorry to my friends and family that I've been a jerk to. But riding the wave of these emotions is part of the journey. At least I'm participating in life again. Feeling the vibes of the Bhagavad Gita lately.

Action!

5/31/2025

Got my five-miler done today nice and early. It'll be the last run of this chapter, though tomorrow I've got the seven-miler to close out Week #6 of 8. Today was good - it rained like crazy in New York so it was really cool. And I pushed myself to get after it at 7am since I wouldn't have time later in the day.

Felt light and easy, didn't feel tired. I had a big Chipotle burrito late last night so I think that gave me a little extra energy. I mean duh, that's the biggest thing I've learned is that you need lots of energy in, but still. Listening to my body has gotten better so I'm able to adjust my pace and stick with the run all the way through so that's been a lot of fun. One thing they always obsess over in running literature is to GO SLOW. I'm understanding that more and more. The slower I go the more I notice my body mechanics, and then after like Mile 3, my body feels warmed up enough to perform. In that same spirit, I can see that for my upcoming race I really should do a warmup run for like 10 minutes to get the blood flowing and the machine working at peak efficiency. Though it's like that for Formula 1, with formation laps, so why wouldn't it be true for your body?

Last note: I've been trying to treat each run as "art". Like I may not be the best painter, but I'm going to make every inch of the run a form of self-expression and make my form and pace beautiful. Some hippy-dippy but it's true. Running is an art form. Pretty much everything is an artform. Took me a long time to see it.

See ya for the next one.

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