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Summer Running Streak

29 May

Remember how I used to blog…?

Life is crazy, well, always, but especially right now.  The month of May has been an absolute whirlwind of life’s highest highs and lowest lows, but you’ve just gotta savor the good stuff and hang on through the bad, right?

In running news, my routine has been pretty haphazard since The Pig.  I’m more or less averaging three hard effort runs per week and a handful of easy-peasey “junk miles.”  I’ve got a couple half-marathons and smaller races on my radar, but no big daddies.  And while a very small, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, little part of me is enjoying this break, it’s the first time in three years that I’m not training (nor signed up) for any full marathons… sad face…

Marathon or not, today’s the first day of the Runner’s World Summer Running Streak!

Run at least one mile per day, every day, starting on Memorial Day (Monday, 5/28) and ending on Independence Day (Wednesday, 7/4).  That’s 38 consecutive days of running.

I participated in the Holiday Streak last December, running every single day for 31 days, and although I know I’ll have some barriers this time around–I’m having my wisdom teeth out next week–I love any and every excuse to get my run on as often as possible, so I’M IN, duh!

Anyone want to join me (besides Sully)?

K, that’s all I’ve got for today.  Oh, and this:

“Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same.”  -Francesca Reigler

And the streaking continues!

4 Jan

On December 1st, I set out to run at least 1 mile (and up to 26.2 miles) every single day.  31 days and a lot of dirty laundry later, and I really want to do it all again.  Yet, I know it might not be the smartest goal.  One of my resolutions is to run down PRs in the half and full marathons and while, yes, that will include a lot of running, it also requires smart running.  Sometimes smart running means cross training, a day off before a killer speed workout, or a day off for recovery.

On the flipside, I learned something during my December running streak (that shouldn’t be surprising and yet, somehow is…): the more I run, the better I run.  Maybe it’s confidence, maybe it’s living my passion, or maybe it’s that the more I run, the more I get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

With all that said, the running streak died, somewhat unintentionally.  On Sunday, we drove back from LA and promptly hit the couches for a blissful day of laziness.

My legs were sore (ironically, from wearing heels on New Year’s Eve, NOT the intense nine mile tempo run I’d done the morning prior…), and I was making my way out of a post-champagne fog.  I took a late afternoon nap, waking up after the sun had set and instead of going for a nighttime run, I said to hubby: “You wanna do some yoga?”

So we popped in my new yoga DVD and stretched it out, which was awesome.  At first, Sully wanted in on our floor time, but quickly realized we weren’t on the floor to play, so he sat back, curiously watching us, and occasionally rolling around on the floor, mimicking us.  Afterwards, we went for a nice, little nighttime walk as a family, which was also super awesome.

Yesterday, I returned from a six-miler and found myself saying the same thing to hubby: “You wanna do some yoga?”  And so we did.  This time, we picked a more challenging, core-focused sequence, and again, finished feeling awesome.  It was then that an idea popped into my ambitious, goal-oriented, challenge-loving mind:

I should do yoga every day this month.

Now, you might remember that doing yoga once a week is one my New Year’s Resolutions–AND that I said it might be one of my most challenging goals for the year.  So, yeah, committing to a 31 day yoga streak is pretty darn ambitious, but, of course, I’m going to do it.

From January 1st through 31st, I will do (at least 20 minutes of) yoga every day!

As for my running streak revelation: I’m going to continue running to my heart’s content.  One of the things I loved best about the running streak was that there was no internal debate about whether or not to run.  So, when in doubt, my plan is to just do it–even if it’s only one mile.

January Yoga Streak:  Day #3!

2012 Running Mileage:  9.1 miles

Countdown to Carlsbad Marathon:  19 days!

Do you yoga?  Have you ever done an exercise streak?

Shout Out on Runner’s World!

29 Dec

Chick Named Chuck got a shout out on today’s Runner’s World Training Daily blog!  Check it out!: http://trainingdaily.runnersworld.com/2011/12/rwrunstreak-all-the-way-across-the-internet/

I’m practically a published author!  Okay, not really (I’m going to vote it doesn’t really count unless I get paid.  Anyone want to pay me?!).  This is super awesome coming the day after I decided I’m really, truly going to start pursuing a career as a freelance author (I’m cooking up a New Year’s Resolution post).  And my guide to life, a.k.a. Runner’s World, is (obviously) on the list of publications to which I want to contribute–especially because my hubs just renewed my subscription for THREE MORE YEARS!

Good things are in store for 2012.  Anyone else feel it?

Just FYI – Today is day #29 of the streak and I’m starting to wonder how in the world I’ll bring myself to break it.

What awesomeness is happening for you today?

Will you be making any New Year’s Resolutions?

Day #27

28 Dec

Today is Day #27 of the streak.  I’m not going to lie, I kind of, sort of, love this challenge way too much.  There’s no hemming and hawing over whether or not to run today.  The answer is already decided.

Yes, Chuck, yes, you will be running today.

All I have to figure out is the when, where, and how far.  And honestly, I haven’t put much thought or strategy into those details.  I’m just running whenever, wherever, and as much as I feel like running at that moment.

As for the reward?  Um, hi, daily runner’s high, I love you!

Yesterday night, hubs and I flew back to San Diego from a way-too-short weekend in my home-sweet-hometown of Cincinnati.  While there, I got in a couple awesome runs with my dad, who is a beast!  He puts his mind to something and does it.  He’s a (much) faster runner than I am and he pushes my limits, but in a good way.  Qualifying for Boston (at the LA Marathon in March) is well within his grasp and I might be more than a tiny bit jealous, but I’m also incredibly stoked for him and get all stoked and emotional just thinking about cheering for him at the Boston Marathon.  It also makes me want to get to the nearest treadmill for some speed intervals ASAP!

In any case, I did a medium-long run of 11 miles yesterday, where I planned to keep my pace at 9:25-9:40/mile.  However, I felt good and kept pushing my pace a little faster, a little faster, a little faster, and ultimately averaged 8:48/mile for the whole run, which is fast for me!  Most surprising was that I felt really good holding a pace of 8:20-8:50/mile and it gave me a big boost of confidence.  Moral of the story: I need to keep pushing my limits, with or without dad’s presence.

In other awesome news, one of my good friends, who’s adamant about the fact that he “hates running,” just told me his goal is to run 1000 miles in 2012.  Super rad!

And a girlfriend, who just rocked her first half marathon earlier this month is already looking ahead to her next halfie.  Loving it!

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