Today I am posting a brief interview with Una from Ottawa who has ran every day since 2011. No joke. If you’re looking for inspiration. Here you go, I am serving it up right here with no hidden costs.
My reporter ears perked up when I read that Una had been on a streak for a three years (and counting). I thought her great story of determination and perseverance that would inspire our #RunToCanadaDay streakers.
1. When did your running streak begin and why?
I had lost the ‘running love’ sometime in 2005 and really struggled to get it back. Though I kept running, the consistency wasn’t there, that led to injuries, and general running malaise, etc. On Dec. 31, 2010 I was out for a run with my spouse Steve, and he said ‘Want to run for 100 days straight?’. Thinking he would never last I said ‘sure!’. Our official start date was New Year’s Day 2011. The first two weeks HURT, but then it got easier. By day 100 we decided to aim for 365, and from there, we just never stopped. It’s habit now!
2. What is the minimum distance that you run each day?
5k or 30 minutes. Some days 5k is 25 minutes, some days it’s 35 🙂 So we play it by ear, it’s almost always 30 minutes though, unless super pressed for time, then it’s a speedy 5k!
3. What is the most challenging part?
Time – getting out the door is easy most days. I try to run home from work as much as I can, which only takes 10 minutes longer than public transit, which is great. We actually moved closer to work to give us this flexibility (I’m 6.5k from work). Travelling can make it challenging, but we have found that a hard run when you land cures jet lag! True story!!
The days after races can also be a struggle, but it always helps my recovery to get out there and run. The day after the Rome Marathon I was passed on my run by a senior citizen smoking a cigarette LOL. I was running as fast as I could – it wasn’t pretty, but after a couple of KMs I felt great. We ran 10k on the Cinque Terre trails two days later, fully recovered.
4. What has streaking taught you?
Streaking has made me realize I’m a lot stronger than I ever thought I could be, both physically and mentally. As the streak gets longer I find I take take bigger and bolder leaps outside my comfort zone, because the limits that I thought I had, were self-imposed. I select a word to define my year each January 1st – this year’s word was ‘reach’. Each day that gets added to the streak is a reinforcement of what I’m capable of, and encourages me to reach for more, regardless of the physical or mental barriers that may come up. There’s always a mitigation strategy!
5. What are the drawbacks/benefits of streaking?
I always get the ‘you’re crazy’ or ‘that’s amazing’ comments from people about the streak, but to be honest, I find it a lot easier to run daily than I ever did when I had rest days. I don’t get injured anymore, which I attribute to the consistency of the training, and I am conscious that I eat well, get enough sleep and listen to my body because I love running and the streak is important to me. I’ve never felt better! As to drawbacks, there are times when I would like to have a “pyjama day”, but that’s not possible with a streak. It also can be hard when I’m not feeling the greatest, for example, on New Year’s Eve 2012 I came down with the flu, and waited until my fever broke at 8PM to run, showered and climbed back into bed where my fever resumed. It wasn’t a great run to say the least, but it’s on record. I also have a lot more laundry to do!
6. Would you recommend streaking for everybody?
I think that anyone who might be struggling with motivation and consistency might want to try streaking for 100 days – it doesn’t have to be for 5k or even for one sport (say for a triathlete), but to commit to a certain amount of time each day to an endurance activity will definitely give a person a sense of accomplishment that will further motivate them to continue with their training!
7. Have you been injured?
No injuries at all. I’m super proactive though – I have a bit of tendinitis in my foot right now (previous shoes too narrow), so it’s being treated. My chiro is all about active recovery and my prescription always starts with – go run on it to keep the blood flowing to it. I have tight hips, as most runners do, so I do a lot of stretches to loosen that up as best I can. I have a strength and mobility program to strengthen where I’m weak – for injury prevention. It’s working great!
8. Do you have an end date?
Not a planned one. I think only a major catastrophe would stop us now.
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I don’t know about you but I am definitely going out for a run! Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure and let me know in the comments what you think about the interview.
Have you ever done a running streak?
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Wow, what an inspiration!! Thank you so much for sharing this, I did the RW Streak this winter but it was only for a few months!!
What a great interview. So inspiring.