In last week’s post, I wrote about the NCAA Indoor National Championship meet and its eventual cancellation. There are a lot of stories from that trip. In the coming weeks, I will share a couple more stories about that weekend and more about our athletes. This week, however, I want to tell you about my running streak. If you’ve never heard of it, a running streak is defined as running one continuous mile on each calendar day- the United State Running Streak Association (USRA) has lots of information about it. Better yet, Check out this interview in the Post Bulletin about Steve Gathje (1977) and his impressive 45 year streak.
I started running every single day to stay motivated to train. Some of you all might have experience with the desire to work out, but only being able to string a handful of days together before life gets in the way. Then pretty soon, it’s been a whole week since you’ve worked out and it feels like you’re starting all over. I thought if i pushed myself to run a little bit everyday, no matter what, it would be easier to keep training. This is actually the third time I have started a running streak. The first two streaks each lasted about one year and ended from a combination of injury and work/life stressors. My current streak started on a vacation to the Prefontaine Classic Track meet in Eugene, Oregon on June 1, 2013.
Most people on running streaks are distance runners, but not me. I was a sprinter in high school and college and still get a lot of satisfaction from that type of training. Currently, my training is geared toward the 400m dash. I will typically do a sprint training session such as 8x30 meter hills or some fast 100’s and 200’s. For my streak, I run at least a mile during my workout each day, no matter what. I go through phases of enjoying distance running, and during those times, I will increase my daily run to 4-5 miles. On extra busy days, my workout will be a quick 10 minute run, just to get it in. Running creates normalcy. It is an essential part of my day.
When it comes to running streaks, I like to hear the great lengths runners go through to keep their streak alive. Here are some of mine:
Slept in a hospital chair for four nights when our twins were born. Ran every day.
Food poisoning on Christmas Eve. Everyone went to church while I went running. Only vomited twice.
Bus arrived home late from a track meet at 11:30pm. Quick changed and went running.
Sprained my ankle early during a run. I laid on the ground for five minutes and got up to start the mile over again.
Running three miles outside when it was -55 degrees wind chill.
Flying to Switzerland and the airline lost my luggage. Yep, I ran in sandals and boxers.
Now that I’m this far into my streak, I never think about “if” I am going to train. Each night, I make a plan of when to fit it into my day. If something throws off that schedule, I make it work anyway. Sometimes it means waking up on a Saturday at 5am to get in a workout before the bus leaves for a track meet. Maybe it means I run after I get my kids to bed. I pick Air BNB’s based on their proximity to good running routes. It’s just what I do.
On Thursday of the NCAA Indoor National Championship meet, we all waited anxiously to hear news of the meet. I probably should have gone on my run instead of constantly checking for updates, but I think all of us were a little overwhelmed. Once the announcement was made to cancel, I was in a flurry to make arrangements to get home. Since every team was trying to do the same thing, I was on-hold an incredibly long time with the NCAA travel agency. By the time I was done, it was 8:00pm, the guys had demolished the candy gift basket and were looking for some real food.
While at dinner, I received a message from another coach and former athlete who was also in town for the meet. He invited me to go out with him and some others. The day was stressful and disappointing and it would be nice to relax with some friends. The last thing I wanted to do was slog through a run through the busy business district near our hotel in the dark. As dinner finished, I made the decision that I wasn’t going to run. Instead, I went out with the other coaches to commiserate. Of course the only topic of conversation with the other coaches was the decision to cancel the outdoor meet, the impacts on eligibility, and the overall uncertainty of the whole situation. Maybe it was a general animosity toward the NCAA or it’s just my personality, but sitting there I realized I couldn’t let the NCAA take another thing away. I wouldn’t let it end my running streak.
During the late walk back to the hotel, I told our vault coach, John Pollack, that we were going running. John and I have been training together 4-5 days a week all year and he was well aware of my streak. He expressed a little disbelief but otherwise obliged. We changed clothes quickly and ran down the street. Complaining continued and with full bellies and tired heads, our bodies didn’t enjoy the exertion. However, it was enjoyable for the pure ridiculousness of the situation and the memory it created. More importantly, it was enjoyable for the consistency.
If a multiple year running streak teaches you anything, it’s that an individual always has a decision to make. The NCAA wouldn’t actually have ended my streak, it would have been my self-pity calling the shots. When I think back to the other times I broke my streak, the reasons hardly seem all that important any more and I regret giving in. While the loss of this season still hurts, I’m sure the sting will subside in time, but this streak will endure. Some day, I might decide to end it, but for now, my streak continues.
PS: A special thank you to John Pollack, Jake Lammi (2015), and Tony Krueger (Minnesota-Morris Cross Country Coach). These three have logged many training days with me during this streak and it is truly appreciated.