24 Miles, 2 States: 48 Hours in My Life as a D1 Runner

I packed 24 miles of running, two states, a track workout, a spontaneous D1 runner road trip, and a branded content shoot into 48 hours. This D1 runner vlog captures what a weekend looks like when you are balancing life as a D1 distance runner at LSU with content creation, academics, and everything in between.

Morning Workout in Baton Rouge

While the rest of the team headed to Boston for a big meet, I stayed back in Baton Rouge. I was hoping to race that weekend, but my coach had a different plan — a workout instead. The session was a classic threshold day: five times one mile at tempo pace with 90 seconds of rest between each rep. Before the workout, I took beta-alanine and caffeine, two of the only supplements the IOC considers fully legal performance enhancers that have actually been proven to help.

We went through our standard warmup, starting with a half-mile jog at tempo to dilate the capillaries and get the blood flowing. Then it was time to work. The reps were solid — nothing crazy, but honest. We came through somewhere in the mid-5:00s on the early ones and closed with a 4:57 on the last rep. After the workout, I threw in some hills during the cooldown, inspired by something I saw Cole Hocker doing in one of his training videos.

Why I Did Not Race in Boston

I will be honest — I really wanted to go to Boston. It is a huge meet and a great opportunity. But my coach and I decided it was better to take a more controlled approach. We have a home meet the following week, where I will have pacers to help set up the race. Boston is fast and unforgiving, and rather than getting thrown to the wolves, it made more sense to test my fitness in a more structured environment first. It was the smart decision, even though it was a tough one.

Breakfast, Class, and Valentine’s Day

After the workout, I walked to breakfast and then realized I was already running late for my 10:15 chemistry class. It was already past that, and I could not even walk there in time, let alone shower first. So chemistry did not happen that day. I grabbed one of the Valentine’s Day heart-shaped items they had in the dining hall — it was Valentine’s Day, by the way, and no, I did not have a Valentine.

I made it to my 11:30 class, though — Introduction to Motor Learning. It is actually one of my favorite classes. We study the neurological pathways that control your body from your mind, and I find it genuinely interesting. It is an intro course that leads into a more advanced class called Neuro, which I have heard is actually pretty hard.

Watching Teammates Race

After class and lunch, I got together with some teammates to watch the Boston races. Shout out to Morgan McDonald’s Discord for letting us stream it live and get it on the TV. It was awesome watching our guys compete. Ruto ran a 3:55, and Rhen came through in 4:00 flat. Everyone ran great, and it was motivating to watch even from the couch in Baton Rouge.

Spontaneous Road Trip to Houston

Right after getting a YouTube video uploaded and starting homework around 3:30 in the afternoon, I got an invite to a branded content shoot the next morning at 9 a.m. — in Houston. That is a four-hour drive from Baton Rouge. It was probably the most spontaneous thing I have ever done, but I packed a bag and hit the road after dinner. I got to Houston around 11 p.m. and checked into a hotel.

The Houston Shoot and a 15-Mile Long Run

The next morning, I was up at 8 a.m. for the shoot at 9. It was a man-on-the-street style content shoot — interviewing people in public. It was a great experience, and the kind of work I enjoy doing alongside running. But once the shoot wrapped, the clock was ticking. My hotel checkout was in two and a half hours, and I still needed to run 15 miles, shower, and pack up.

I mixed up some electrolytes before the run. I am not usually the biggest fan of electrolytes because I think we eat enough in our normal diet, but when you are running 15 miles in a city you do not know with no one to hand you water, it is a different story. I ran without my phone because I genuinely hate running with it — so no footage of the actual run. But I got it done, checked out on time, and headed out to explore the city.

Exploring Houston

After the run, I went to a place called Nando’s Peri-Peri Chicken. It looked really good online. The atmosphere was great and it was close to where I was staying, but honestly, the food was not my favorite. Then I spent a couple of hours exploring the city, walking around and looking at shops. Shopping solo is dangerous — there is nobody there to stop you from spending money.

By 5:30, I figured it was time to head back to Baton Rouge. It is about a four-hour drive, so I planned to stop for dinner in Beaumont, which would put me home around 10:30 — a reasonable time to rest up before a lighter training week leading into my home meet mile debut.

Looking Ahead as a D1 Runner

The goal for the upcoming home meet is simple: run a mile time that makes me competitive at SECs. The fitness is coming back, I can feel it, and after a weekend like this — balancing training, content creation, academics, and a last-minute road trip — I know I can handle whatever the next chapter throws at me. Shout out to Houston. Great city. I will definitely be coming back.

What do you think — would you have made the spontaneous drive to Houston? Let me know in the comments.