In the first week of my 60
Day Running Challenge, I ran 1 hour, 44 minutes for a total of 7.53 miles
with an average pace of 13:51min/mile! (You can check out the end of this post if you're interested in the daily breakdown.) I
am honestly shocked that I ran this much!
If I hadn't made this challenge and decided to commit to it, and just
gone with my usual “I think I’m going to start running this week”, I would have
maybe run 1 day for probably less than a mile.
Here is how I’m making it work:
Be strict, but
flexible: Making some semblance of a
plan, but still keeping it flexible enough that I don’t have to stick to a
specific schedule was very helpful
for me! There were a couple nights that
I was really caught up in a new book series I’m reading, and did not want to
run – on those days, I did wait until the last possible minute to run just
before dark, but I still ran! There was
one day that I just really did not feel like running, but I told myself I had
to at least go run for 5 minutes… I ended up running more than twice that long
and ran almost a mile!
Keep track of
progress: I use the Map My Run app
on my Smartphone, but there are a variety of other apps you can use, or even a
basic pedometer. If running on a
treadmill, it gives you your stats as you go anyway, so just write them down or
snap a photo of the display when you are done.
For me, it’s really motivating to glance down at my phone while I’m
taking a short break to walk and catch my breath and then see that I am doing
better than the day before or that I’ve been running longer/farther than I
thought I had! According to what I’ve
been reading, more serious runners tend to keep track of weather conditions and
other factors, but I don’t worry too much about all that.
Stay Accountable: The other thing that has made a HUGE
difference to all the other times I’ve tried to start working out, is that I
have some AWESOME friends who are helping to keep me accountable. In the past, I’ve tried a couple times to
plan to work out with someone or sign up for a class with somebody in the hopes
that we’d keep each other accountable, but it never seems to work out, mainly
because schedules don’t always line up. So this time around, I decided to not worry
about working out with somebody, and
just find several friends who would be willing to help keep me on track in
other ways. I told them all my plan
ahead of time and they agreed to help, so after each run, I snap a screen shot
of my Map My Run results and send a text with the photo. Sometimes I’ll include a simple message of “I
ran today!” or sometimes I will
elaborate on how the run went – “I
really didn’t want to run today, because I got a new book and it’s a perfect
rainy day to sit around and read, but I made myself do at least 5 minutes
(which turned into 13!) and now I can relax and read guilt free!” – One evening I forgot to send the message out
right away, and two of them texted me to ask if I’d run yet that day. Also, these are some of the encouraging
responses I’ve received so far:
“Good!
Keep up the good work! You’re doing a lovely job! =D”
“Niiiiiice!
Way to go!”
“I don’t even
gotta motivate/push ya… doin’ it yourself!”
“Great job. Looks
to be faster which is great”
“DON’T FORGET
STRETCHING!!”
…Have I mentioned I have awesome friends? Well I do.
They’re pretty great. :-D
So far, I haven’t had to actually have them remind me or
convince me to run, but knowing that I am “reporting back” to them on how I am
doing is a good motivator for me to actually get out and run. And once I am out there, I push myself harder
knowing that I am going to be sending them my stats. I chose 5 of my closest friends, some of whom
are currently trying to lose weight and/or exercise, some who are not, but all
of whom I knew would be supportive of this new endeavor. If any of you 5 happen to be reading this, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday: 1.55 miles - 22:03 minutes - 14:16
min/mile pace!
Monday: 1.07
miles - 14:58 minutes - 14:00 min/mile pace!
Tuesday: .74
miles - 11:47 minutes - 15:52 min/mile pace!
Wednesday: .89
miles - 11:48 minutes - 13:13 min mile pace!
Thursday: 1.2
miles - 15:30 minutes - 12:57 min/mile pace!
Friday: .92
miles - 12:23 minutes - 13:24 min/mile pace!
Saturday: 1.16
miles - 15:32 minutes - 13:21 min/mile pace!
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