Why You Should Do Most Things Most of the Time
Is The Gray Zone Good + My Marathon Training Update
What You’ll Learn To Be 1% Better Running Ninja:
Why You Should Do Most Things Most of the Time
Updates On My Sub-3-Hour Marathon Training (11 Weeks Left)
Alright, so here’s the thing—I used to be that person who had to do everything exactly as planned. Gym three times a week? YEZZIR! Even if it meant skipping other important stuff or forcing myself through a session, I wasn’t feeling.
But over time, something clicked: no single missed workout, rest day, or skipped meal prep ever really derailed me. In fact, I started noticing that when I let myself tweak a training plan, take an extra day off, or eat a little differently, my performance didn’t just stay the same—it sometimes got better. That’s when I realized it’s the sum of all the parts that matter. No single straw is breaking the camel’s back.
Take my goal of running a 15:59 5k. For a while, I was laser-focused, but it started to wear me down. I had to step back and ask: what’s the point if chasing perfection burns me out to the point where I can’t enjoy the rest of my life? Letting that goal rest for a bit didn’t make me less of a runner. I’m still the same ol’ Daren, with the same fitness—just more sane and able to show up in life without running myself into the ground.
Here’s what I figured out: You don’t need to be perfect to get where you’re going. Doing most things, most of the time, is actually enough. It’s like having a little cushion or full coverage insurance. Life gets wild and crazy; you miss a day or two—it’s fine because you’ve already been consistent.
Think of it like this: If you hit most of your workouts most of the time, you’ve built enough momentum that missing one or two won’t derail you. The same goes for your diet, your routine, or whatever else you’re working on consistently.
So maybe just chill out on the perfection if you are that personality type because doing most things, most of the time, might just be more effective than getting everything exactly right.
Is Zone 3 (Gray Zone) Running A Waste Of Time or Genius?
Running is a great way to stay fit, usually healthy, but it can also be a little confusing, especially when it comes to training. You might have heard about the "gray zone" and wondered what it is and why you should avoid it and I’ll help answer those questions for you.
What is the Gray Zone?
It’s the area between your aerobic and anaerobic heart rate zones. Your aerobic zone is where you can run for a long time without getting too tired, while your anaerobic zone is where you’re pushing yourself to the limit. The grey/gray zone is where you’re running at a moderate pace but not pushing yourself hard enough to get the benefits of anaerobic training. It’s like going on a first date and playing it safe by talking about the weather – you’re not going too deep, but you’re also not really getting to know each other.
Read, watch and listen to the rest on your next run or workout
Updates On My Sub-3-Hour Marathon Training (11 Weeks Left)
(This is Brenton who I’ll be pacing and his partner)
If you follow me on Strava you would know. JK. 🫠😂
If you don’t know wtf, I’m talking about here’s a quick recap:
I’m pacing a runner that I coach
Hopefully, to go sub 3 hours in the marathon
In the process, I’m going to do probably my first marathon in seven years (I say probably because I might pull out atthe 20km/12-mile mark take a break, and then jump back in for the last 12km/7 miles - more on that in another post)
My training is going extremely well considering I’m still not 100% that I want to do this. My gut says I’ll be fine but I know the hardest weeks are ahead. But I’ve been here before… kinda.
The biggest reason why I say that last line and why it’s going so well is because I’ve done this training before many times during every single training period over the past 6 years.
From my half marathon to 5k training, the first 8-12 weeks are very similar to marathon training. I was also heavier on aerobic base building with the 5k (my weakness) so I wasn’t a stranger to running 2 hours for long runs.
This feels familiar. Let’s see how it goes.