I’ve never really thought about taking part in a running streak and when it was suggested by one of the members of our Dublin marathon team I thought why not, it’ll keep me running through the festive season!
I’ve rounded up my experience over the 40 days including what you may think of as a rather boring by brief day-by-day account of my mileage …
Day 1 Thanksgiving – 1 mile dragged myself out after working in London all week. It was the last thing I wanted to do but one of the group put it to me as ‘it’s just 10 minutes’. Running into the house at 8.30pm I got changed and forced myself out of the door, big mac in stomach an trundled the streets – 10 minutes later I was home and felt amazing for it.
Day 2 – 2 miles before work
Day 3 – 1 mile couldn’t make it to Parkrun
Day 4 – 2.1 miles
Day 5 – 1.1 miles before 30-minute HIIT class
Day 6 – 5.3 miles hills with running club
Day 7 – 1 mile
Day 8 – 1.5 in total to and from slimming world in the snow!
Day 9 – 1 slow, icy mile
Day 10 – 3.1 miles Kettering Parkrun tourist – visit my review by clicking here
Day 11 – 1.3 miles
Day 12 – 3.1 miles
Day 13 – 4.3 miles, intervals at running club
Day 14 – 1 mile
Day 15 – 1.3 rainy miles
Day 16 – 2 miles on a trip to Sheringham, Norfolk
Day 17 – 1.2 miles at the seaside
Day 18 – 1 mile so windy along the beachfront
Day 19 – 1 mile in Burnham Market, Norfolk
Day 20 – 1.2 snow and icy up the hill
Day 21 – 6.2 miles, happy to get out now the snow melted
Day 22 – 1.3 miles, lunch break run
Day 23 – 2 miles
Day 24 – 1.2 miles
Day 25 – 2.1 miles, ran to the Waterloo Cafe in the ice, met running club who’d been on a social run had a tea and bacon sandwich then got a lift back home!
Day 26 – 2 miles run up the hill, 30-minute HIIT class and then a roll back down the hill
Day 27 – 3.1 miles
Day 28 – 1 mile
Day 29 – 2 miles
Day 30 – 2 miles
Day 31 – 4.4 miles including to, from and running Market Harborough parkrun
Day 32 Christmas Eve – 1 short mile
Day 33 Christmas Day – 1 mile before the house woke!
Day 34 Boxing Day – 3.1 miles helping to burn off the excess food
Day 35 – 2.3 miles treadmill, making use of the hotel facilities!
Day 36 – 1.3 miles – slow plod around the park to try and avoid as much of the ice and snow as possible
Day 37 – 1 mile before work, my loop route was cut short and I ended up doing half a mile to the end of he road and back, I was literally ice-skating!
Day 38 – 4.2 miles in total that included a jog to and from Parkrun with Market Harborough park run in the middle. My legs felt super heavy so it was a relief to make my way around the course.
Day 39 New Years Eve – 6.2 hills hills, combined with a trip to my parents I found a nice but hilly (did I mention?) 10k route to the next village, around and back.
Day 40 New Years Day – 1 hungover mile – tried to shift it but pretty sure my body was still full of the night before’s prosecco and gin!
Some days I couldn’t be bothers, other times I loved it. On the days where it was the last thing I wanted to do, all I thought was ‘it’s only 10 minutes’ and it worked. The conditions proved tough, well for the UK anyway, but it was all an experience and I continued no matter how slow the mile was going to take.
The benefits of running daily were amazing. Forcing the blood to push itself around the body (extreme way of putting it, I know) literally made me feel amazing for the whole day. I was excited and looked forward to the 10 minutes to myself each day. And with it being so cold coming back in to warm up was such a good feeling!
I didn’t stop there … straight into my half-marathon training plan I continued for another two days until the lurgy hit me. So after a great streak, it’s time for me to rest up and get myself better.
Would I do another run streak again? Without a doubt, YES!
Running Abby 