In May of 2022, I heard about Runners World Run Streak. The commitment was to run at least one mile every day from Memorial Day to July 4th. I was excited to use this as the motivation to get back to my running routine, which had gotten lost somewhere between COVID and everything else in my life.

As a kid, I did not enjoy running. I’m not sure why, but I know others have had the same experience. As I got older, something switched, and I really enjoyed running. My regular runs include 2-3 interval runs, tempo runs where I push a bit harder/faster* but still watch my heart rate zones, and an active recovery run. I’ve done a handful of 5K races and a 10K twice. No marathons yet. No half marathons, but maybe 2023, but for now, this is ok for me. Thanksgiving morning will include my first Turkey Trot sponsored by our local YMCA.

Runners World recently advertised they are starting a Winter Run Streak. Starting Thanksgiving, commit to running at least one mile every day until New Year’s Day – 39 days total. My Summer Run Streak was 73 days. I averaged just over 2 miles per day. After my bout with COVID (and the relentless fatigue that just seemed to hang on after), I finally got to (re)started in October. I’m currently on day 32 and counting.

Neat story, Tim… but what’s your point. Only to encourage you to give it a try. Maybe it will be an opportunity to push yourself. To do something that maybe seems tantamount to climbing Everest. It’s an opportunity to make a commitment – if to no one else, to yourself that this is something you’re going to do for 39 days. That alone will give you a great sense of accomplishment as you walk…run into 2023. There are enough things in the world today that seem intent on knocking us down, encouraging us to think less of ourselves. This is an opportunity for you to take ownership of that narrative and do more than maybe you thought you could. Sure, you can post it on your social if you want the accountability (which was a big deal for me…I deliberated for a long time before I posted “Day 1“…if there’s a Day 1, there’s gotta be a Day 2 – right?), or you can just use the progress chart that Runners World created and celebrate each day of success on your own.

Nearly everything awesome takes longer than you think. Get started and don’t worry about the clock.

James Clear

(*And by “Faster,” I mean faster for me – which is still not fast, but I’m learning to not compare my times to others I follow on Instagram or elsewhere. If you’re interested, two of my favorite runners to follow are mattchoi_6 and kmm_runs and her related store life.of.running.)