David Taylor Gonzales

running and other things

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I’m a husband, father, son, and runner

  • Marathon Training Week 23

    VO2 Max has increased to 56 ml/kg/min. I’m never quite sure if the Garmin data is that reliable but the increase in easy runs has helped. I’d like to get my VO2 Max tested sometime. I only ran 13 miles this week so the legs feel really fresh. My buddy lives in a small apartment and asked if he could set up his squat rack in my garage so I spent last week focus on strength training. I haven’t lifted like this in awhile and I discovered that repping out 5 sets of 5 at 145 pounds on the bench press was not realistic so we throttled back to 125. I was able to do 3 sets of 5 pull ups but I had to jump and do slow eccentrics on the last set which was a bit disappointing. The goal is to get stronger, no matter what the numbers say. I constantly have to remind myself of this.

    I’m going to buy two more 45 pound plates and a trap cage for rows and deadlifts. I want to have a strong back. When I consider what longevity looks like for me in the next 10 years, I think of my dad pulling his back when I was in middle school. It sidelined him for a long time, and worse, he was fearful of doing it again. I don’t know if there’s any scientific evidence to this, but I like to think I’m pushing those middle aged man injuries further and further back when I show up for my workouts.

    Friday morning it was pouring down rain. Travis texted me to cancel the run but instead of crawling back into bed, I made coffee and started reading my Bible. I finished 2 Samuel, reading about David’s exile and his son Absalom trying to overthrow his reign. It was heavy but I enjoyed spending some alone time with God in quiet reflection. I turn too many of my recovery workout days into hard training when the whole point is to listen to worship music, run slow, and enjoy the outdoors. This morning was a good reset for me.

    I noticed that my quads and abductors took a long time to recover from back squats. I did 26 reps total over 3 sets at 125 pounds which, while challenging, wasn’t close to an all out effort. That was Wednesday. I’m writing this Friday. I still feel lactic acid build up in those two muscle groups. According to ChatGPT, it’s possible that the barbell back squat engaged my abductors more than my usual air squats for high reps or goblet squats with the 50 lb dumbbell. I’m running 8 miles tonight so we’ll see how I recover.

    Okay back from my run. I decided to try to PR my 10K since I rarely run that distance. Perceived effort: 9/10 Average pace: 7:36 per mile. This was a very challenging and rewarding run. I ran the first 5K at 24:10 pace so I knew I could break 48 minutes if I finished with a strong negative split. I was able to complete 6.3 miles in 47:55. I really surprised myself overcoming the moderate quad soreness for this one.

    Saturday was a gym workout. I experimented with ChatGPT and it gave me a very difficult full body 3 circuit anaerobic workout. As one would expect, lifting in a garage with no insulation and no air conditioning makes for some high heart rates. Average HR 121 BPM. Peaked at 160 BPM. I’m really happy I invested more time in the gym this week. I felt strong and I think it’s going to pay off next week when we ramp back up to our regularly scheduled programming.

    I finished this week with only 13 miles on the legs but almost 2 1/2 hours of lifting spread over 3 sessions. I wish I could’ve added another run to get to 20 miles but I’m happy with the week. I’m glad I had the self-discipline to emphasize my strength training. Too often I feel like a day is wasted if I don’t run. They’re not, and I felt an increase in my overall fitness by switching up my training emphasis.

    This week I’m thankful for quality time with my family, quiet time with God and the opportunity to train. It’s easy to forget how lucky I am when I’m in the midst of a tough workout. God has given me good health, the time needed to workout, a supportive wife, and more grace than I deserve.

    Keep Going!

  • What Changed?

    It’s easy for many of us to envision God as the archetypal angry and distant father. Seeing Him as loving, present, sincerely interested in us, seeing Him as a friend even, has always been harder for me to conceptualize. I remember the first time a mentor told me, “God is crazy about you.” It sounded cheesy and frankly, too good to be true. Why would He concern Himself with me?

    The author of the universe made my legs. The one who made the mountains and canyons also created my love for writing and running. The artist who paints every fiery sunset into the Missouri sky also formed the wrinkles in my brow and the curls of my hair. The God of infinite wisdom cares deeply about the universe in all its depth, and the minute details of the earth: the sands of the Sahara Desert, the salt of the sea, every pine needle.

    Over the last two years I’ve spent a lot of time sharing my story of physical fitness with different people in my life but I haven’t spent nearly as much time thinking through or discussing my relationship with God and how it has coincided with this health journey I’ve been on. When my wife and I were pregnant with our first baby, a girl, I gained a lot of sympathy weight. I ballooned up to 230 pounds, the heaviest of my life. I ate poorly, I was addicted to sugar. I drank 3 Dr. Pepper’s a day and I frequently said, “no” when my wife would ask if I wanted to walk the dog with her.

    I looked in the mirror and analyzed myself honestly in April 2023. I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t recognize myself. My face had no definition, my chest was puffy and my gut overhung, causing my boxer lining to fold over. I looked terrible. And the truth was, I felt terrible too. I had sleep apnea and any physical activity resulted in severe soreness the day after. My resting heart rate was in the low 70s. I had low energy, low testosterone. My body was symbolic of where I was spiritually: bloated, gluttonous, lazy.

    I chose to make a change. But unlike some of the audacious goals I had set and failed in the past, I decided to start with something achievable, and small. “I want to run 3 miles on the treadmill.” I hadn’t run 3 miles since high school. I bought a cheap Planet Fitness membership and started training. I didn’t know what I was doing first, I hadn’t stepped foot in a gym in almost 10 years. But I kept showing up, even in those early days when I had no motivation to do so.

    Then, something funny happened. I suddenly felt the impulse to open my Bible. I started reading the gospels again, reacquainting myself with Jesus, re-reading old stories with fresh eyes. It felt like I was finding my faith again. I had been spiritually stagnant for so long. Not long after buying my membership I ran 3 miles on that treadmill. Then 4. Then 5. Then, in October, my buddy Jason called me and challenged me to run outside. We met up in Kansas City and ran 8 miles together. I felt rejuvenated, it was as if going to the gym was the kick start my heart needed to start beating again.

    In 2023 Lane and I became parents and I fell in love with my daughter as only a new father can. A new kind of thankfulness awoke from within me. I started thanking God for the people in my life more consistently. I became aware of how much of my life and all the blessings in it had nothing to do with me. God was the beginning and end of my days. I started praying for people more often. I was going to the gym 3-4 days per week and even started leading Bible studies and sharing my testimony for the first time in years.

    Now, I’m training for this marathon and I know a lot of people are probably sick of hearing about it. But the truth is, regardless of how race day goes in November, I’ve proven something to myself just by training and showing up for the last two years: I’m capable of far more than I ever imagined. The idea that I would ever have an interest, much less the ability, to run a half marathon, or run 30 miles in a single week, would’ve seemed preposterous on its face three years ago. But when I look back on who I was and who I am becoming, it’s clear that God’s fingerprints are everywhere.

    God was walking with me through every high and every low. He’s the author of my story, the one who initiated all this change and the one who guides my steps every day. So when people ask, “why did you make change?” it’s a difficult question to answer. Was it becoming a father? Maybe, but that doesn’t explain why didn’t I change when we found out we were pregnant in 2022. Was it a newfound sense of purpose? No, I had loved my work and career for years at that point. Maybe the shortest answer is this: I didn’t change at all. God changed me. God is still changing me. He wanted me to start walking in the truth of who He made me to be. And now, I’m not just walking in that truth, I’m running towards it.

    Keep Going!

  • Marathon Training Week 21

    Get Out and GO

    I have two kids. My youngest, a boy, hasn’t slept great since he was born in March of this year. During my wife’s pregnancy, I was averaging 8 hrs 35 minutes of sleep per night, waking up at 6 AM to train and eating three high protein/high carb meals everyday. I was able to be home in the evenings and not have to worry about rushing out the door to run or disappear into the basement to lift. I was more present, had higher energy, and felt great about our family schedule.

    Then, something amazing happened. My son was born at 4:27 AM on March 7th…..and I haven’t had a great night’s sleep since. It’s not all doom and gloom, but the days of waking up early to train are long gone. I’ve been night running for the better part of 3 months. It’s exhausting. Putting on my running shoes at 9 PM is as big a mental challenge as the run itself. I’m averaging 6 hours 40 minutes of sleep per night. That may sound like plenty to some of you, but keep in mind, these are not uninterrupted hours of sleep. Getting out of bed at 7:15 AM is a slog. My morning routine is shot. I have just enough energy and time to get my daughter out of her crib, change her, make the coffee, eat my egg whites, make a sandwich, and rush out the door. I haven’t shaved in two months (thankfully Lane likes the scruffy look).

    Anyway, back to training. We are twenty one away. I put thirty miles on the legs last week and I feel good overall. My body has definitely had more trouble adjusting to the increased mileage but outside of some left ankle soreness, everything else feels ready to roll. So far I’ve logged 11 easy miles at the time of posting this blog (Wednesday). Tonight is a 50 minute anaerobic workout. 15 minute warm up, 6 intervals of 1:00 @ 6:05 pace, 3 minute recovery pace in between and 10 minute cool down. These anaerobic workouts always kick my butt. After that, I’ve got bible study with the boys at 7 PM. If I stick with my Garmin plan this week (never a guarantee) I’ll put around thirty three miles on the legs this week.

    It’s an amazing thing to look back on where I was a year ago. I completed my first half marathon in April of 2024 (9:49 avg pace). I was incredibly proud of myself. Prior to that I had never trained for an endurance event of any kind. I remember how proud I was when I hit twenty miles in a single training week, and how incredible it felt to have my name called out when I crossed the finish line in Kansas City. When I decided to train for this marathon (Bass Pro Marathon November 2, 2025) I set the goal to break 4 hours (9:09 pace). Admittedly, it’s a totally arbitrary goal, but the idea of running that far and that fast (I ran 16 miles at 9:55 pace in September 2024) felt just scary enough and outrageous enough to pursue.

    I’m monitoring my body fat percentage bi-weekly. Since I’m hybrid training, I thought it’d be good to use this training block (especially being still a long ways out from race day) to play with my weight a little bit. I bulked up to 181 pounds back in February to build some muscle but it was really hard to put mileage on the legs when I was that heavy. I’m down to 174 now and I feel a lot better. Last scan put me at 14.8% body fat. I’d like to see how I feel at 12%. Again, it’s an arbitrary number but I’m not a bodybuilder so all of this is uncharted territory for me.

    Today, I’m feeling thankful that God has given my family and I good health. I took my physical body for granted for many years and now, every time I lace up, I know that I’m not running from my past, I’m running towards my future. Lane is eleven weeks postpartum and started running three weeks ago. It’s been a joy to watch her ramp back up. Whenever one of us works out, we say to each other, “Thanks for taking care of yourself.” We say it because we know that we are better parents, better partners, better friends when we take the time to get out and go.

    Keep Going!