Wednesday was a big day for me and for my streak. I reached the 150th day of my running streak.
On May 27th, I started what was supposed to be a 39 day running streak. Here is the definition according to Runner’s World: From Memorial Day to Independence Day run at least one mile, every day. I haven’t stopped since.
It isn’t complicated, it isn’t tricky. There are no catches. People want there to be more to it, but there really isn’t.
A quick recap on my time before this streak – I was a walker turned walk-runner for a long time (started in January of 2007). During that time I hurt my foot (Metarsalgia – swelling of the ball of the foot) and no one could figure out the cause for 18 months (tight calves, essentially, are at the root of it), I developed (or discovered that I had) hypothyroidism, and I gained somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 pounds. Winter 2012/2013, I was just coming back, was starting Weight Watchers, was super slow and was easily winded (although I could still cover distance, I wasn’t gaining momentum). I had done a half and planned on more. Sometime in the spring, I ran a mile on the treadmill. It was slow, it was hard, but I did it. I didn’t care how slow it was, it was the boost of confidence I needed to get me really going again. Mind you, I do not ever want to be a full runner. I LOVE run-walk for so many reasons, but I decided I wanted to resurrect a bucket list goal of running a 5K.
So, when I saw the streak in Runner's World, I had the thought, “I will TRY that.” I was in the mindset of that saying (I think Les Brown gets credit for it): Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you will land among the stars. I wasn’t feeling defeated, I just wasn’t sure I could actually run a mile every day for 39 days and not injure myself. And no streak is worth injuring yourself over in my opinion.
I hadn’t told anyone my thoughts or plans. I was keeping it on the Down Low. I didn’t want pressure or publicity (lol, funny how things change, right?). Then, I saw a running acquaintance post a badge on FB that he was doing it. It reminded me that I had planned to do it. After that, I sort of forgot about the whole thing. Then, I was in the Berkshires for Memorial Day, and I kept thinking there was something I was supposed to do, but I couldn’t recall what when I heard my pal Lisa talking about starting the run streak. Suddenly, I remembered what I was supposed to do. Well, I spent as much time mapping out my route as I did running that night. I learned another friend, Rachel was doing it too. I, suddenly, was accountable. I would run late at night, and it would post to my Facebook page, a feature I couldn’t figure out how to turn off (even though I wanted it off). I didn’t post one night, and I got a couple texts asking if all was well. People were watching. There were debates about whether I could run 2 miles – 1 before midnight and 1 after and count it as 2 days of running. I would do a long run-walk with someone and then mention running later and they would comment that I had just done it, etc. It was part of my identity. People at work were talking about it. People at TNT. Friends. Family. I was "out."
It wasn’t hard, for the most part, to complete the mile (well, if you read the previous posts you will see that wasn't always true, but after a couple of weeks it was). I almost never wanted to start, but it was not too hard once I started. There were so many times I was glad that I don’t drink because I would go out with friends, have a great time and come home and run. I am not sure I would be able to do that if I had had a beer or two or three or, well, you get the idea. There were some challenges, and there was even a missed day ( I excused the missed day because I HAD done the run where I ran a mile before midnight and 1 after, but later that second day, I felt guilty, like I needed to do one between sleeps, so I did another mile later on). When I missed a day later on due to a flight being severely delayed, I felt like I had a little credit from that midnight split experiment.
There were some rough days. The entire July 4th holiday week, I was sick and felt lousy and was away. All I wanted to do was skip it, but I didn’t. The night I fell (which was 1 of 3 times I counted a run walk night) was one of my toughest days. I tripped and smashed up my knee pretty badly early on in one of my runs, but I walked it off and was able to run the last half mile.
There are all kinds of things I could write about, and maybe I will at some point, things like: how it has impacted my weight, my speed, my overall fitness or would I recommend that people do this or why did I keep going, but the number one accomplishment from my perspective is that I have motivated others.
On July 4th, I asked people to join until Labor day. That was 61 days (making it 99 for those of us who started on Memorial day since you can only count labor day as one day). Several people joined. Rachel kept doing, and so did I. Then on Labor day, we created 2 new options: To Columbus Day or to Thanksgiving. People opted in for both.
There are people who are streaking who were walkers when I met them and are running every single day now. There are people who are walking or run-walking their miles. There are people who have already started and finished a streak. There are people who started a streak and got de-railed (I hope they will try again). There are people who decided that that much running didn’t work for them and made up their own fitness challenge. We have loosened the rules and really the only rule is that you declare what you are going to do at the start of the streak and stick with it. There is, even, someone who is doing 40 days for his 40th birthday. He may or may not have been impacted by me, but I have heard more talk about streaks in the past month than I have in the past 6 years of training.
I think that the number one thing I have gotten out of all of this is that sharing something that you are doing can help motivate others.
There is so much more to say, but the most important thing is: Thank YOU!
Thank you for telling me that the daily posts are doing more good than causing annoyance (I am not sure it is true and daily debate about whether to post or not).
Thanks you for streaking.
Thank you for celebrating my accomplishments with me.
Thank you for asking what day I am on.
Thank you for reading this even if it is the first you have heard of my streak.
And, thank you for being in my life.
I haven't decided if I will keep going. I don't have an end in mind. Right now it is a day by day thing as I focus on my half marathon that is coming up soon, fundaising for that and fundraising for a suicide prevention walk.
