I am currently 88 days into a challenge I set myself.
As a mid 30's man, I decided to try and make a change to my lifestyle. I used to be a very active sportsman, and retired from competitive sport when my first child came along and struggling to recover from a nasty injury.
It took a few years, but as the drive to fight for a place in a team was gone, I found my motivation sapping and the weight adding on.
I almost hit 13 stone one day earlier this year and as someone that is only 5 feet 8.5 (the .5 is important
) it was time to take action.
I was still playing sport a bit, but at a much lower level, and I would do a few things a month to at least feel like I was doing something, but it was clear, fitness was suffering, and I was getting bigger.
I decided to set myself a challenge.
I would run EVERY day for a year, and set a single mile as the distance, because largely this is a mental challenge. To ENSURE I actually run at least a mile EVERY day. No doubling up if I miss a day, just a simple task to complete each day.
Now, anyone can run a mile, people run more every day, and probably a lot faster than I do, but this is about changing my lifestyle, not just my waist. In fact, I do not care about my weight really, I just wanted to feel like I used to, or as close as possible. I also have to factor in my injury history (Ankle breaks, foot breaks, knee problems and plantar fasciitus) so pushing too hard too soon, or putting in too many miles a week may actually set me back, at least initially.
My first few runs were terrible, I had been suffering foot cramps when running, and it was hitting me hard, and I found that some new Mizuno running shoes started to make a difference. My feet were getting happier with running every day, and each and every run is now a much happier affair. SO, to anyone considering running, DO NOT SKIMP ON SHOES. Get a fit done, try a few pairs, and actually run in them. A shoe that feels great standing around in the shop might not be the one to make running feel great again. Any decent running shop will let you do that
Now my runs are just part of my routine, and I fit them in where I can. Most days it is in the evening once the kids and wife are in bed, but it can vary. I even did a few miles on a treadmill in my hotel when I travel for work just to make sure I could fit it in!
I throw in a few longer runs every now and again, and will probably go out for a few 5k/10k races, and perhaps a half marathon later in the year, with time goals for each (basically planning to beat all my existing PBs for any distance
)
Current goals are for a 6 mile single mile, a sub 22minute 5k, and a sub 48 10k.
Currently I feel great. I am approaching a 1/4 of the way through, I feel more trim, more active, and more awake. I sleep better, and seem to be more focused at work.
I was not intending to post this here or anywhere when I started, but I do feel that the more people know about it, the more likely I am to keep this up, and make sure I hit my goal. I do not think that there are many people who can honestly say they have run a mile every day for an entire year, without fail, but I want to be one of them, and posting here might just help me achieve my goal
If you want to see how I am getting on in real time, here is my Strava, where all my runs are uploaded daily!
https://www.strava.com/athletes/11158233
As a mid 30's man, I decided to try and make a change to my lifestyle. I used to be a very active sportsman, and retired from competitive sport when my first child came along and struggling to recover from a nasty injury.
It took a few years, but as the drive to fight for a place in a team was gone, I found my motivation sapping and the weight adding on.
I almost hit 13 stone one day earlier this year and as someone that is only 5 feet 8.5 (the .5 is important
) it was time to take action.I was still playing sport a bit, but at a much lower level, and I would do a few things a month to at least feel like I was doing something, but it was clear, fitness was suffering, and I was getting bigger.
I decided to set myself a challenge.
I would run EVERY day for a year, and set a single mile as the distance, because largely this is a mental challenge. To ENSURE I actually run at least a mile EVERY day. No doubling up if I miss a day, just a simple task to complete each day.
Now, anyone can run a mile, people run more every day, and probably a lot faster than I do, but this is about changing my lifestyle, not just my waist. In fact, I do not care about my weight really, I just wanted to feel like I used to, or as close as possible. I also have to factor in my injury history (Ankle breaks, foot breaks, knee problems and plantar fasciitus) so pushing too hard too soon, or putting in too many miles a week may actually set me back, at least initially.
My first few runs were terrible, I had been suffering foot cramps when running, and it was hitting me hard, and I found that some new Mizuno running shoes started to make a difference. My feet were getting happier with running every day, and each and every run is now a much happier affair. SO, to anyone considering running, DO NOT SKIMP ON SHOES. Get a fit done, try a few pairs, and actually run in them. A shoe that feels great standing around in the shop might not be the one to make running feel great again. Any decent running shop will let you do that
Now my runs are just part of my routine, and I fit them in where I can. Most days it is in the evening once the kids and wife are in bed, but it can vary. I even did a few miles on a treadmill in my hotel when I travel for work just to make sure I could fit it in!
I throw in a few longer runs every now and again, and will probably go out for a few 5k/10k races, and perhaps a half marathon later in the year, with time goals for each (basically planning to beat all my existing PBs for any distance
)Current goals are for a 6 mile single mile, a sub 22minute 5k, and a sub 48 10k.
Currently I feel great. I am approaching a 1/4 of the way through, I feel more trim, more active, and more awake. I sleep better, and seem to be more focused at work.
I was not intending to post this here or anywhere when I started, but I do feel that the more people know about it, the more likely I am to keep this up, and make sure I hit my goal. I do not think that there are many people who can honestly say they have run a mile every day for an entire year, without fail, but I want to be one of them, and posting here might just help me achieve my goal
If you want to see how I am getting on in real time, here is my Strava, where all my runs are uploaded daily!
https://www.strava.com/athletes/11158233
Last edited:
