I still remember it so clearly. Or I should say I have an impression seared into my head based off of an event. It was Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was the evening. It was dark. I think before my beloved J came to be with me. What year was it?

2002 I think.

I was going for a very long run once every 4 days. Quite slow and working up to two plus hours. I don't think I even stuck with it for 2 months. I remember an evening where the running felt so good. Just gliding along. I remember going up an incline on practically the only main road in that rather sad "town". Then down. Then the golf course on my left as I went out towards the suburbs that eventually hit just cliffs. I remember a strong manure smell.

Such a strong memory. To run at night, and perhaps when young, can feel so good. Of course sooner or later there will be a dog, or worse. Back then on these every 4 days long runs, I took a different course every time. And unfortunately that day's run I hit a hill that just kept going up and up a good 6 miles out from home. This was back when I landed on the front of my foot. And after a mile straight of hill, my calves were done. In a mile I went from feeling great to my calves being utterly done. And I was still so far from home. The misery killed my every 4 days long run. Occasionally I wonder how good a runner I might be now if I had stuck with it.

Oh well.

Anyway, for the first time since then I'm going to do something somewhat similar. In the last 9 months my running has only declined a bit. The last I was doing well, I was doing a 10 to 12 mile run on both weekend days. Then an additional 2 runs during the week. With just 10 to 20% fast running. I quit it from boredom and just trying to find a shortcut. Surely I could at least run a 19 minute 5k without those long runs?

But no, I cannot.

This time though I won't lose both my weekend mornings. Will completely sacrifice, I think my Thursday evenings instead, along with Sunday mornings. Shall try a 3 hour run each time. The one on the treadmill with movies. Not too bad surely?

Bannister supposedly never did any tempo runs or long runs in reaching a 4 minute mile. But people suspect he was lying and actually sneaked some tempo runs in, late at night. Which is to say there's nothing for it but that you really have to put in a lot of time, to get anywhere. That has been my experience with everything in life.