I’ve been doing the Runners World Run Streak this year. (If you follow me on facebook or twiter, you’ve heard about my adventures in getting it done.) I’ve never done it before. In fact, in previous streak attempts, I’ve never made it past 13 days.
Today I’m at Day 20 and there’s only one reason I’ve made it this far (and I fully intend to finish.)
Recovery runs.
I can run 5 times a week with no problem. But add in 2 more days and my body starts to complain. It really loves its rest days. REALLY loves them. So, I’ve taken two days a week and made them “rest runs”. I literally run 1-1.5 miles and I do it at a pace 1-2 minutes slower than my normal pace. That, combined with walking to make sure I get in at least 20 minutes of movement, has made streaking possible for me. Today may be the hardest day yet as the last half marathon really tore me up. Even the bottoms of my feet are sore.
I will not be continuing the streak past New Years. I don’t feel that running every day is necessary, nor do I feel it is best for *my* body. (Your body may be a different story.)
But what I have learned is that I have no excuse for not doing *something* every day. If I can find 15-20 minutes a day to get on my treadmill or head out the door, there is absolutely no reason I can’t do the same with my weights or my exercise bike or for a walk with my kids.
Are you doing the streak? How’s it going for you?
I only made it 10 days.
I may have done it if I had a treadmill at home.
Darlene recently posted…Running Update
I made it 16 days. That’s longer than I have in the past. I’ll try again next year.
Impressive! The few times I’ve tried to run 7 days in a row my body is quite unhappy, thanks for the tips.
Becki S recently posted…Blog Swap: MCM Mama Runs (Beer Expert)
I know I can’t run every day – but I can walk on the days that I’m not running and I figure that’s better than nothing.
Char recently posted…Love/Hate
I don’t have a TM at home and the effort of getting dressed to head out or go to the gym seems like a lot of work, more than the actual mile. But I want to streak!
Andrea recently posted…Kind of an Off Season
I am struggling. I am tired. It takes me more work and effort to get ready to run one mile on the days that I don’t have to do a training run for Goofy Challenge. Let’s hang in there because it is almost over right? I’ll probably won’t do this again in the winter but might in the summer.
Zenaida Arroyo recently posted…Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series