Sunday, March 5, 2017

Streaking

One item that I've been wanting to check off my running bucket list for some time was a sustained running streak- at least one mile every day for a certain period of time.  Given the crazy things I have signed myself up for in 2017 and trying not to freak out as I think about what it will take to get me there, I decided to nail this challenge down.  If I'm going to be the strongest, best runner I can possibly be this year, setting goals and sticking to them will help cultivate that discipline that I will rely on to get me to the finish line when my mind and body have checked out.  For the month of February, the shortest month of the year, I vowed to myself that I would do just that- run at least one mile a day for the duration of the month.

The running streak was always something that intrigued me.  I like the thought of doing something consistently, every day, and making it a habit.  But running?  That sounds like a lot of work.  Hard work.  Until now, my own personal record was 16 days.  This year, however, is going to be different.  If I want to improve, I must push farther than I've gone before.  I need to beat my toughest opponent, myself.
So I made a quiet promise to myself- no matter what, I was going to streak through February.

The month started out with much potential.  I had friends to run with, and as a last resort, my treadmill at home.  February 1, I met up with a group to knock out a few miles.  February 2 was a bit of a challenge.  I taught kickboxing in the evening, which is usually my workout for the day.  Instead of showering and putting on my PJs as soon as I got home, I jumped on the treadmill and completed my mile.  Success!  The next evening, Friday, I did a few laps around the backyard to equal about a mile and rested up to prepare for the following day.  Oh yeah... February 4.  The Cast a Shadow 6 hour relay/solo race.

One of the things I decided to try this winter was joining a formal racing/training team, something I have never done before.  Since it would take place over the cold, snowy months, it was a snowshoe team.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate with us this season so nights where we dreamed of fluffy, cleated tracks were instead replaced with water and mud.  Nevertheless, the team was a great group of people to run and socialize with.
Part of the team experience was encouraging us to sign up for a winter snowshoe racing series.  I enjoy snowshoeing and racing with my friends so I signed up for each race of the series.  The third was an annual event based loosely on whether or not Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow; yes and the six hour race ended exactly at 6 hours, no and participants were allowed to finish their final lap as long as they started it before the 6 hour cutoff.  Of course I signed up.  And because assembling a team of 2 other friends to trade off with seemed like a lot of work, I signed up for the 6 hour solo race.

Race day approached.  This was the my first experience with a race that was based on time and not distance.  2.5 mile loops for 6 hours.  I could either run at a relaxed pace, hang out in the lodge and visit with my friends, or push myself and see what kind of distance I could reach in 6 hours.  I chose the latter.  A marathon distance was 11 loops.  If I averaged 2 loops an hour, this was a more than achievable goal.  I plodded on, stopping quickly for food or to use the restroom, and one longer break around lap 7 to prepare for the setting sun and cooler temps.  With temperatures peaking near 20 Fahrenheit, losing the sunlight and warmth would have an impact on a sweaty, tired body that had been wearing the same layers all day.  My friends who had run this race in the past advised me that the twilight hours would be toughest and to prepare for dropping temperatures.  I changed into dry outer layers, added an extra pair of tights, donned my headlamp, and set out to complete the last 4 laps.  I will admit, the last 2 were not pretty; my body was tired and the packed snow and ice caused my lower back muscles to tighten to a most uncomfortable state.  But the notion of a prize was dangled before me; run, walk, or crawl, I would earn this token!  I did finish 11 laps in roughly 6 hours, 23 minutes, including the time I spent in the lodge.  The prize was a very nice fleece throw with the Goose Adventure Racing logo (the company that produced the race) on it.  I was quite pleased with this.  After the awards ceremony and time with good friends, I headed home.  We parted ways with a plan to meet in the morning and run a few miles together.

I have heard of "recovery runs" and honestly, this is not something that I ever believed in.  How could running possibly help your body recover when it is sore, fatigued, and in agony from running a ridiculous number of miles the day before?  Surely sitting as still as possible under a cozy fleece blanket would be a much more effective way to recover from a race.  But it was only February 5, and I was going to try my hardest to actually carry through with this running streak.  So I took my time with my morning routine, did some yoga, and kept my plans to meet my friends at 11 for our "recovery run".  Thankfully, most had participated in the same race I had the day before, either solo or as a relay, and were feeling the day's miles that morning.  We commiserated through 4 miles of one of our favorite trails, taking our time and walking when it became necessary.  Although it was tough to get started and quite painful, I did feel better after running.  My muscles had loosened up a bit and the soreness wasn't as intense.  I headed home with thoughts of eating and lounging for the rest of the day, and of course, watching the last football game of the season.

The next day, 2 days post-marathon, I woke up not nearly as sore as I thought I would be.  Other than some residual aches, the previous Saturday's torture was now a distant, fond memory.  I had been converted, the recovery run works miracles!!!

Because I have friends that are smarter and more experienced than me, especially when it comes to running, I listen and try to learn from the wisdom they share.  A good friend of mine who also has a hectic schedule, and has been keeping a run streak for 6 plus months, shared with me her method of running 1-2 miles in the morning or however many she has time for before work, and getting in a few evening miles as well when her schedule permitted.  I really liked this idea.  This is what I would try next, early morning runs!  For me, this meant waking up around 5 am, letting out and feeding my 2 dogs & 2 cats, while donning my running clothes and shoes to get in a quick 15 minute run on the treadmill before showering and getting ready for work.  So early that Monday, I stumbled out of bed to carry out the aforementioned routine.  As I laced up my shoes, I wondered if the noise of the treadmill would disturb my still sleeping husband; guess I will find out momentarily!  Thankfully, it did not.  I learned that as much as I love sleeping until the last possible second, I loved getting up and cranking out those 15 minutes even more.  I felt accomplished, energized, inspired, and was in a better mood for the rest of the day.  My lofty goal of doing this every single morning wavered as the weeks went on, especially if I had a particularly exhausting hill or speed workout the night before, but I will do what I can and try to keep Monday morning runs at the very least.  My long term goal is to get up early enough to run 2-3 miles before work as I get closer to race date(s).

There were times I wanted a break, times I wanted to quit, and times when I wondered if that one mile was truly worth it.  I stuck to it through the whole month and am still going.  I am not sure how long I will keep up my running streak.  Today being day 33, I still am unsure if this is the way to accomplish my goals.  At some point, this streak will end, and I will embrace all it has taught me about myself, my body, and running in general.  Whether it's just experimental, or something that turns into a lifestyle, I would recommend giving a running streak a try.  You may surprise yourself.