I just ran 100 days in a row!!
For 100 days in a row I laced up my running shoes, headed out the door, and ran at least 4 miles. And, I did it because I wanted to... not because I felt like I had to.
And how does that make me feel? For something I never thought I'd do in a million years, I am jumping for joy!!!
There were days when it was kind of a struggle, but not force-fed. Running 3, 4, and 5 days a week was good enough for me previously, but I felt like I could have been better if I put in more time to running. If you read about the 4-week nutrition overhaul, everything I'm doing is to run better. Better = less injured, more efficiently, stronger, and faster (if I can!).
Working out, exercising, and especially running started becoming really stale after Chicago in 2010. Does anybody remember that race? It was over 90 degrees and hot in October. Not only was it horribly warm, but I injured my foot around mile 8. I kept going and actually finished!
In 2011 after that mysterious foot injury, I still didn't feel like training - or running, period. I was on a forced 3-4 day/week running habit, with 30-50 cycling miles each week. The Indiana heat and humidity drove my motivation to an all-time low. Ben finished his first iron distance triathlon (woohoo!) and I slogged through the half iron. For a fleeting second, it was tough enough that I knew I could've felt better during the race if I'd put in more time on the bike/in the water/running.
If you like stats... as of April 9, 2012:
And once I've mentioned the Hundred Day Challenge, non-runners ask: why? Runners are a little more understanding and curious.
Aren't your legs tired?
They were at first, but after about 3 weeks, my body got used to running every day. In the past 6 weeks I switched from doing 2 workouts per week to none... lowering the intensity has helped a ton. And, there's no such thing as junk mileage - check out this article.
Is all that mileage from one run a day?
HECK NO. The week I hit 70 miles, I ran twice a day for two days that week. I also get in a lot of extra mileage just from running to and from the store for group runs (6 miles round trip).
How are you not injured yet?
Ha, thanks for your vote of confidence!! :) Yeah, my track record's not so good...
Two things are different this year.
First, I have been strength training much more - focusing on glutes, hips, and core. I add arms in also, but it's not a priority. You can usually find me at the Y on the leg press machine, doing lunges with 5-pound weights in the hallway, the hip abductor/adductor machine, and the declined bench. When I quit lifting, things start to hurt or ache.
I have worked my behind off to change my form. Ever since the Ben & I attended the Newton retail summit and form clinics in Boulder last year, I've been sold on the idea of being efficient and taking stress off of the areas that get injured... it totally worked for me. I love teaching people natural running form and helping them run injury-free, too!
If I miss out on a week of strength training (because it only takes one to two sessions a week), I feel the aches and pains. That's how I know I'm falling off the wagon.
What's different now?
I do a lot more laundry. Bleh.
I learned that I can be consistent and that I *can* run every day of the week. Taking down the intensity has allowed me to do that, and keeping this kind of routine isn't as crazy hard as it sounds. It sometimes requires early mornings, but I keep running knowing I'll (eventually) be more fit and faster for doing it!
How'd you swing 100 days with the nutrition thing?
Well, I learned by accident that minimizing carbs is bad for you when I started smelling ammonia after my runs. I'll be honest- I felt awful for the two weeks it took to figure out that I need pasta and bread in my diet. With nutrition, I feel my best when purposely eat as many clean, unprocessed foods as I can. SO much easier said than done... I'm a snackaholic.
I didn't really lose much weight like I had intended (to get faster by carrying less weight). Overall, I might've dropped 2 or 3 pounds since the beginning of February. Eh, maybe it's better that way.
What kinds of runs are you doing?
Up until the middle of March, a couple of my weeks looked like this for weekly mileage: 50, 70, 49, 49. In those miles, I was doing track workouts, repeats, pace runs, you name it - 3 of these each week. It was really hard!
I started feeling really fatigued during and right after my 70 mile week. Fatigued to the point that I was stopping to walk on ~5 of every 7 runs each week. Eventually, we figured out that this was a health issue (a non-threatening one that doesn't stop me from running) that is causing me to feel this tired all the time. More on that later.
In the spirit of experiments, Ben & I took on heart rate training around a month ago. When I got my Garmin 610, I opted for the heart rate version. This article, and tons of other research, indicates that we're probably all working/running too hard for the same benefit.
The article asks: If you could run slower but still gain the same amount of speed, would you do it? Yes. Yes, yes, and yes! So, I've been sticking to the sweet spot around 80% of max HR, which has slowed down my pace. I've hit 60 miles a time or two since my 70 mile week and felt incredible in comparison because I quit doing HR-maxing, leg-busting workouts. I love it! Run slower to get faster.
Speaking of training, what are you training for?
Ab-solutely nothing! I love hopping into races last-minute. No expectations!! Nothing's more devastating than busting my behind all season to drop out of the race due to injury, or bomb because of weather, nutrition, or just making a tactical mistake.
I just run 'cause I like it. I'll sign up for a 5k or something soon maybe-ish.
Where do you run?
On those rare cold days during the Winter, we (the group) would run laps at Assembly Hall. There's a figure eight loop you can do in there that's 3 laps to 2 miles. If it was rainy or icy, I was running there inside. [On treadmills: It's a last resort when I'm traveling in an unfamiliar/unsafe area.]
I like to try running with other store groups when I'm traveling for work - the Dick Pond (Lisle, IL) and Three Rivers (Fort Wayne) groups are my favorites! I've been fortunate enough to find some good multipurpose paths and trails in my recent destinations.
Roads are good for me because I can't seem to stay vertical on uneven surfaces like trails.
In Btown, I have a few loops around to South/East sides of Bloomington that hit the Jackson Creek Trail & Olcott Park (5 miles), Hyde Park neighborhood + Jackson Creek Trail (7 miles), and a short 4-mile YMCA loop. I like the gravel portions of the rail trail, too!
Having running buddies helps me keep the fun! in running so it's not just about times, workouts, pace, and busting my butt. Enter BARA. Ben's also a fun person to run with, but this guy (photo above) - Scrappy - was one of my favorites. I've been running on the Rail Trail with adoptable dogs from the Bloomington Animal Shelter, and it makes me happy to see how much fun they're having! I was super excited to find out that Scrappy was adopted only a few days after our jaunt.
When will you stop running?
I'm not sure. I'll just keep on going* until I don't feel like it anymore, or until I can't!
*April 28, 2012 marks 119 days!
--------------------
Am I crazy? Have you considered taking on the 100-day challenge? Or just trying to stay consistent with running?
Your thoughts... let's hear 'em!
For 100 days in a row I laced up my running shoes, headed out the door, and ran at least 4 miles. And, I did it because I wanted to... not because I felt like I had to.
And how does that make me feel? For something I never thought I'd do in a million years, I am jumping for joy!!!
 |
| Photo: Zach Hetrick |
Working out, exercising, and especially running started becoming really stale after Chicago in 2010. Does anybody remember that race? It was over 90 degrees and hot in October. Not only was it horribly warm, but I injured my foot around mile 8. I kept going and actually finished!
In 2011 after that mysterious foot injury, I still didn't feel like training - or running, period. I was on a forced 3-4 day/week running habit, with 30-50 cycling miles each week. The Indiana heat and humidity drove my motivation to an all-time low. Ben finished his first iron distance triathlon (woohoo!) and I slogged through the half iron. For a fleeting second, it was tough enough that I knew I could've felt better during the race if I'd put in more time on the bike/in the water/running.
 |
| Not a sheep - that's me sticking out in the teal tri top |
Nothing changed as Winter came... and then New Year's. And on New Year's Eve - suddenly and without any reason - I felt this renewed sense of energy and drive toward running! From that point on, I ran every single day. It's been interesting ride so far.
- I logged 709 running miles between January 1, 2012 and April 9, 2012 (100 days).
- 7.09 - average miles logged per day.
- 17 - max single-run distance logged during this period
- 4.2 - miles run on the shortest day(s)
- 50.6 - average mileage per week
- 70 - max mileage in a week
- 2ish - the number of visits I've made to Bloomington Sports & Wellness (BS&W)
- 0 - number of visits to BS&W because of an injury
Aren't your legs tired?
They were at first, but after about 3 weeks, my body got used to running every day. In the past 6 weeks I switched from doing 2 workouts per week to none... lowering the intensity has helped a ton. And, there's no such thing as junk mileage - check out this article.
Is all that mileage from one run a day?
HECK NO. The week I hit 70 miles, I ran twice a day for two days that week. I also get in a lot of extra mileage just from running to and from the store for group runs (6 miles round trip).
How are you not injured yet?
Ha, thanks for your vote of confidence!! :) Yeah, my track record's not so good...
Two things are different this year.
First, I have been strength training much more - focusing on glutes, hips, and core. I add arms in also, but it's not a priority. You can usually find me at the Y on the leg press machine, doing lunges with 5-pound weights in the hallway, the hip abductor/adductor machine, and the declined bench. When I quit lifting, things start to hurt or ache.
I have worked my behind off to change my form. Ever since the Ben & I attended the Newton retail summit and form clinics in Boulder last year, I've been sold on the idea of being efficient and taking stress off of the areas that get injured... it totally worked for me. I love teaching people natural running form and helping them run injury-free, too!
If I miss out on a week of strength training (because it only takes one to two sessions a week), I feel the aches and pains. That's how I know I'm falling off the wagon.
What's different now?
I do a lot more laundry. Bleh.
 |
| I hate folding laundry. |
How'd you swing 100 days with the nutrition thing?
Well, I learned by accident that minimizing carbs is bad for you when I started smelling ammonia after my runs. I'll be honest- I felt awful for the two weeks it took to figure out that I need pasta and bread in my diet. With nutrition, I feel my best when purposely eat as many clean, unprocessed foods as I can. SO much easier said than done... I'm a snackaholic.
I didn't really lose much weight like I had intended (to get faster by carrying less weight). Overall, I might've dropped 2 or 3 pounds since the beginning of February. Eh, maybe it's better that way.
What kinds of runs are you doing?
Up until the middle of March, a couple of my weeks looked like this for weekly mileage: 50, 70, 49, 49. In those miles, I was doing track workouts, repeats, pace runs, you name it - 3 of these each week. It was really hard!
I started feeling really fatigued during and right after my 70 mile week. Fatigued to the point that I was stopping to walk on ~5 of every 7 runs each week. Eventually, we figured out that this was a health issue (a non-threatening one that doesn't stop me from running) that is causing me to feel this tired all the time. More on that later.
In the spirit of experiments, Ben & I took on heart rate training around a month ago. When I got my Garmin 610, I opted for the heart rate version. This article, and tons of other research, indicates that we're probably all working/running too hard for the same benefit.
The article asks: If you could run slower but still gain the same amount of speed, would you do it? Yes. Yes, yes, and yes! So, I've been sticking to the sweet spot around 80% of max HR, which has slowed down my pace. I've hit 60 miles a time or two since my 70 mile week and felt incredible in comparison because I quit doing HR-maxing, leg-busting workouts. I love it! Run slower to get faster.
Speaking of training, what are you training for?
Ab-solutely nothing! I love hopping into races last-minute. No expectations!! Nothing's more devastating than busting my behind all season to drop out of the race due to injury, or bomb because of weather, nutrition, or just making a tactical mistake.
I just run 'cause I like it. I'll sign up for a 5k or something soon maybe-ish.
Where do you run?
On those rare cold days during the Winter, we (the group) would run laps at Assembly Hall. There's a figure eight loop you can do in there that's 3 laps to 2 miles. If it was rainy or icy, I was running there inside. [On treadmills: It's a last resort when I'm traveling in an unfamiliar/unsafe area.]I like to try running with other store groups when I'm traveling for work - the Dick Pond (Lisle, IL) and Three Rivers (Fort Wayne) groups are my favorites! I've been fortunate enough to find some good multipurpose paths and trails in my recent destinations.
Roads are good for me because I can't seem to stay vertical on uneven surfaces like trails.
In Btown, I have a few loops around to South/East sides of Bloomington that hit the Jackson Creek Trail & Olcott Park (5 miles), Hyde Park neighborhood + Jackson Creek Trail (7 miles), and a short 4-mile YMCA loop. I like the gravel portions of the rail trail, too!
Having running buddies helps me keep the fun! in running so it's not just about times, workouts, pace, and busting my butt. Enter BARA. Ben's also a fun person to run with, but this guy (photo above) - Scrappy - was one of my favorites. I've been running on the Rail Trail with adoptable dogs from the Bloomington Animal Shelter, and it makes me happy to see how much fun they're having! I was super excited to find out that Scrappy was adopted only a few days after our jaunt.
I'm not sure. I'll just keep on going* until I don't feel like it anymore, or until I can't!
*April 28, 2012 marks 119 days!
--------------------
Am I crazy? Have you considered taking on the 100-day challenge? Or just trying to stay consistent with running?
Your thoughts... let's hear 'em!
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