Well, make that run/walk, but it’s true. I finished 1,000 miles in 2020.
It all started about two years ago when I decided to earn some streak badges on Smashrun. I have about 80% of the badges completed, and the ones left are either impossible for me or take a great deal of time. However, there were three that I could earn at the same time, as long as I did them in 2020.
These badges were:
- Run 365 days in a row
- Run 365 days in a row in one year
- Run 365 days in a row for a leap year
- And for a bonus, Run 365 days in <2 years
I knew I could do this streak; I had done year-long streaks before. But I also knew that I would run as little as possible unless I had a reason to do more.
Many of the running websites I subscribe to have “Run the Year in Miles” challenges. I doubted I could run 2,020 miles in 2020, nor did I want to, but I thought I could probably do 1,000 miles, even though I had never come close.
I found a group that had a 1,000-mile challenge with a cool medal, and I signed up. To run 1,000 miles in a year, I would have to run a little more than 3 miles a day. My body was willing, but my mind was like, “no way.”
But I had an alternate plan. I only needed to run 2.1 miles a day (which would be some long days and some one-mile “rest” days) if I worked toward another Smashrun badge and did 300 miles in one month.
So I did. I ran/walked 10 miles a day for 30 days in July. Add that to my other mileage (which was more than 2.1 miles a day on average), and it means that I reached 1,000 miles before Thanksgiving.
I still have to run/walk every day until December 31st, but it feels good not to count the miles so carefully. I had a very detailed spreadsheet, so I didn’t screw up my goal, and I colored ten 100-mile trackers just for fun.
You may never run/walk 1,000 miles or streak for a leap year, but I hope you have some BIG GOALS that make you uncomfortable but give you a reason to get out of bed.
I may be almost done with my streak, but I will have new running goals for 2021 (I think I want to get faster, then perhaps I can earn some of those impossible badges.)
Stay tuned!