Run Streak Day 260

I mentioned on the podcast that my running streak has become “a thing.” It now has a mind of its own. I kind of expected this to happen of course, and Andrew gave me a heads up that it would happen. It was curious how it developed though.

I knew when I started I wanted to make it a month, it seems a reachable goal and if Lee could do it so could I. Once I hit a month I had to ask myself when the next marker would be and set my sites on 100 days. That was a big marker for me. Just over three months would test my scheduling abilities and really set a test for my legs. When I made it to 100 days I knew the streak officially had a mind of its own. What date to you set after you hit triple digits? 150 is too soon and felt kind of lame. 200, well that puts it at close to 300 and if you do 300 you have to do a year. Thus my wonky logic put me at 365 days, one year.

As I sit at 260ish days I’m seeing the end of that year. With only 100 days left I’m at the reverse position I was at the first 100 days. 365 seems easy enough at this point, it’s just over three months away. I’ve tested myself and I know I can do it. So now what? 365 seems like a fine enough number to quit at. A year sounds good, 365 miles even sounds good, though in reality by then I will have done around 1500 miles which sounds even better. At the same time this thing has a mind of its own, do I go further? Obviously I can do this but should I push it for as long as I can? Andrew has, and reading some of the runner profiles by the Beer Runner can make you feel like a year is down right slovenly.

One of the problems is that the last few weeks have been the hardest of the streak. First, I took a vacation to Tennessee. I like running in new places, it’s a great change of scenery and I think you get a better idea of a place seeing it by foot. That said the runs I made there were much harder on my legs than I expected. Apparently my body is fully acclimated to the flatlands of Savannah. I’ve been feeling the effects of those mountain miles for several days after I returned home. On top of that I’ve been sick for the first time in my streak. Put those two elements on top of the usual lull I feel around this time of year because of the Savannah heat and I had the makings of a couple of lousy runs and a genuine lack of enthusiasm for doing many miles.

I’m not sure where I am right now and I should probably wait to make a decision when I’m closer to the 365 number as the heat will be gone my then – if I’ve done my count right it will be November 2, which is a great time to run in Savannah. I’ll also be over my mountain legs, that’s already starting to fade as is my whatever it is sickness I have now. I’ll check in between now and then to let you know where I am at that point.