Reflections on a 31-Day Running Streak

On Day 31, Scout and I in front of what was the largest Ponderosa Pine in the World.

This morning I ran for the 31^st day in a row.  Wow, why did I do that?

In mid-December I picked up the book Living With a SEAL by Jesse Itzler.  I’d already heard an interesting interview with the author on a podcast and was really excited to read the book.  To say I was entertained and inspired by it is putting it lightly; I wanted to bring some of that determination into my own life.

Though I consider myself a runner, at that point I’d barely run for seven months.  I tore the meniscus in my left knee in May, so for a while after that I was reluctant to put on the shoes and head out the door.  My dog was not happy about that decision.

Running has been a good stress-reliever for a long time, so forsaking it caused the stress in my life to build to nearly unbearable levels for much of last summer.  Thinking about not running was even stressing me out.  I was having a bit of an identity crisis.

But after reading the book, I realized I had no excuses not to go out and do a 10-minute run.  10 minutes—I definitely could spare that much time.  20 minutes if you include getting dressed and getting the dog ready.  Not a problem.

I was only a few days in when I felt an immense sense of momentum.  Once again, I looked forward to heading out my door each morning.  I was becoming a runner again.

I quickly made a short set of rules:

1. Run a different route every day. Before, I had two routes in my neighborhood I would generally run.  Part of the challenge every day is figuring out where I will go.
2. Run by feel only, not time or distance.
3. No matter the conditions, I’m out the door. I should note that my dog was excluded from this on two occasions:  sub-20 degree temperatures and the morning after getting into the trash.

I ran on Christmas morning and I ran on New Year’s morning.  I ran when it was 8 degrees out and I ran when it was 40.  I ran on sunny mornings and ran on rainy mornings.  I ran for 10 minutes and I ran for 40.  I found that no matter what the conditions were, just stepping out the door made me feel better.  In fact, the worse the conditions, the better I felt.  It was the act of doing something that I truly enjoyed that brought that warm fuzzy feeling over me even when I couldn’t feel my fingers.

I know that a lot of you reading this blog may not be runners or may not enjoy running, but here’s the lesson I learned:

Doing something you enjoy and love makes anything seem possible.

I didn’t think at the start I would go a run for 31 days in a row.  Still somewhat deterred by the condition of my knee, I would’ve doubted I could do it.  But now I know that I can.  And by the way, my knee is fine.

Furthermore, I feel like I’m only just beginning.  100 runs in 100 days is starting to sound appealing.  I don’t know when I’d hit 100 days (late March?), but I’ll worry about that when I get closer.  I want to enjoy every run between now and then.

It’s easy to delay or deny yourself the things you love when things get busy or get tough.  I understand that.  But forever delaying the pursuit of your passion can only lead to unhappiness and frustration.  And that’s no way to live.

So, your assignment this week to actually do something you enjoy.  Don’t just think about it, but do it.

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If you’re interested in following my 100 days of running, here’s where you can find me:

Instagram: plantstrongmatt
Twitter:  @Catahoulafan.

For you data geeks, here are some numbers:
Date started:  December 20, 2015
Days so far:  31
Total Mileage:  57.4
Avg Mileage/Day:  1.85

And I know there are plenty of other runners out there who’ve run farther and for longer than me.  I admire them all, but especially Catra Corbett.  She’s such an avid runner that her dog did ten times more mileage last year than I did.  Probably more.