How to do LSD at 5:55am on a Saturday morning
- No, I am not talking about that LSD. I am talking about Long Slow Distance run. A run that runners do once a week, often on the weekend, where they push themselves over a long distance :)
How to do LSD at 5:55am on a Saturday morning: 1 min version
1) Sleep early on Friday night. Put the phone on airplane mode at 10PM
and go to bed (and, set up the alarm at 5:55am)
2) Get up from the bed.
3) Really, get up from the bed.
4) Put on clothes, shoes, and get out the door
5) Focus on the form and finishing, not how fast you run
6) Find things to be grateful for when things get tough during the run
7) Enjoy the sense of accomplishment!
How to do LSD at 5:55am on a Saturday morning: An Essay
May 11th, 2019. It’s 5:55 am. I awake to the alarm on my phone. As always, a monkey in mind starts talking first. ‘Hey, doesn’t it feel nice to be in the bed? Just stay there! You can always run later today or, even better, tomorrow!’
I’ve listened to it a couple of times in the past weeks. I skipped quite a number of morning runs. But not today. Today I’m doing LSD. I went to bed at 10PM last night for this. I made sure I got enough food in me last night for this.
I said nothing to the monkey. It is unnecessary. It only gives it more life. I simply woke up, and slowly took off my pajamas — lululemon’s super comfortable sweatpants and long sleeves. Then I slowly put on my morning running gear. A jogger and a red metal long sleeve. I think of putting on gloves then the thought slips through my mind. Instead, I put on a light rain jacket. I put on a pair of socks and a pair of shoes that have been worn every morning this week and sun-dried during the day.
The sun is coming up. Sky is dark blue. I slowly walk through the school gate of St. Patrick’g high school, where hundreds of champions first started their running career, out onto a small back road. I turn right, into the swerve, hilly back roads of Iten. I already made up the route in my mind: 7km back road route that leads to the main road. My gear is always low in the morning. It should take me 40~45 minutes to the main road. When I get to the main road, I will run downhill towards Eldoret for 20~25minutes, turn around, and run back to school. This should enable me to run over 100 minutes. That is my goal today.
My body feels incredibly heavy. I try to lighten it up by making my cadence faster than usual. I try to expand my rib cage, engage core, and let core drive rhythm of my legs. It is not really working. But I keep going anyway.
Early morning sun shines on my face. At 2,400m altitude, sun feels a bit more intrusive, to say the least. During the first week, I did not apply any sunscreen. My face literally got burnt and I looked like a hell boy for a week. I put sunscreen religiously before every run since then.
My watch says 22 minutes, but it feels like I have been running for an hour. I have no rhythm. I am running up a hill at about 6 min/km pace, but my breathing is heavier than usual. I haven’t even reached the main road. The monkey starts talking again: “Hey! You aren’t feeling too good today. Maybe you can do your LSD tomorrow morning! Just turn left at the main road!” I don’t say anything back. I keep running.
It’s been 45 minutes since I started running and I finally reach the main road. I don’t think but just turn right. I feel relieved. Now, all I need to do is run steadily for another 20 to 25 minutes, turn back, and run home.
The sun is shining from my back. I forgot to put sunscreen on my neck. I untie the hair band and let my hair cover the back of my neck. I pay attention to my breathing and form. I make sure I am breathing through my nose. I make sure my core is engaged, and my upper body slightly bent forward to take full advantage of the gravity. I make sure my legs are pushing off the ground with minimal vertical movement. I try to use my upper arms to drive my legs. This, I am still learning. It is sort of working.
I am hungry. I drank three sips of water before this run. I think of zapati, ugali, managu, deliciously cooked up by Sophie, our kind chef at the camp. The images of pizzas and pastas and all sorts of Korean food fly through my head. I get dizzy. I intentionally look up, and look at the sky. It is beautiful. I breathe in, and breathe out. Okay, I am here. I continue running.
My watch says 1:10. I have run 25 minutes since turning right on the main road. It is time turn around, and run home. Shit. The wind and sun are right at my face. That’s why last 25 minutes has been so easy:I have been running downhill and wind was also helping me.
But this is where the real training is. Last third. The majority of dropouts in the marathon happen at the 30~35km mark. When you have run more than 75%, when your body is depleted of all the sugar in its bloodstream, when your monkey is the loudest. But I have no other option. Walking or giving up are not my options. They are not my options.
I picture Ronex. How he runs so fast yet so gracefully, seemingly floating yet moving forward as if he has four lungs. I try to imitate his form. I am sort of getting it, but not. My core and hip muscles need to be engaged more. I keep practicing using my core to drive the cadence rhythm. It sort of works, and I get into the flow.
Since I met athletes athletes coached by Brother Colm, I always felt they were superhuman. Heroes with advanced hearts, lungs, and legs, wielded by years of commitment and sacrifice. Heroes that inspire mere humans to aspire to move like them. I realize though, that they are also human. They go straight back into the bed after their 6am run and a glass of milk tea, so their body gets the rest it needs before main session at 9:30am. They never forget to take a nap after lunch. Last night, Rolex kicked me out of his room at 8:40PM, telling me: “Okay Kim, we have a long run tomorrow morning. We need sleep!”
I run up the hill before the center of Iten. Now it’s only down hill until the last uphill that ends at the school gate. It’s Saturday, which means a market day in Iten. There are luggages of the sellers around the road. There are matatus and bodabodas everywhere. My body has been in flow for last couple of kilometers. I let my glutes fire and legs push off the ground. I feel my cadence is driven by my core. My arms are also driving my legs. It feels great. It feels blissful. I am grateful to be running.
I turn left to meet the last hill. Knowing that I can rest after this hill, I conjure up all the spirit left in me. The school boys in uniform are out playing around the street and in the school ground. They look at me curiously. I smile.
Fully awake and grateful, I slowly walk through the school gate, which I passed through exactly 109 minutes ago half awake. It’s not the end of the session though. I jog, cool down, and stretch on the grass field. I finish the with stretching my inner thighs, sitting on the grass.
I slowly get up, and shake off the dust and grass on my jogger. No, I did not run 18km under 60 minutes like the supermen in the camp. No, I did not run 20km under 90 minutes like the superwomen in the camp. But I did my best. I did not give up. A sense of achievement and fulfillment flows over me. The monkey is silent, and I smile.
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Sung Woo Kim is a runner and wellness content creator. He shares his tips and learnings through his Instagram and YouTube channel. He also offers Mindful Running and Barefoot Running classes in Seoul, South Korea. Currently, he is in Iten, Kenya, to learn from some of the best #athletes of Kenya and document his journey and their training.
Sung is a lululemon ambassador in Seoul, helping the community to lead healthy lives based on gratitude and breathing.
Sung wrote an ebook with PUBLY(https://publy.co/set/141) based on his time in Iten, Kenya, in 2015. The book is available in Korean now and the translation is almost finished.
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