Drumroll please! We have officially made it to the end of June! Just like that 30 days of running this month has come to an end! Like most of the other challenges this year, it’s bittersweet. My body is SO happy not to have to run tomorrow, but at the same time I actually have gotten into the habit and feel like I just need to schedule it in. Tomorrow starts a new month which brings on a whole new set of challenges. Before closing out this month, I want to share with you all the things I learned running every single day in June.
1. Moving your Body is a Discipline
Throughout the past 6 months of challenges, the one word that I keep hearing is discipline. I must admit, discipline is not one of my strong suits. My entire life, I feel like I have struggled to stay disciplined to myself. It’s easier to work hard for other people, but self-discipline is freaking hard. To make yourself go for a run every single day is a discipline like I have never experienced. It is hard to want to workout when it so is hot and humid that you’re covered in sweat just stepping outside. It’s hard to run when it’s pouring rain. This month was an internal mind game of “I don’t want to run” and “girl you better run”. Thankfully, I made it through!
2. Schedule All Runs
This one might sound easy, but again, it requires that discipline we were just talking about. If you are training for any type of race, you already know that the calendar is your best friend! When training your calendar might look like 3 days during the week with different milage amounts on them and some cross-training on those off days. When you are running every single day, your calendar revolves around the weather! Every night I would take a look at the weather and try to find the coolest time to run or a time without any rain. It was very unseasonable this June for NYC, but I made it though! I have never run in the morning (by choice) or as late as 11pm but you do what you have to do!
3. Recovery Days are SO Important
I am a big believer in recovery more than anything else in terms of your training. Even if you are new to running or even just working out, it’s important to note that rest days, proper hydration and nutrition, and stretching/foam rolling/massage guns are all keys to success when working out. Running every day unfortunately doesn’t allow for any rest days. On days my body really needed a break, I just ran one day minimum, and other days I ran for up to 5 miles. Always listen to your body and don’t forget to take time to focus on your recovery!
4. Dynamic Stretches v. Static Stretches
As someone who has run a few half marathons, I wish I had actually taken the time to look into some proper stretches for runners. I grew up doing gymnastics and dance and those warmups are pretty different from what a runner needs to warmup. In doing research this month for the blog, I learned those key dynamic stretches that you should be doing before you run. I even learned a few new stretches to add into my routine and have definitely noticed a difference in how sore my body DOESN’T get when I properly warm up!
5. Benefits of Running at Night/In the Morning
I have always been a big after work runner. It’s a great feeling to come home from the day and go for a run before you eat dinner to help unwind from the day. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this night owl really enjoyed running late in the evening. Running later at night helped avoid the heat that comes right from the sun. I live in a younger city so even if I was running past 8pm there were still lots of other people out too! The best part was coming home to shower and crawl into bed. I always slept so well!
On the flip side, running in the morning meant it was done for the day. While I am FAR from a morning person, I enjoyed running in the morning and then feeling awake and free to do whatever I wanted in the evening. Running in the morning is also great because it’s light outside but most people aren’t out and about yet. I mostly saw other people who were working out and a few people headed to work. It’s nice to have the sidewalks to yourself!
6. New Routes
Part of why I chose to do this challenge is because I run the SAME EXACT 2 mile, 3 mile, 4 mile, and 5 mile loops when I decide how far I plan to run. It’s actually pretty sad to know you’re running the same route each time. While I am a creature of habit, It was actually refreshing to discover new routes that were hidden gems – quiet and also beautiful! You don’t have to go running every single day, but I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and run a new route on your next run!
7. Run Smarter
When I first started thinking about running and the process of running a race, I assumed all runners were FAST. I thought that if I kept running, I would just naturally get faster and faster. While that might work for a little bit, there are SO many things that you do while you run and while you aren’t running that affect the outcome of your pace. Don’t run so hard in the first mile that you are barely hanging on during miles 2 and 3 of that 5K. Strengthen your lungs and heart through cross training on your off running days. Run at a conversational pace so you can push yourself at the end. Be mindful of your form and breathing so that you can run further and faster. Running doesn’t have to be hard!
8. Your Time is Yours
I know this one is going to sound cheesy, but the comparison game is lame and we are better than that. Comparing your times to others means you either are disappointed you weren’t as fast as Sally or you are happy that you ran faster than her. Either way, it’s a negative mind game and no one needs negativity like that in their lives. It’s OK to track your own times and compete with yourself. It’s ALWAYS You v. You. In a weird selfish way, it’s great to focus on yourself and your strength and growth and not get caught up in the comparison game.
I thought I had ten points, but it turns out I only had eight! I hope you enjoyed this past month as much as I did. Running has always been a mental escape from all of the day’s highs and lows – a time to truly shut off my brain. Take some time to explore running if you haven’t done it before. Running every single day isn’t for everyone, but we all start somewhere and I promise you will learn so much about yourself just as I did here!
xoxo
Krysta
