Each of the past five years I have tried to complete the Runner’s World Holiday Run Streak. This streak is a goal for many runners to stay healthy during the holiday season. To achieve it, you need to run at least 1 mile each day to keep the streak going.
This can be easier said than done, seeing as the holidays usually bring more food — and higher calorie food — and colder weather. Not to mention the fact that the days are shorter. If you happen to live in an area like mine (Lincoln, Nebraska) then you can expect sunsets that are around 5 pm on most nights at the beginning, and before 5 at the end. If you’re further north … then that should be fun.
Today marked Day 10 of the streak. During those 10 days I have covered 38.2 miles — not the most in the world, but a good average for most people. The biggest challenge is getting the motivation to get your run in every. single. day.
So how do you keep the motivation and how do you keep trucking forward? That’s the real question. I find that the personal quest to see if I can do it is what pushes me forward. I also have a secondary goal of besting the mileage total from the year before. This is going be a hard one for me this year. Last year, my Holiday Run Streak total was 190 miles.
This means that over the 38-day streak last year I averaged 5 miles each day. It also shows that last year I was peaking in mileage and strength at the end of the year. This year, I have been struggling the last month or so, and am more on the recovery than I am peaking.
However, unlike last year, I have also been including more than just running. Last year, I would go straight from school and run for 40 to 90 minutes on a weekday, and a 2-hour weekend long run followed by a 2 or 3-mile recovery on Sundays. But I was not doing any else.
This year, I am going to the gym and lifting — really focusing on lower body muscles and overall strength — to go along with the running. Unfortunately, this means that my time allowed for the running is much lower than it was before. Of course there are solutions to this, if I’m so inclined.
I have been known to wake up early and try to get a run in before work. Perhaps I need to start getting a short run before work, get my lift and maybe cap the day with a short run after lifting. That way I can increase the mileage a little.
Have you tried to do a streak? How did it work out? How long did you maintain it? How do you find the time? How do you keep yourself motivated?
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