On December 31, 2012 I thought that the number 366 was one a
hell of a big number. The longest amount of time that I'd run consecutively
before that had been 13 days. I needed something new, something different,
something to make myself fall back into love with running. I was incredibly burnt
out. So, I set out to ambitiously run for 366 days in a row. I was a good
distance runner. I'd broken four hours in my tenth marathon that year. I'd
thought that I'd seen everything there was to see and experienced everything
that I thought my body had to offer with running. I was confident. But, I
wasn't sure if I could do it.
The days passed, the miles fell and the injuries came. I'm now
thoroughly convinced that the injuries that I got last summer weren't the
result of the streak. I'd been training six days in a row long before I made
the decision to begin the 366 Project. I think it was more me turning 40 than
anything else.
During those 366 days I became a blogger, a video podcaster, a streaker
and realized that after 11 years of being a runner there was so much more left
to run, experience and feel. I'm not going to lie and say that every run was
good. There were the painful days where it seemed like my whole body was breaking
down. There were the freezing days of running through sub zero temperatures enjoying
mild frostbite. There were the scorching days of running myself into heat
stroke. There were the countless times that I was nearly killed as the careless
drivers in my town were too busy to notice me. But, they weren't all that bad
either. I discovered how much the trail has to offer an old runner who was
tired of being a moving target. There was the magic of running on Christmas
morning as the world slowly awoke to the magic Santa had left. There was the
incredible feeling of triumph after getting injured, fighting back to register
in a last minute marathon and unexpectedly shattering my old marathon PR by
more than five minutes.
I stare in disbelief at the numbers before me. 450 days
of streaking is well beyond the 366 that I once thought myself incapable of. 1,920 miles further than I thought I could ever run consecutively. As I write in this new blog, record my new podcast and set my sights on completing
my first 50K this Fall I will continue on this non-stop journey. I don't know
when my streak will end. I don't care. It will end when it needs to end.
Hopefully that time will come after I've taken by last few breaths.
Great run tonight on the treadmill. It was single digits outside with wind chill. So, I settled for getting my hill workout done inside. I stood there afterwards on the treadmill basking in the suddenly bright sunshine streaming in through the window. It felt amazing to be alive right then. Like I could do anything. I thought how running has touched my life in so many ways. It's given me back what I've put into it,
taught me that hard work and perseverance can overcome every obstacle placed
before me and shown my friends, family and nine year old son that super heroes
aren't the stuff of legend. They're real and lie within all of us. Too many
people settle for the easy path. Why not overcome fear, inspire others and see what your truly made
of?
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