Lessons From Runner’s World Run Streak

By Janelle @ Run With No Regrets | injury prevention

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Lessons From Runner’s World Run Streak

Jan 05

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! I was happy to have a four day weekend to start off the year, and I tried to enjoy and make use of that time off as best as I could!

What I Learned During the #RWRunStreak

The Run Streak is definitely one of the wildest rides I’ve had since I’ve been running. In a lot of ways this was more challenging than training for a half marathon! It takes a lot to get out the door every single day, but for me, I made sure to keep my mileage as low as possible since I have never been a high mileage runner. My longest run during this experience was probably 4.5 miles, and I’m okay with that! I learned quite a bit doing this challenge, and here are my biggest takeaways.

It’s not that hard to get into a routine to run every day. It’s true! Of course, it doesn’t hurt when you have an entire social media movement behind you, thanks to #RWRunstreak. Habits take time to establish. If you can get through the first week, you should be pretty much set.
Running more actually makes you faster. This should be common sense, but for the longest time I wondered why I couldn’t make any real progress with my speed. The truth is, I don’t really run enough to make those gains. Participating in the Run Streak allowed me become a more efficient runner, imagine that! I need to keep it up!
My calves and shins have their limits. I was already having a shin issue before I started the Run Streak, but once I was running every single day, I really started to suffer. I also ran a majority of the time out on pavement, which probably didn’t help matters. I am now giving my lower body as much time to rest as possible. I’m glad they were able to make it to the end!
I will do anything to get my runs in. It may be 8 or 9 pm, I may be out of state, I may only have dirt roads, but I realize that either I’m very stubborn about not breaking the streak, or I really care about making the most of this challenge. There were definitely times when I was tempted to not run, but thankfully I shook it off each time!
Recovery tools are essential. I have my cheap foam roller and a really nice foot roller that I discovered also works great for my calves. These were essential during the streak. Most of my runs were a little over a mile, but still–your body is being put under a lot of stress. Be sure to have a good warm up with dynamic stretches and take the time to cool down! Make sure you have what you need before taking on this challenge!

So happy that I ended on a high note!

Oh, and last–I am NEVER doing the Run Streak again! I’m glad to know that I can do it, but it did take away time that I would have wanted to focus on other workouts, not to mention those calves! Maybe I will change my mind when it comes back around, but for now….I’m good!

What’s Next in Fitness

Now that the Runner’s World Run Streak is over, I have time to get back to what I really want to do: cross train! My first big event of the year is the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Stair Climb, and I really need to get ready for it.

So I’m thinking that I need to work on those squats, lunges, and practice on a LOT of stairs. I also need to work on my core and flexibility–I hate when I feel stiffness from doing too much with weights! So yoga will definitely be in the mix as well.

A few weeks after the stair climb is the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and the Clean Air Council 5K. I am going to contact Coach Kristy in the next week to discuss a training program. By the way, if you’re a new customer, Kristy’s offering a FREE month of online coaching! This is what I used to get through training for the Rock and Roll Philly Half, and I would absolutely recommend her services!

Workouts for the Week:

Monday 12/29: Ran 2 miles after work, with my Superfeet insoles back in for the first time in a few weeks. About a mile in, my shins were giving me problems again. I was able to run in average pace of 9:37, but I could barely walk when I finished. So that was definitely a clue for me to slow down.

Tuesday 12/30: What was supposed to be a 4 mile run with Bret ended up being only 3 miles for me. Even though I kept it slow, in little over a mile and a half I had to stop because my calves couldn’t take it anymore. I did some nice long calf stretches and walked a bit, ended up having an average 12 minute/mile pace.

Wednesday 12/31: I ran 1.54 miles with a 9:48 average pace.

Thursday 1/1: The last day of the run streak! I ran 1.58 miles with 9:35 average pace. I actually felt really good, and finally my shins/calves didn’t make it excruciatingly painful.

Friday 1/2: A FULL day of rest!!

Saturday 1/3: It was rainy all day and I was lazy…no workouts

Sunday 1/4: “Perfect Score” 30-minute workout on Nike Training Club. Lots of core work and weights, so that was refreshing.

If you participated, did you make it through the entire Runner’s World Run Streak? What did you learn during the process?

Check out what I learned after 36 days of the @RunnersWorld #RWRunStreak via @Janelle_RWNR! #runchat Click To Tweet