As much as I love running and want to do more of it, use it to challenge myself through stretch goals and discipline – there are some things about running I haven’t shared.
Just a quick fun/sarcastic take on the others side of running!
I did a thing! I committed to a running streak!
So ….what is a running streak anyway? Essentially it’s a certain amount of time where a runner commits to running with no days off. Running more than anything is a mind game. It’s not about how fast or how far you can run…it’s always about taking the first stride, then the next and the next. It it’s about constantly reminding yourself about you why and finding the discipline to keep going.
Before I get into some of what I learned, I wanted to share a little about my steak.
Okay so here are the top 5 things I learned:
I just logged into my blog and saw that I have a dozen or so posts sitting in drafts! I know we are in the age of 150 characters and dizzy transition videos…but I love long form media just like I love my spring bound planner and books from the library. So I’ll keep blogging until the internet is taken off line LOL
Today was mothers day and I for some reason was feeling exhausted. So a little story time. I’m still recovering from this crazy thing that’s taken over the globe. Two areas I’m trying to get back to base level are my workouts and my mental concentration. I’m giving myself grace but lets just say that 2km is the most I can do and skipping journalling for scrolling mindlessly are what I’m trying to work through.
With that said, I’ve decided to set my run goal for the year. (Read last years goal here)
My goal is to run 5km in less than 30 minutes.
And to keep me disciplined and remind myself what i’m capable of…here is a little inspiration!
I have seen recently on Instagram that runners will run a certain distance on their birthdays. For example, when someone turned 36, then run 36km on their birthday. Whoa! Pretty inspiring right!
I figured I wanted to do something similar. Although I’m not going to start running over 20km, I found a birthday running goal that was meaningful to me.
So for my 39th birthday my goal is to run 39 laps around a high school race track.
Now let me explain: A race track is 400m, running 39 laps of that will mean I’ll run 15.6km for my birthday (400mx39) 🎉
right now I’m running about 10km on my weekly run, so I have 4.5 months to add 5km – and I really think I can do it.
I also feel this will mean I’ll need to improve recovery and cross training. Be more disciplined with foam rolling, stretching, cold showers/baths, fartlek (speed training) and weights.
This feels right and makes me feel joyful!
Go me! 🏆
I read this quote recently and couldn’t agree more…
Running is the hardest thing to start. But when you are running regularly, it’s the hardest thing to stop.
I started running when I was in middle school. I have memories of being dropped off early at school to run cross country. I remember running on grassy trails, in forests and along rivers. As I got older I moved indoors on to tracks and treadmills. I’ve been running indoors for a majority of my adult life. I only became a winter runner at the end of 2020.
I am slowly getting more used to it. I still have to psych myself up for weekend runs (aka long runs in cold weather). But what I’ve learned is that winter running is very refreshing, it’s a challenge I didn’t know I needed and with a little planning can be a great experience.
On cold days I like to double up on the pants, starting with a thermal layer and then adding a brushed or fleece lined legging on top. Same goes for tops, I like to wear 2 long sleeves, tucked into my pants (to prevent cold drafts!). I wear merino wool socks, mitts, windbreaker and even a balaclava. I’ve also considered wearing ski goggles on days with blowing snow!
Some other tips to keep in mind with winter running:
I’ve been running since high-school. Well technically I started running cross country (3km?) when I was in middle school. So really, I’ve been running since i was 10 or 11 years old.
My oldest memory of running was running with the middle school cross country team during early morning practice through a forest/ravine behind our school. I can’t believe I had that level of discipline! Although, being disciplined doesn’t really feel like work when you are doing something you really love.
16) Running always starts with walking first
