Last week on February 24th I completed my 30 days of consecutive running project! I meant to celebrate sooner however after running the 4.13 miles on the final day, February 24th we drove to College Station for the weekend. I have been trying to catch up on “things” ever since: the ever-growing laundry- check; reading the bible in a year – I’m only 4 days behind: making a cross every day- I’m right on target with this one; preparing to teach Sunday School – check; and doing the James Bible study – check!
This experiment with 30 days of consecutive running required willpower and time management rather than skill. I ran in the rain, I ran in the cold, I ran when it was hot, I ran when it was windy, I ran in the morning, I ran in the evening, I ran in the middle of the day. I ran on the road, I ran once on a treadmill, I ran at the park, I ran at the track. I ran in my Asics, I ran in my New Balance Minimus, I ran in my Vibram 5 fingers! I ran and ran! I saw dogs, cats, cows, horses, goats, birds, and a fake snake. I saw houses, barns, soccer fields, a church, a school. I ran alongside friendly drivers and not-so friendly drivers. I also ran alongside motorcyclists, not motorized cyclists, 18 wheelers, UPS trucks, garbage trucks, landscape trucks and walkers. I saw happy people talking outside their homes and I saw someone whose home had been repossessed- their belongings piled sadly in the yard.
During my 30 days of running my lowest mileage in one day was one mile and my highest mileage in one day was 8.09 miles. I would like to report that I lost a few pounds but the sad truth it that I lost and gained the same two to three pounds ending up at the same weight on the final day. My lowest mileage week was 16.03 miles and my highest mileage week was 25.40 miles.
I enjoyed meeting this challenge because I have never run even 7 days consecutively though I have been running since I was about 19 years old. Here are the positives and the negatives of my 30 day running experience:
Positives: I ran every day during a time of year where I tend to dwindle down to running two days a week. I kept my weekly mileage at an acceptable level. My mood was greatly improved by running every day…could have been due to happy endorphins or just getting outside every day! I did not gain weight during January from hibernating on the couch eating double-stuff Oreos. I have a great sense of accomplishment and feel I could do better next time. This confidence carries over to other projects and encourages me that I can set goals and accomplish them.
Negatives: On days when I had a lot to do I did not like breaking up the day to change, run, shower, get dressed again, etc...especially if it was just a mile run, it just didn’t seem worth it. I was disappointed that I ran so many one-mile days. I would like to have seen my weekly mileage go up to 30 miles a week at least one of the weeks. I had hoped to run more during the colder days and even though the weather was mostly mild for this time of year, on any day that was cold and windy or rainy I always opted to run only one mile. There is definitely room for improvement next time!
Overall this was a worthwhile endeavor that met my primary goal of keeping me running and happier through January and February! I am thinking of starting a new challenge in a few weeks! Happy Running!
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