Deadlifts and Distance Running - Training For My First Trail Run

My journey of getting strong, lean and durable

I decided that I wanted to improve my strength while also being able to run long distances — 10km and over. I was inspired by the likes of Fergus Crawley doing a 501lb deadlift followed by a sub-5-minute mile and a marathon on the same day. You don’t see Olympic weightlifters getting into their running gear straight after a big life. The idea of being a hybrid athlete appealed to me. Strong, durable and ready to go when necessary.

My first solution was to sign up for two 10km trail races. I did some trail running in the past and actually enjoyed it. There’s less monotony than road running as it requires your full concentration throughout. You can experience a flow state.

I’ve often neglected running as I previously told myself I wasn’t a runner. This was the underlying limiting belief I wanted to smash by the end. Telling myself the story that I’m not a runner was only making me even more of a non-runner. The longer I held on to this belief the less likely I was to get started and do something about it.

My training at the beginning wasn’t anything special. I would lace up my runners on a Sunday morning and do a 5km. It was relatively easy but it got me back into running.

It then fell off. I became “too busy” to run. I told myself I would go for a run the following weekend.

It wasn’t until a friend reached out and called me out for not training hard enough or showing the ambition of someone who wants to achieve their goals. He was right. I got comfortable in my bubble doing nothing with the mindset that everything will be okay on the day.

Strength wise, my training was flying. I hit PBs in bench, squat and deadlift in 2021. I built muscle and felt stronger than ever. There was something missing though.

I was falling into the trap of “fitness menopause”. This is when going to the gym 4 times a week to lift weights becomes too comfortable. There’s no bigger goal to aim for — it’s only about lifting heavy than last week. There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s your goal.

I need a goal that gives me deep satisfaction. Being able to deadlift 2.25x bodyweight and also running 10km up muddy and wet hills does exactly that.

You might be thinking at this point, what did I actually do to train? Well firstly, I got a coach. Because I had no idea where to start with this. Here’s a brief overview of my training:

• Lifted weights 4x per week
• Conditioning after weights (2x then up to 4x per week)
• Ran twice per week (hill sprints and then a distance run)
• Stretching (10 minutes daily)
• Had a step goal of 70–100k per week

A combination of this and eating well (apart from over Christmas) primed me physically for the event. But the main battle was on a mental level.

The biggest barrier in my way is the limiting belief I told myself. I’m not a runner. I called myself out. I am a runner. It is up to us whether we choose to believe the stories we tell ourselves because that’s all they are — stories.

The mental challenges were only beginning.

I went to bed earlier so I could get up earlier and go to the gym before work. This has numerous benefits compared to the evening. It’s quieter so no need to worry about not getting equipment, it gets it ticked off your to-do list and it leaves you feeling awake and alert for the rest of the day.

During one of my first hill sprints sessions, the streetlights went out while it was still dark. This is during the Scottish winter. It was cold and dark. I couldn’t see a thing. But I kept running until I got to the next set of streetlights. I was uncomfortable. But I relished the opportunity to be. It’s what helps us grow.

The next hill sprint session was another challenge. It was bitterly cold while a nasty cold wind. But I went anyway. The next week it was rain this time. A proper downpour. Cold, wet and windy. There were no complaints afterwards when I was in a warm shower. I worked hard and earned it.

To make things more interesting, I got COVID during the Christmas holidays. This meant 10 days isolating and no running. I was able still to train in the house with the equipment I've got however the intensity was not the same.

For my experience and learnings, check out this post here.

The most important thing I learned after that though was that you're probably only a week away from getting back to the state you were before isolating. You won't have suddenly lost all your strength or endurance.

Race day.

It was time to send it. I planned everything out the night before: my clothes, bag, breakfast and time I had to leave at. I made sure I was ready.

I wasn't feeling all that nervous. I was determined to do it in less than an hour.

The race started.

About 1 km in my shoelace came undone. I decided to ignore it and keep going. This maybe wasn't the safest idea and I was fortunate that I never came to regret that decision. At the halfway point, I took on some fluids and kept pushing on. I was on track for a good time.

It then got hard. There was a long uphill section that made me dig deep and focus on each stride. I had to keep going. I would not be stopped.

I got through it and pushed on again as the ground flattened out. I checked my watch and saw 55 minutes on the clock. Not long left.

I went for it. I opened up my legs and went at an 8 or 9 for the last 2 minutes. I was going to empty the tank and leave it all there. I didn't want to stop. I crossed the line in 57 minutes 40 seconds. Under the hour mark.

I felt buzzed up, tired but mainly satisfied from pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

From "I'm not a runner" to 10km trail runs in less than an hour has been a huge mindset shift.

If trail running wasn't enough, I decided to go bigger.

I asked myself what would I fear NOT doing? The answer was obvious. A marathon. A distance which I’d like to cover at least once in my lifetime.

I signed up. I didn’t feel nervous about training for this one. I knew I was going to trust the process when training.

The Edinburgh marathon is on the 29th of May. It will be the biggest physical and mental challenge I have completed. Putting in the effort beforehand and believing in yourself no matter is always a recipe for success. You can be proud of yourself regardless of what happens on race day. You’ve done the hard part getting there.

You can train for strength and distance running. All you have to do is choose to believe you can. And trust the process.

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