Month: February 2016

Yes, I am talking about my run streak. Without any fanfare or mental preparation, my run streak ended the morning I woke to a sheet of ice in our neighborhood and on the roads. Even though I have managed to run in sleet, snow and rain, I am no match for a ground covered in ice. Unfortunately for me I don’t own a treadmill. I held out a glimmer of hope once I learned the temps would rise a little above freezing as the day progressed because this meant I would be able to head to my gym. Well, so much for that, my gym announced it would be closing early. After a few minutes of hanging my head low and feeling sorry for myself, I was reminded of how much I had already accomplished and learned along the way. After all, I had only set out to make it for one month. Instead I pushed through on the days I really didn’t have the mental and physical energy to run. Wait, I can still remember the days of not having the interest or ability to run once a week or let alone daily. I feel great that I not only accomplished a goal but exceeded with my run streak of 45 days. Never loose sight of your goals!

Well, I know I was only planning to see if I could make it through one complete month of non stop running but things change. As the end of January approached I began to feel as though I was losing something I had been nurturing only to see it go prematurely. Around the same time a friend shared that she decided to embark on a run streak for the month of February. Feeling as though I may have been an inspiration for that decision I figured, well, if she going to do this for February, I may as well give it a try too. So there you have it, I am now 34 days into what started as an experiment and 30 day test of faith and will. Monday I took my running shoes indoors and completed my run on the treadmill.- 1.00mile. Tuesday I felt compel to take advantage of the weather and headed outside.- 1.23miles. Today, with rain in the forecast I thought it best to just head indoors. Today I decided to switch up my routine and head to a different gym and was looking forward to the change of scenery only to arrive and find that the internet service was down. Sadly for me this meant not having music to motivate and lift me as I tried to forget that I was running on a treadmill. I somehow was able to summons up the will and determination to make it through the run though. 2.00miles.

31 days!!! It is almost hard to believe, it has been 1 month and I have been running everyday of this new year. The last run of the month was perfect. Under a gorgeous blue sky with temps in the high 60s I ran in my neighborhood with the company of neighbors out in their yards and taking leisurely strolls.  There were many days that I not only questioned why I decided to embark on this journey but also wondered if I had the mental and physical tenacity to pull it off. This was truly a test of will and strength and I am happy to say that I passed the test. 1.10 mile.

The last week of January started with a thaw from the winter precipitation. After running in the snow and ice the thought of getting back on the treadmill actually seemed refreshing. Monday I knew I needed to get in a few miles after my short runs in the snow so I managed to make 3 miles on the treadmill and I enjoyed it! Tuesday was fairly uneventful with me maintaining a mile run on the treadmill each day. Wednesday I kicked it back up a notch and got in another 3 miles on the treadmill, ok now I was ready to get back outside again. Thursday I was really just needed to focus on keeping my run streak alive and quickly head to the pool to work on other challenges. 1.00 mile Friday, I thought about going outside but since I knew I would be headed out on Saturday for my long run I was content with running on the treadmill and heading to the pool. 1.00 mile. Although I had been looking forward to getting back outside for a run, it seemed that Saturday arrived almost too quickly. Just as I remembered, early Saturday mornings still felt desolate and cold. For a moment I questioned if I would even go on an outdoor after my run group began to fall apart just minutes before the run. Just as I sat in the lot deciding what to do, a new friend decided to return and join in the run. Three of us decided to brave the cold but I was the sole runner for the day as the other two ladies decided it was better to walk. I knew this may be somewhat difficult to do alone and on the one day that I forgot to bring my gloves. Once I turned on my tracking app and music I was able to use the end of my shirt sleeves as makeshift mittens. After traveling the same route four times, voila it was over. 6.50 miles.