Running is less of a chore

I promised I would blog regularly about running every day, but I don’t particularly want to blog stats. I’m not bothered how many miles I’ve run or how fast. However, I have noticed an increase in my average pace and my overall fitness: I’m sure my VO2 Max is improving as I’ve clocked a few new PBs this month. 

Today is Day 37. It’s surprising how quickly a month has passed. In that time, I’ve come 56 seconds off my 2015 goal of a sub 50 10k, bagging myself a new PB of 50:55. In a month I’ve also brought my fastest mile time down from 7:16 to 6:56. I’m also noticing I’m putting less effort into maintaining a faster pace; a sure sign my fitness and leg strength is improving. 

At the beginning, I was worried about running becoming a chore. However, it’s become the opposite; now it’s just something I automatically do. It doesn’t feel that tough anymore, and Dan and I have been out in some conditions we wouldn’t usually run in, simply because we have to run every day. It’s been enlightening. I admit I was also worried more about how much kit I would get through. We do have a LOT more laundry, but I’m less squeamish now about wearing the same kit two days running (apologies running buddies!). Dry shampoo is also my friend! 

What about the mental side of running every day? I admit it is pretty mental. But it’s starting to feel normal. Although there have been maybe 5 or 6 days this month where I’ve struggled to muster enthusiasm, mostly I’m automatically putting my kit on and putting one foot in front of the other. Incidentally, Dan has reported feeling more positive too. Much of the time I’m running on my own, which I never used to particularly enjoy, but the dog keeps me company sometimes and I actually enjoy time to just think and appreciate the change in the season. 

What has surprised me most this month about maintaining a runstreak has been the amount of people who have got in touch to say they’ve been watching with interest and that I’ve inspired them to do something similar, which is very flattering. I’ve been invited to write a guest blog, and deliver a talk to our Women’s Institute next month about what I’m doing. 

What has been key this month has been how varied and FUN I’ve managed to keep the running. I’ve run trails, hills, fells, cross country, road, paths, and even a racetrack (thank you Rockingham!), short (one mile), long (ten miles), fast, slow … and despite having set a lower limit of a mile, I’ve been averaging 3.3 miles a day. 

Here are my stats so far for those who are interested: 37 days, 123 miles.  

You can follow my progress on Strava or Twitter.