I Did The Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge…Here’s My Experience
Quick snapshot: it’s hard
The Goggins Challenge, created by David Goggins, is essentially a 48 hour test of your endurance with 4 miles of running, every 4 hours, for 48 hours…hence the 4x4x48. Round the clock. In addition, you promote a charity by creating a fundraiser for one of your choice, and there is ZERO cost to do this other than your time and dedication to do something way beyond yourself.
I chose I AM ALS, and you will find their information at the bottom of this article. I chose this charity as I lost a very dear friend to ALS in 2017, so this is near and dear to my heart…and you can read about Rich Z here in an earlier post of mine honoring two friends I lost way too soon:
Not a runner? Well don’t worry…just do 45–60 minutes of any exercise for each leg and you are good to go…this will be helpful for me as you read on…
It doesn’t sound like much when you look at it, I mean hell I’ve run 18–20 miles before at a clip and did a half with no problem…
Surely I can handle 12 Four mile runs with rest in between, right?
Not so fast…and don’t call me Shirley.
This thing is an absolute grind, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Praying my left knee didn’t collapse on me after Leg 12, and the exhaustion that sets in when all you want to do is sleep…this thing gets gnarly quickly. You’re taking quick 1–1/2 hour naps for 48 hours in between testing your physical limits every 4…and mentally there were some times I broke down emotionally wondering if I had the strength to complete it.
Here’s a Leg By Leg description of my experience:
11 pm, Leg 1: 10:24/Mile
Goggins starts at 8 on the west, so I followed suit at 11 EST to be in line with the challenge. Really, piece of cake. I thought I paced myself well…hindsight 20/20 I should’ve went slower.
3am, Leg 2: 11:24/mile
Truth be told you don’t sleep much after walking in the door after Leg 1; it takes a while to wind down and by the time you do 2:30am hits and it’s time to roll again and get ready. I think I got an hour of rest? Felt it a bit in my quads in the beginning, and then the unexpected happened: my left knee started to pound like it hasn’t in years. Of course. So, slow up and hope maybe it loosens up as I get my rest.
7am, Leg 3: 13:04/Mile
My knee is worse. Hopping down the stairs but screw it, I’ll shorten my pacing and take it super super super slow. At points I was dragging my left leg more than a bit…but I did get through it. 1/4 of the way through…this is not going to be easy. Working on about maybe 4 hours of total sleep.
11am, Leg 4: 13:54
Fatigue setting all the way in. Left knee is completely on fire. Stretching didn’t seem to help, just trying to block out as much as I can. The run was more like a shuffle…which is a shame that my legs are giving out far sooner than my cardiovascular is. Going to have to improvise from here on out. Could be a 4 mile walk in my future at this point.
3pm, Leg 5: 18:01/Mile
It finally hit me. My legs, the left knee specifically completely gave way and it took EVERYTHING I had to just get in the 4 miles. I knew right then and there I was going to have to adjust, but I was hoping a little more rest would loosen it up, but just the opposite. Lack of real sleep is hitting me now, this is just as mental and emotional a grind as it is physical.
7pm, Leg 6: 10K Row, 47:22
Unfortunately walking was not an option at all…so I followed the official rules (45–60 minutes of any exercise) and decided that Rowing may be my answer to the next leg of this, and albeit painful as hell, I was right. 47:22 later I was able to pass the halfway point of this challenge and generate more awareness to IAMALS.org…so win-win! Onto 11p!
11pm, Leg 7: 8K Row, 46:45
At least I think it was 8K. Something like that. Exhaustion is setting in with the little micro sleeps in between. Heading to bed…my head is swimming and muscles are twitching. Challenge indeed.
3am, Leg 8: 6K row couples w/ 10 DB Snatches each arm 47:16
At this point I’m just winging it. Towards the end I had to do something different other than row so I grabbed a 25# DB and did snatches every 500M on the rower. I don’t really have to bend my knee as much due to the light weight and at least it got me off that damned rower where I was just using one leg anyway.
7am, Leg 9: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 20 sit-up AMRAP for time, 45 minutes
27 rounds plus…not bad since bending my knee is damned near impossible at the moment. Stacking my leg on top of the other since I can’t bear weight. Who knows what I’ll do at 11am…this is testing every single ounce of me and although I’m proud of the effort so far I wish I could’ve ran to keep with the spirit of the challenge. Onto Leg 10.
11am, Leg 10: Walked 4 Miles, 22:21/mile
At a blistering 22 minute pace per mile, this was about as quick as I could move these legs. Probably not the best idea I’ve ever had as more than a few times I cramped badly from the length of time it took me to get the 4 miles. I just wanted to give my upper body a rest at that point. Heading down to the wire…
3pm, Leg 11: AMRAP 500M row, 10 DB Snatches per arm, 57:48
Back to the rower and DB. Down to the home stretch, my muscles are feeling every ounce of what’s going on at this point…and this challenge has literally tested everything I’ve got. After this workout and during this break before round 12 I was cramping so bad in my legs and abdomen there was a second I thought I might have to possibly go to the hospital. My own fault, I did too much at 3 to overcome the fact that I couldn’t run…stubborn and foolish. Lack of sleep is taking its toll on me as well. This is absolutely no joke.
7p, Leg 12: 4 mile 16:52/mile
I have no idea how I got 4 miles in let alone below 20 minutes per mile. Literally zero clue. Maybe the thought of it being over and just trying to complete the challenge the way I started it? Two hours before this I was cramping so badly I thought I wasn’t even going to be able to finish, but here we are all done. This was, without question, the hardest thing I’ve ever done both physically and mentally.
If you decide to take this on, my experience may not be yours, and this is in no way an indictment on this challenge. Quite frankly, I was overzealous at points (especially after breezing through the first leg) that I was going to be more mentally tired than physically…boy, was I wrong. The lack of sleep and time in between runs/workouts was definitely a challenge…and I’m not sure what I could have done differently to change any of the results. My knee just gave way leading to a host of other issues I wasn’t planning on…but that’s the whole point of this challenge, right? You adapt and overcome…just like life.
Some of you may read this and think I am crazy for pushing myself the way I did…and at points in between some tears and pain I thought the same thing.
But the thing is, you never know if you’ve got what it takes until you push yourself further than you think you can go…and that’s the whole point of life right? In the process, some very generous individuals help me raise over $2k for the organization I AM ALS, and for that I am truly grateful and humbled.
This challenge may not be for you…in retrospect it may not have been for me either, but for a guy who is rarely proud of himself for anything as I am just living my life the best way I know how…this was one for the books, and I am am thankful for the experience and the outcome.
Please go to https://iamals.org/ for more information about this wonderful organization and how you can make a difference in the ALS community.
