Let's party!It is such an amazing feeling to hit this milestone and yes, I will be running again tomorrow. I truly would have loved to run 10 miles today but I was smart and only took my legs on a slow 2.1 mile post-marathon run. You see, I don't think I would have made it to day 1000 if I focused too much on pace and distance. You have to run smart.
So in honor of my 1000 days of daily running, here are 10 things I have learned.
- It is okay to go slow. In fact, it is good. I let my legs guide me but that doesn't mean I never push myself.
- It is okay to run "just a mile". To be true to the guidelines of the United States Running Streak Association I must run one unassisted mile in each 24 hour period for my streak to be official. No problem. I have taken those one mile days as my rest days.
- Do not compare yourself to others. There are runners and other streak runners that run farther and faster than me. That is okay. There are some who run a minimum of three miles a day. That is perfect. It does not discredit what I am doing or who I am.
- Do not feel guilty. In 1000 days of running I would by lying if I said my family was always 100% supportive. There was that run after being in the ER the night before that my mom would have preferred I didn't do so I told her I would run slow and take darling daughter with me. To me that was completely logical - I would run a mile or so pushing her in the jogging stroller. My mom didn't argue.
- I need neutral shoes. Yep, I have learned this through an Custom Fit Analysis with kindrunner. Thing is, I knew the shoes I just bought were wrong. They felt wrong. The fit confirmed it. No supportive shoes.
- Amazon is a blessing. It is hard to find the gels, protein powders, and hydration drinks on island. I would be lost without Amazon; however, I am sad I need to get my gel direct through the supplier since Amazon only carries the mango flavor. Yuck! Sorry, I do not like mango.
- Running more makes me crave healthier foods. My love of some indulgences has dwindled over the years. This is a good thing but boy sometimes I wish that a bowl of potato chips with a cold beer really did taste as good as it used to. Just saying....
- Pain killers are not a go to. I rarely ever take any. I think many can avoid them by listening to their bodies and not forcing things. And if I do take a pain killer it is for a killer headache that refuses to respond to other methods of control just has calm sounds, hydrating, and eating.
- Tide is an awesome detergent especially the Tide Sport.
- Body Glide doesn't always work. Sorry ladies and gentlemen but it doesn't. In all reality, if you are sweating buckets I think you sweat the stuff off. I just learned that lesson three days ago. Never stop learning.
On a side note, as of today, I have run 4,640 streak miles. Here's to more to come!Daily Gratitude: I am thankful to be able to run 1000 days and look forward to more to come.
Daily Affirmation: I am a marathoner.
