I have news. BIG news. I’m going streaking! Run streaking… I’ve never finished (or started for that matter) a run streak. So why now?
February 2020. The month I decided to run streak. I’ve poo-poo’ed run streaks in the past. And frankly I’m not sure how I’ll fare at the end of this thing. Maybe I’ll stick with my original conviction that at least one full day of rest is the key to an injury-free life. Or perhaps this will change my mind and I’ll see all the benefit of some type of cardio activity every day. Time will tell.
A friend posted on her Instagram stories that she was doing a streak in February and for some reason I thought, “sure, why the hell not?” This “why the hell not” attitude is reflective of my current state of being. So here we are. Here I am. Four days in and I’ve realized how good this run streak really might be.
I’ve Never Done a Run Streak. Why Now?
It will help me train my dogs.
I took my dogs out on my second day of streaking. I had just run seven miles the day before and thought a nice, easy 1-2 miles would be good. We ran just about 1.3 miles. On my third day we ran just over a mile. And it was then that I realized one mile a day would be a really good opportunity to work on training my girls for some bigger runs and some road/trail etiquette later on down the road.
They were so jazzed by the prospect of a treat toward the end of that second run that I decided I would bring treats with me on every run from here on out until they listened and followed commands. They’re very well behaved and listen to commands most of the time. But we’ll use our one mile a day to make sure they obey all of the time. I don’t want to be that dog mom with poorly behaved pups on a public trail. So training sessions they shall be!
And it’s a great opportunity to build mileage.
One of the reasons I wanted dogs to run with was to have company on all my runs — not just the short ones here and there. In the past, my fuzzy pupper has run five miles with me and Cujo has run eight. But admittedly, I just haven’t had the time to really train these girls adequately and so we mostly stick to 2-3 mile runs together. But let’s face it, I need a buddy for much longer than 2-3 miles. Especially when I’m training for a full marathon or ultra. A run streak will give me the opportunity to add mileage while keeping it short and easy.
A run streak will help me build a base.
Not that I don’t already have a good base, but it never hurts to keep it up during the off season. The spring months will be busy so it’ll be nice to have a good base of miles going into outdoor track season. I know I’ll still run longer but it will be nice to be able to fall back on a one-mile-a-day routine if I’m in a pinch.
I feel motivated.
I’m not sure what changed, but I’m motivated to complete a run streak. I just jumped on the bandwagon when I saw my friends’ post. I’ve never been interested in a run streak, even when a few of my local friends were all doing those Runner’s World streaks. I just never had any drive or desire. And I was a huge proponent of at least one full day of rest (as I mentioned already). I’m still a big proponent of rest, don’t get me wrong. And I will always encourage my runners to take adequate rest days. But since I’m not doing hill repeats or speed work, or putting up huge miles for long runs, a run streak seems harmless enough. I’ll give it a whirl!
I’m looking forward to my run streak. I think it will be good for me and if nothing else, it will help me build mileage safely for my dogs and work on canine manners!
In semi-unrelated news, I’m thrilled to announce the start of a brand new link up — Runners’ Roundup! This new linkup is a spinoff from the original Running Coaches Corner. It was a good run (almost four full years!) but it’s high time for a change. There are six hosts of the Runners’ Roundup — yours truly from Running on Happy, Debbie from Coach Debbie Runs, Deborah from Confessions of a Mother Runner, Lisa from Mile by Mile, Jen from Runs with Pugs, and Smitha from Faux Runner. It’s a great crew and I look forward to working with these leading ladies. Be sure to check out all the Runners’ Roundup hosts and link up with other bloggers!
xo
Let’s talk!
Have you done a run streak?
How long did it last?
How many miles per day did you run?
42 Comments
I bet your pups love doing a run streak! I have never done one and don’t plan on one soon. But consistency begets consistency so I can see the benefit of them. I hope yours goes well!
Thank you! Yes, we’ll see how it goes. I think it should be fine. It will be interesting to see if there’s any actual benefit physically or mentally, or if it’s just another thing added to the routine without much fanfare. Stay tuned!
Still totally uninterested in a run streak. Hope yours goes well. 🙂
I am happier running without Bandit, I have to admit. But I always bring treats when I walk them (unless I forget, which is rare). No dog is ever 100%, I don’t care how well they are trained. My dogs really do listen to me. Last time we took them to my parents, Bandit made a beeline to jump on the couch before we got towel on it (he sheds something awful). But he listened, and stopped immediately when I told him to.
Now, when the hubby tells him to do something . . . that can get pretty funny. 🙂
Haha, thank you!
You’re right, no dog is 100%. I want to get them as well behaved as possible. We’ll see how I fare… lol!
WOOT WOOT!! Welcome to the world of streaking 🙂 As you know, I’ve done the RW Winter Streak every year (since 2013?) and it’s worked well to give me something to do during the off-season when I’m not cranking out high-mileage weeks/long runs anyways. I’d never do it year-round, but a 5-6 week stint suits me. Good luck!
Woohoo! Thank you! I’m excited! I have zero expectations except to run a mile. If I run more, that’s cool — an added bonus. I hope I have success like you do!
I am not a run streaker. I need the extra day off between runs. I do like to go for walks the other days just to get outside and keep moving. It’s great that you are excited about your streak and sounds like your pups will benefit too
And I am the opposite. There’s no chance I’m going for a walk outside when it’s cold. I did all last year with the dogs and hated every second. Lol! I’d much rather run a mile a day in the cold with them.
I really, really like my rest days! 🙂 I do think it would be fun to streak for a month. Maybe. My dog could use a little extra training. I need to try treats. She’s good but she’s so excited when we start I can barely keep up!
Yeah same. I just know the first mile is going to be total chaos. Either too fast, or we’re going to stop every 30 seconds. I’m trying to teach them that a run is not a walk and they can’t stop every 2 feet for a sniff. So we usually end up running really fast for a mile and then getting into a rhythm.
I attempted a run streak last year and only made it 10 days (face palm). I do think a mile a day is a good way to encourage daily movement, and I love that you’re using it as an opportunity to train your pups! Enjoy the streak!
Thanks, lady! I have zero expectations so we’ll see how it goes!
Nope never. And definitely not when injured (or in pain) and never in the winter.
That being said I would consider it in the warm months when I could quickly change in and out of my clothes and run short distances.
I’m more inclined to do it now while I don’t have a lot of miles looming on the calendar. Plus if it’s cold or snowy, I can always hop on the treadmill! We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
I hope it goes well and you get everything from it you hope for!
I’m not a streaker. I can manage three days in a row before my body says “nope.”
However, I hope the pups enjoy it and all the extra treatos! The pugs have no interest in any kind of running with me, despite what my blog title says LOL.
But maybe they would?? Haha!
We’ll see how my body fares this go! I hope it’s awesome and not a flop.
That’s exciting! I’ve never done a run streak. They intrigue me but I feel like I need to have time to do other workouts, and I just can’t run everyday. Maybe one day! I hope it goes well for you!
They intrigued me for a while, too. And then I was like, nah… I need a rest day. But now I’m like, why the hell not? Haha. It’s a midlife crisis thing I guess.
Good for you!! I am not sure I could commit to this :-O!
Thanks, Abby. It should be fun!
I don’t run regularly, but I like to think that having a dog would force me to at least walk/jog regularly! Best of luck to you on your run streak! :]
Thanks girl! I appreciate it.
I’ve never done a run streak although I have considered it. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t follow through though. I work 6am to 6pm and don’t want to run before or after.
How far will you run with your dogs? My dogs have done 10 miles, that’s their limit.
So far they’ve topped out at 5 and 8 miles respectively. The one that runs 8 miles is a lab/husky so I know she can run for days. It’s on me to train her to get there. My goal is to be able to run with her through all my training, so probably 22ish miles? We’ll see how that works out for either of us. 🙂
You’ll have to keep me posted. I have German Shepherds. One is too old to run anymore but ran all the time with me until a year ago. Now my puppy (2 years old) runs with me but she poops out at 10 miles and wants to walk.
I hope she can make it that far but who knows. Haha. She has boundless energy.
Do you guys walk/run or just run continuously?
It depends on where we run. I mostly run where we have to stop for street lights, so that gives us a break.
That’s good! Maybe 10 miles is her limit then. We walk when we cross roads or if I need a break. And I can tell when my pups are getting tired, too.
Have you changed her diet at all with increased mileage? I think that’s something I’ll need to consider as we start adding miles.
I feed her a little extra when we do more than 6 miles and I don’t usually hold back on treats. 😁
I’ve done two run streaks – 10 km a day for 10 days in both 2018 and 2019. But as part of a challenge before my 40th birthday, I’m to try a 40 day streak. But I’ll have a lot of short runs so I’m hoping it goes well. Good luck with yours and looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you are done!
10K a day is great! I wonder if I can do that. Maybe that will be my next challenge. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!
Mark got me to do a mile a day streak for a month or so after my Tokyo Marathon. I was just so done with running and needed to get back into the game for Berlin. It did help that the mile was just 15min of my day, including time to get dressed and hit the pavement/treadmill.
Nicely done! I find after a big race I need at least two weeks off completely. If I run, cool, if not, no biggie. After that I like to take another two weeks off to get back into it. I’m kind of a diva it sounds like. Haha.
That is such a great thing to do! So inspiring! I wish you so much luck!
Thanks, Julie!
I’ve never streamed before but like the idea of it. I love that it will train your dogs and build a base!
Yeah! I hope it works out as planned. TBD!!
I tried a run streak a few years ago and made it half way through and was derailed with a stomach bug! However, I would be open to give it another try. Good luck with yours, I’ll be following your throught it!!! 🙂
Oof, that sounds rather unpleasant. Definitely give it another go! Maybe it will be life-changing. I’m hoping mine will be. 😉 Hahaha.
I tried a run streak a few years ago and wait derailed with a stomach bug. I would like to try one again! I’ll be following you on yours!!!
A few years back I did a 618 day run streak. At least a mile a day every day. Did an occasional 5K, couple 10K and a full marathon. I only stopped because I got the flu and literally could not go anymore. It definitely changes and challenges you mentally. On the days that would be my rest day I would just run a little slower and not really push myself. My original goal was 30 days, then 6 months then a year. I eventually wanted to complete 1000 days. Seriously considering starting another and this post might be the sign I was looking for!! Enjoy it!
618!!! That’s incredible. I’ll be happy if I make it 18 of those. Lol!
Good luck if you do another. I’ll be rooting for you to get that 1,000.