I never set out to do 100 days of running. My original intention was to run 30 days from June 1st to June 30th. I had just came off of training and finishing Chattanooga 70.3 and was looking for a new challenge. Marathon coaching/training was starting soon, so why not start on June 1st, a mere 9 days before the start of training. I have never ran 30 days in a row. PERIODT!!!!!! My rules were simple. If it was on the training plan, then either I did the mileage or time. If it was not on the training plan, then I had to run a minimum of 1 mile. Easy, right? Not necessarily. There were some days that my legs were like "f*** you" and other days where I felt strong. Days where my migraine tried to get the best of me and days where I question my sanity. Days where I found clarity and days where I just needed to run.
June 30th came and went. I logged 71.3 miles.
Hmmm, let's keep going until my birthday. Well, my birthday fell on a Wednesday (#temporunwednesday) and there was a track workout on Thursday.
Well, let's keep going to the end of the month. July gave me 104.8 miles. Okay, let's just go into August up until day 75.
On a side note: during the first 7 days of July, I also did a swim streak. I ended up swimming over 33,000 yards in 7 days.
So, what had happened was? Day 75 came and went.
Hmmm, let's keep going until my birthday. Well, my birthday fell on a Wednesday (#temporunwednesday) and there was a track workout on Thursday.
On a side note: during the first 7 days of July, I also did a swim streak. I ended up swimming over 33,000 yards in 7 days.
So, what had happened was? Day 75 came and went.
I was so far into no man's territory, I just started having the thought of:
1. Do I go to day 100 and so be it?
2. Do I go to day 135 (#chimarathon)?
3. Do I go to day 150?
That was going through my head. My August bank account gave me 146 miles. Oh boy!
September shows up and now it's like I need to grab that carrot! It was the countdown to today. 100 days of running totaling, as of today: 351.7 miles or a Hell of a lot of my family members.
So now, I'm continuing on until at least the Chicago Marathon (remember, I do not cross the finish line but I run a whole lot).
But what I have learned in this journey, so far is that I can run every day and be okay. I can run a variety of paces, depending on duration. I prefer to run in the morning but sometimes my schedule dictates when I run. I have been able to inspire friends to try their own streak. So, here's to the next 35 days or more.
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