Now that school is back in session, I’m back on a solid morning routine for my running. But I have a problem getting cooled down fast enough before I have to leave. If I don’t allow enough time, I end up sweating through my clean clothes after my shower. My solution:
After trying this chold shower methods for two weeks, I’ve decided I would rather be sweaty. The good news is that our weather should be getting cooler soon.
I sat down tonight after my short 1 mile jog to calculate my total days running in a row. I’ve had to abandon the tally chart because I kept forgetting to mark my runs. So, I’ve backtracked and added the information to my planning calender.
I was surprised to learn that today is my 50th consecutive day running. What’s better is that I’m beginning to feel like it’s easy. I’ve been aiming for at least two miles jogging every day, but in a pinch I’ll settle for one. The second miles have been magical and have really accelerated my fitness gains.
Tonight I stuck with one mile for several reasons.
So, this is the end of my self congradulatory running post. If all goes well I’ll be back on 2 miles in the morning. Plus, I’m wanting to move up to 3 miles each day in September. Thanks for reading - now go out and run a few miles.
If you’re new to my blog, you might be wondering why I’ve chosen to become an everyday runner. It’s a good question, so here’s my answer:
1. It works for me. Bottom line – jogging everyday is working for me. It gets me out the door and keeps the tally marks growing on my running log.
2. It kills every excuse not to run. Overeating, not feeling good, too late, too rainy, too hot, etc. etc. etc. None of these are as powerful as my desire to keep the running streak alive.
3. It gives me something to lose. Off days come too easy when I don’t have anything to fight for. With consecutive days running, starting over would be too painful.
4. It gives me a running goal I can achieve. Mileage and time goals are fine, but I needed to start with something more attainable. If I can run today I’m a winner, it’s that simple.
5. It makes me feel like a runner. Even when people don’t believe me, or think I’m too big to be a runner. It doesn’t matter, because I know I’ve run everyday for the last month. No question – I’m a runner.
6. It guarantees weight loss. This was a bad month for my diet and eating habits, but I still stand to lose a few pounds. That’s the power of jogging everyday. It also makes me pay (by feeling terrible) when I have to run after eating a giant dinner.
7. It makes jogging part of my lifestyle. While loosing weight is a goal, I’ve always wanted to become a part of the running lifestyle. It’s about living a better kind of life. Doing it everyday makes that a reality.
8. It gives me something to blog about. Yes, blogging helps me run. Especially when I get those emails on weeks I haven’t written (usually when I’m not running well). So, jogging everyday gives me time to reflect about being a runner. That gives me something to say.
What do you think? Are you into jogging everyday? Have you ever tried it, and how did it work out?
I made an early start this morning, trying to get my run in before the promised thunderstorms. But my timing was off and I ended up jogging back home in a downpour.
I’ve never liked running in the rain, although I refuse to let it break my consecutive running streak. Jumping over puddles can be fun, but not all the time.
The worst part is the wet feet and water running down my nose. I definitely avoid thunderstorms, for obvious safety reasons.
So, this morning was a short run and a head start on my shower.
What about you? Do you like to jog when it’s raining?
On my kitchen wall their is a piece of paper with 32 tally marks. Each 1/2 inch line represents another day of running.
Wow . . .
Things started getting serious just over a month ago. I saw a recent picture and thought, “Am I really that fat?”
So, I bought the new running shoes and taped a piece of printer paper up in the kitchen.
There have been some hard days, especially after overeating every night on my family vacation. Other nights I didn’t run until 11 PM.
I had some good days too. Once I knocked off three miles with hardly an effort.
Now the bad news . . .
Now the good news . . .
Thanks for all the encouraging emails over the last few months. I know the blog has been a little bit of a let down, but I’m optomistic that things are going to get much better.
Today I hit my first 10 day running streak this year. As you know, I’ve had a hard time finding motivation to run since last winter.
Then two weeks ago I bought a new pair of shoes. It was a reality check to talk to some of the guys at the shoe store about the hard times my running career has been on.
So, I decided to start a streak. My rules are simple and things have been going well:
I’ve went for some extra walks and big rides, but the focus is to keep running. The weight loss is coming slow - mostly beacuse of failure to diet. Stay tuned.
I was beginning to think I had given this blog the wrong name. It’s been several months now since I’ve done any consistent running. But I had the feeling that if I just kept the dream alive, that I would somehow come around.
So, tonight I walked two miles around my block.
It doesn’t seem like much, but it was something. And something is a giant improvement over nothing.
It was a nice night for walking, but my feet really started hurting. I guess that is what I get for falling so far off my course. That is all I’ll say tonight.
Sometimes I wonder why I am still optimistic about my running. When it comes to jogging, I have been struggling all winter. But tonight things are starting to move in the right direction.
The weather is warming up, the daylight is lasting longer, and I’m getting tired of being out of shape.
So, I need more than a plan. I need to start doing something. Tonight, I ran a mile and hope to do it again tomorrow. Then, do it again the next day, etc.
It’s been a slow New Year for my running. It seems like every time I get a new start - everything goes wrong. The weather, my health, and life in general seem to conspire against me. Of course, making excuses is always my worst enemy. The weather started to trend warmer this week and I’m hoping to finish the month strong.
It’s too late to do the mini-marathon I had been dreaming of last fall, but for me winning will be moving forward.
One of the best and worst things about running is that it only happens today. I can’t get in my run for yesterday and I can’t knock off tomorrow’s jog either. Running is now – if nothing at all.
This is a great motivator for someone like me. I’ve been a hit and miss runner for the last fifteen years. The last few years I’ve gotten worse. The last few weeks I’ve completely fallen off. I’ve given up, slept in late, and chosen to lose.
None of that matters when I step out the door. My failures can’t keep up as long as I keep taking the next step. I can still outrun yesterday. Running forces me to exist, to choose who I will be.
So, tonight I ran two awkward starting-over-kind of miles. My lungs were raspy and my rhythm was hard to find. It was anything but a beautiful run, but I was free from my lousy not-running-days from January.
With running, everyday is about starting over. Tomorrow is another day, to win or to fail. I can’t help that tonight, but I like fresh starts.