5 Lessons I Learned About Anxiety After Doing 4x4x48

Run 4 Miles Every 4 Hours for 48 Hours David Goggins Challenge

I have this hunch that most people who want to improve their lives through fitness aren’t lazy or unmotivated. More than a lack of desire to get a lean body or have more energy, it’s about having either anxiety about exercise or fear of an activity such as going to the gym.

If you’ve ever stalled yourself from the exercise you know will be good for you, maybe you’ll be able to recognize these experiences. From there, you you can have some personal tools to help propel you to the body you desire after this article. If you don’t care to run, you can relate these ideas to a specific activity you feel you need to or must do because the lessons I learned can be applied in almost any area.

What Is Anxiety Like?

Even regular “gym rats” get anxiety about doing certain leg exercises and prefer to focus most of their time on their upper bodies resulting in an affliction called “chicken legs.” In gyms, you’ll hear the mention of “leg day” with a disgruntled voice as if it was the worst day of the week.

For most of my life, I dreaded running. Just the thought of aching legs, heavy labored breathing, and pushing through the same repeated movement of smashing my feet on the ground for even a few minutes would stop me in my tracks. Perhaps your experience of anxiety might be completely different. Mine wasn’t crippling, but the ideas I’m about to share helped me understand some of the anxiousness I’ve felt.

Disclaimer: The author takes true anxiety, depression, fear, or trauma seriously. So if you are experiencing extreme emotions or challenges in those areas, please take the time to care for yourself and speak with a mental health professional. This article is general in nature and is not meant to treat or diagnose any mental health or medical concerns.

Even in these current times, when I plan to run later in the evening, or even 24 or 48 hours away, my mind can’t stop stressing about it. These aren’t long distances either with the majority being less than 5 miles, occasionally going up to 7.5 or 10 miles. I convinced myself that running was the most worthless and pointless activity that no one enjoys. In my mind, I wanted to avoid it like a dog avoids an automated vacuum that keeps waking it up during it’s nightmares.

How can anyone like running? How can anyone enjoy an activity that stresses them out so much until the time comes to do the deed? I would ask myself.

But over the past few years, I’ve come to tolerate running. I’m enjoying it a bit more. and I hope eventually I’ll come to love it. After accepting the health benefits of running, noticing that my metabolism has slowed down, and reading some inspirational books, I’ve pushed myself to tolerate it. I used to think running a mile was a lot, but I think that idea is a joke now because a mile barely breaks a sweat.

Along the way, I’ve learned a bit, not just about myself, but also about topics such as fear, anxiety, mindfulness, and how to overcome personal challenges. Because at the end of the day, there is not much to fear or be anxious about when it comes to running. It still feels uncomfortable, yes. And for certain types of runs such as running uphill or during cold months excites very few people.

Sure, you want to consider safety depending on where you live and the time of day. Then there are the aches and pains and sprains. And pushing yourself too hard too fast can result in injuries that can require bed rest for a couple days. But compared to many other challenges in life, spending anywhere from 10 minutes to 2+ hours to fine-tune your remarkable body through running can have tremendous benefits.

Running supports improved cardiovascular health (cardiovascular disease is one of the most preventable causes of death in America), longevity (live longer and healthier), improved blood circulation, endorphin rush, and faster metabolism so you can eat more of what you want, and beyond.

Out of all the activities I’ve done to push myself to run, one challenge stuck out in my mind tremendously. The challenge is called the #goggins4x4x48challenge in hashtag terms. David Goggins is the author of “Can’t Hurt Me” and former Navy SEAL, the world record holder for pull-ups, and an ultramarathon runner.

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Once a year for the past few years, David Goggins holds the "4x4x48” challenge where runners can opt-in online. The challenge is to run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. That’s right. Starting on Friday night at 8 PM, you are challenged to run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours for a total of 48 hours.

You track the times yourself, so it’s based on Scout’s Honor, and of course, if you can’t run all of the legs, no one will stop you from biking or walking or treadmilling all the laps. Goggins even does a tour where he runs in different locations, and you can go run and meet with him. He came to Southern California this year.

This was a significant challenge because it was definitely not easy. But more than that, I got a lot of time to think and reflect on it. Initially, I thought I wouldn’t do it because, again, it was quite a hard challenge, and I have a tough time enjoying running. By closely examining my own thought process and reflecting through writing, I had a few realizations.

It all started before the challenge even started.

1. Fear of Success and Failure

I consider the anxieties I’ve experienced as it pertains to running as a very mild form of fear. I don’t get nervous or shake thinking about it, but it’s stressful. I first read about 4x4x48 probably about 3 or so months before the event. I saved the post on my Facebook in secret. I didn’t want to make a comment or claim any obligation to do so, because heck, it sounded really tough!

Backing out would be embarrassing if people knew (most people don’t care). Even more than feeling ashamed by the people who follow my Facebook activity, it was more of a feeling of failure to myself. And this is where I really got to dig into this topic of fear.

You’ve probably heard of what it means to fear failure. Fear of failure is relatively obvious. If you’re hunting a sabertooth, as our great ancestors did, and you failed, you’d probably be viciously torn apart. If you climb an incredibly tall tree without any equipment, you could fall and hurt yourself or worse. If you go out for that job promotion and you don’t get the job, your peers and manager might start to look at you differently.

When I describe anxiety as a mild form of fear, the example of asking for a promotion is a highly relatable one. Few people fear it as they might feel fear-stricken by a snake or spider. It’s more the anxious thoughts that prevent us from taking the action we need or want to do.

Fear of failure is easy to notice in ourselves. It’s easy to manage because we get it. So if you have a fear of failure in anything (particularly irrational), once you’re able to recognize it, you simply need to find the resources to help you overcome it.

Then I got to thinking, what about fear of success? I’ve heard people talk about the fear of success, but I often wondered how that manifests itself. After all, how can anyone fear success? I don’t get anxious about success, it excites me! Or does it…?

As the day’s got closer to the challenge, I decided to leave some joking comments on the Facebook page, such as “can I get a cool shirt if I do this?” Someone I knew responded to the comment and said, “wow, that’s awesome you’re doing this!” I ate my comment quickly because I was not expecting anyone I knew to assume I was going to try 4x4x48. At that moment, I basically decided I was going to do it.

That’s when I started to explore the concept of fear of success. If I committed to challenge, I was going to have to do the hard part to get through it. I was going to have to run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours! 8 PM, 12 AM, 4 AM, 8 AM, 12 PM, 4 PM, 8 PM, 12 AM, 4 AM, 8 AM, 12 PM, 4 PM

I was getting anxious about what it meant to have to succeed. It wasn’t so much about the success of the accomplishment itself, I knew that would be rewarding. It was the hard part I’d have to go through that most of me wanted to avoid. Plus it was cold!

I also had to prepare, which means I’d be running even more beforehand to condition myself for the weekend. The most I’d ever run in a single week prior to the event was something like 30 miles, so 48 miles in a weekend was a reach. I feared both success and failure at the same time.

I wanted success without the work, but I know nothing works that way. Here’s where your anxious mind starts playing tricks on you if you’re not paying attention.

2. Making It All Up

Have you ever been in a messaging conversation (whether through text or social media) and the other person didn’t respond to a message? Suddenly you started to think about all the crazy scenarios such as they got in a car accident, or maybe they don’t like you anymore, or even worse, they’ve been busy talking to someone else. Then it turns out the person just had to put their phone down so they could get back to work because they’re an adult.

Or maybe you know someone who tells you a wild story about an event they think is taking place with regards to their relationship, and they wrap up with a question such as “I think I’m overthinking this, I might just be overthinking this, right? Do you think I’m overthinking this?”

The majority of the things we try to predict don’t always become reality. Sure, some of us might have a sixth sense, and many of us probably had a dream at one time or another that we also experienced in real life.

However, I’ve found that most of the time that I feel anxiety or fear about something, I’ve made up most of the things to fear or be anxious about.

Prior to 4x4x48, I remember thinking about just how hard being up every 4 hours would be. I started thinking about all the pain and discomfort I would have. I thought about all the people who might laugh at me for even trying. I worried about whether it was better to simply not try at all or to try and fail. What if I something came up that weekend and I couldn’t do it? Part of me also hoped I could find an excuse to avoid it.

And you know what?

Although the discomforts, while I was going through the challenge were not pure bliss, to say the least, they were hardly intolerable. When I was going through the challenge, I couldn’t help but feel that all my thoughts leading up to the experience were not unlike that of a loud screaming dog who can’t stand to get its nails trimmed. It simply wasn’t that bad. It sucked, but it wasn’t as bad as my mind made it out to be.

There was an important factor that contributed to me getting through, though. I had to commit to doing it first, and then I needed to take the next step instead of constantly thinking about the worst.

Set the Plan

It’s commonly accepted in scientific communities that our human brain can only hold a single idea at a time. Multi-taskers are not holding two or more tasks in their mind at one time as much as they are quickly switching between multiple tasks at any given moment.

I realized this as I spent much of my time trying to avoid 4x4x48. As time got closer, I realized I needed to start preparing. And that’s when I had to stop focusing on failure, or fear of success, and the negative, and focus on how I was really going to do it.

The plan was already there, run 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. But how was I going to get myself to accomplish it?

I knew I’d need a set of clothes prepared and live on the couch for the weekend so as not to wake up the ladyfriend. I also had to set the plan for making sure my body was ready for the weekend. Instead of worrying about how I could avoid 4x4x48, I tried to figure out the worst-case scenario: walking or even biking.

I decided that I was definitely going to do it, but instead of setting a total failure plan (totally quitting), I made a plan of how I could get through it even if I needed to walk or bike. That made a drastic shift in my mindset because instead of having anxiety about failure, in my mind, the decision was made that it was possible. I realized that if for whatever reason, the pain or discomfort was too unbearable, I could just walk or bike.

Sufficed to say, I didn’t walk a single moment during any run during the whole challenge. By realizing how many ways I could tackle the challenge, it simply became all the more possible.

I’ve found you can apply this mindset hack to almost any area of life.

If you’re having social anxiety, instead of thinking of the worst that can happen, maybe it’s helpful to have a plan. In fact, men and women often do this naturally as they discuss an “exit strategy” in case a date starts to go bad. People do this for parties. Sure, parties are supposed to be fun and spontaneous, and those that are fun and spontaneous have a great time. But if going out and meeting people stresses you out, maybe it’s time to develop a plan.

If you often feel nervous about business meetings or a specific task tied to work, such as presenting ideas to your manager, and you feel it’s important to fix them, it might be worth considering the ideas here. When thinking of all the worst things and the fear of failure or even fear of success, it might be helpful to start developing a plan of attack that can help you come out with the best outcome possible. Even if the plan doesn’t work out perfectly as you expect, at least you’ll feel better about going into the work situation, and that can make all the difference.

But enough with all this talk of anxiety and anxiousness. Let’s get to something fun such as how you can make your life more like an exciting video game.

Setting a Greater Reward

If you’ve ever been addicted to a video game, you probably gave up a few hours or days just to play.

As I look back on the games I used to play, I have to ask myself, what would make me want to play a video game for 40, 100, or even 200+ hours? Mostly doing stuff that has a positive impact on my real life?

This is not a criticism of video games, it is solely to think about the question. Why would I test my reflexes and dodge 200 lightning bolts? Why would I spend multiple hours collecting 100s of a certain item by killing the same monster over and over? Why is it so easy to play a shooting game over and over and over on the same levels with the same people?

I started to think about the answer to this question about the time I did the 4x4x48 challenge when I started wearing fitness trackers. Why would it be so easy for me to play a video game for 1 hour (or more) every 4 hours for 48 hours? Or heck, I could probably do a 30-hour marathon in a weekend if I tried. But something in real life would be so dreadful?

Obviously, there is less physical discomfort when playing a video game and a higher reward factor. But I couldn’t help but think a bit deeper about how games are designed.

There is very little reward to doing a mundane task in a video game, such as chopping trees outside of the game. And that was the answer! The reward! In video games, there is often a reward!

Chop down 99 of these trees, collect the branches, and you get to build your new house. And that sort of “reward” or “outcome” system is often missing in our personal lives.

In video games, the plan of what you need to do and the exact rewards are laid out for us. Even in sports games where you play the same game (essentially) or shooter games where you fight on the same levels, you know what the reward will be, whether it be a digital trophy or a new weapon, or something else. “If you accomplish this mission, you will be almost guaranteed to get this reward.” Such rewards are not so clear in real life.

This is why it can be helpful to set our own rewards in life. That’s what I had to do to get through 4x4x48. Although it’s popular to criticize the “everybody gets a trophy now-a-days” crowd, maybe that crowd is onto something. Rarely are the rewards we seek in real life ever set directly for us as adults. We need to seek them out ourselves.

I wasn’t going to be rewarded with a trophy just from completing the 4x4x48 challenge. I needed to decide the achievement was rewarding itself or more. It was also online, so I could attach any fundraiser to it that I wanted. So there was a philanthropic element of it.

By committing, then establishing the plan, and finally setting a reward at the end, there was no longer an empty void of “how can I do this?” It was clear that it was possible. I still had the anxiety of having to go through it, but with clarity came confidence.

This concept of gamification (applying ideas that keep people’s attention in video games to real life) is not new by any means. Winning trophies, success, becoming famous or recognized, or winning lots of money and recognition is often available to many of us. And although losing sucks, we’re all fully capable of achieving much more if we’re able to develop the right strategies that will help us succeed.

Even if you don’t take on a physical challenge like 4x4x48, a mental challenge could also be rewarding, such as the pursuit of a creative hobby. But sometimes, the most rewarding challenges aren’t just the easy ones.

There’s a popular saying, “the thing we don’t want to do or fear to do, is the things that we must do.” It helps to do the things that make you uncomfortable, whether that be exploring a new form of creativity, going after a new job, or taking on a new workout routine.

All this talk of planning, gamification, and fear of failure or success is fine and all, but what really got me through the running? What can help you get through virtually any challenge you face?

Experience the Moment

In the book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, Tolle shares an idea on the topic of consciousness. Most of us think of consciousness or unconsciousness as “being awake and aware” vs “being asleep or unaware of what’s happening.” His definition of consciousness felt profound to me. It was that true consciousness isn’t just being awake and aware. You can still be awake and seeing and experiencing.

He explains true consciousness as being awake but also being aware not just of what you’re experiencing but also of your thoughts. To be aware of your thoughts moment to moment is true consciousness.

There are a variety of spiritual (and non-spiritual) books with a similar perspective. You might even label this definition of consciousness as “mindfulness.” “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Singer is a book about a similar concept written in a unique and interesting way.

This concept of mindfulness and being conscious of our thoughts can be a challenge in itself. We’re all so constantly distracted that it takes away our presence in a moment. It took me years to finally be able to work out without headphones. To tell an active gym goer not to use headphones for music or anything is like telling a busy office employee not to drink coffee. Headphones with either music or a great audiotape helps to keep people going.

David Goggins suggests listening to headphones while running is a weakness and a bad habit. I decided to test that out for myself, and although it was a challenge, I’ve definitely noticed some great improvements.

The simplest activity I’ve learned you can do to be mindful was from "You Are Here” by peace activist and spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. The activity is when you notice you are breathing, say “breathing in, I know that I am breathing in” and “breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.” This instantly brings you into the current moment and gives you the ability to observe what’s really happening as opposed to thinking about all the past or future stressors.

Without listening to headphones while exercising, particularly running, it’s up to you to manage your thoughts during a run, not someone else’s music or a helpful audiotape. You are essentially stuck with the thoughts in your head, and you need to either manage and control them or let them dominate and control you. Running has become almost meditative.

Here’s what I found from being more “conscious” (aware of my thoughts) while I run: the physical part isn’t as bad as my mind has made it out to be. Everything mentioned so far, the fears, anxieties, plans, and all of that leading up to 4x4x48 was mental. But when the time came to act and run, although there was pain and soreness after the first 3 legs, the mind definitely wanted to quit before the body.

With regular mindfulness practitioners, the goal is basically to reach a sense of presence in the now. Without thinking about the future while also letting go of the past, and being an observer of your thoughts rather than a “passenger” of them, you become more present. Throughout the runs, when I was able to get myself to ignore how many runs I had left, while also just letting my anxiety about running pass, if I was simply present, I realized that nothing was really that bad.

It was cold, and a bit drizzly, but ultimately it wasn’t that bad. My mind was fully capable of turning the discomfort into something much worse than it really was. This doesn’t mean I plan on going Forrest Gump and running topless across the country in freezing and arid land, all because mindfulness will make it easy or doable. But to take on a challenge beyond my usual comfort level, and to consider all of these concepts together was incredibly helpful.

It became more evident that most of us can achieve the things we really want. It became more clear that many of us aren’t held back physically as if from some other force such as a person. Instead, much of what prevents us from progress is right in our very own heads, and it can be easy to fail to recognize this simply because we

If you do start to make an effort to experiment with some of these ideas for yourself, chances are you’ll find new ways to thrive too.

Best Regards,

Emmett Ferguson
The Ideator Journal