Let’s Go Streaking!!

Posted in Challenges, Race Recaps by Annie T

Join me for a Holiday streak by completing a mile a day
from Thanksgiving to New Year’s!

364 days ago I decided it was time to get off the couch and start exercising. I publicly committed to a challenge that seemed pretty manageable… all I had to do was walk, run, elliptical, or otherwise move myself one mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. This challenge really motivated me and I soon learned that it’s actually very easy to squeeze a single mile into my daily routine!

I first read about streaking on a friends blog (thanks Jocelyn!) where I learned that Holiday Streaking is an official Runner’s World challenge. The concept is simple: commit to your mile-a-day and then, once you get into a routine, you’ll be hooked and you will do anything to complete your mile and keep your streak going! The streak is also conveniently timed for the holiday season when we’re all probably drinking and eating a little more than usual so the regular exercise really pays off.

Last year I liked streaking so much that I decided to keep going for 205 consecutive days before taking a break for our honeymoon. I started back up on July 1st and I’m currently on day 144 of my new streak. My second streak acted as sort of a gateway to even more mileage when we got a treadmill in mid-July and I think I’m now officially addicted to running!

Matt and I will be kicking off our Thanksgiving festivities with the Seven Summits 5K Turkey Trot on Thursday morning. I’m really looking forward to the race AND to all of the mashed potatoes and stuffing that I will victoriously eat afterwards. Yum!

Will you streak with me from Thanksgiving to New Year’s?
Declare your intent in the comments below!

Since this is a running post I can’t end without noting my latest running tally… 600 miles is history!

Miles since last post: 90.8
Days since last post: 19
Average Daily Miles since July 18th: 4.83
TOTAL MILES: 614

9Sep2013

300 Miles! And a 5k in my future…

Posted in Challenges, Race Recaps by Annie T

This afternoon I hit the 300 mile mark in my 100 mile iPad mini challenge! Over the last 100 miles I’ve run a lot on my treadmill and I’ve also had fun hiking in Ridley Creek State Park, Valley Forge National Park, and at a rural central PA destination we fondly call “the Hunting Camp” (more on that in my next post). Here’s the official tally:

Miles since last post: 86.3
Days since last post: 14
Average Daily Miles since July 18th: 5.57
TOTAL MILES: 301.0

I am now running with an official purpose… in less than 2 weeks I am going to run a 5K! I haven’t run a distance race since my ill-fated attempt at Cross Country my freshman year of high school so I’m a little nervous (OK, actually a LOT nervous!). Still, I’ve been working hard and last week I actually beat my best high school 5K time by about 30 seconds! (I was running on the flat, even treadmill, mind you, but it was a victory nonetheless!)

The 5K that I’ll be running on September 21st is a true off-road cross country trek, complete with rolling (BIG) hills and a possible stream crossing. We’ll see how it goes! 🙂

The 5K will take place across these beautiful rolling farmlands in Willistown Township, PA. [cell phone pic]

Related Posts:
• 200 miles! (8/26/13)
• 100 Miles in 21 Days! (8/7/13)
• 100 Mile iPad Mini Challenge: 49 Miles to Go! (7/29/13)
• The Challenge Begins: 100 Mile iPad Mini Challenge (7/23/13)

26Aug2013

200 Miles in 37 Days!

Posted in Challenges, Race Recaps by Annie T

Guess what? I completed 200 Miles in 37 Days!!! Back on July 18th I challenged myself to run and walk 100 miles by August 28th. I reached my 100 mile goal on August 7th, hit 150 on August 15th, and ran through my 200th mile on August 23rd. After today’s 5.6 mile run I’m at 214 miles total with 2 days still left to go in my original challenge!

Miles since last post: 113.6
Days since last post: 19
Days until Deadline: 2
TOTAL MILES: 214.7

If you had told me in mid-July when we got our treadmill that I would soon be averaging over 5 miles a day I would have laughed (or actually cried) at the thought of it. I started out slow with some 2-3 mile days in the beginning and a lot more walking than running but as the weeks have gone by running has gotten easier and I have even had a few 7+ mile days! I’ve continued to track my progress on my Excel graph and I’ve also started to track my best treadmill times for 1, 2, 3, and 4 miles. I’m not ready to go out and run a race or anything, but I’m still pretty proud of how my times have fallen during the past month.

So where do I go from here? Forward! I’m going to keep tracking my miles and I will continue to set mini mileage goals for myself since that has worked thus far to keep me motivated. I’ve now decided that when I hit 250 miles I get to buy these Athleta running tights for myself. They will be just in time for the Fall weather that I hope September brings next week!