Successful Streaking: 2015 RWRunStreak Review

Hello friends! I hope everyone had an awesome summer! Personally, I am PUMPED that FALL is in the air. Sorry for the lack of posts in July and August, but it's been a crazy, busy summer for us!

I'm a RWRunStreak Finisher!!!

Despite the constant never-ending rain and humidity we’ve had this summer in West Virginia, we are still trying to make the most of the Olaf’s favorite season! If you are a frequent reader here, you already know that summer is not the ideal season for me. I live in an area that specializes in sweltering, “can’t breathe through the humidity” summers. Throw in the aforementioned rain, and that’s been my summer 2015 weather in a nutshell. To help get myself out and active during the hot/humid temperatures, I’ve gravitated toward Runner’s World’s annual summer run streak challenge for the past three years. I am proud to say that I recently completed the RWRunStreak Summer Challenge for the THIRD year in a row! (#humblebrag)

In case you aren’t aware, the RWRunStreak Summer Challenge is to run at least a mile every day from Memorial Day until the Fourth of July. This makes for 41 total days of running. Each year that I’ve done the streak I’ve faced both similar and different challenges. I was happy to see the streak end as I needed some rest time, but I’m also happy that it kept me motivated to get my runs in on days when the weather was awful or I just flat out wasn’t “feeling it.” In similar fashion to my 2014 RWRunStreak review, I’ve decided to review my thoughts on this year’s challenge by using my The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, (& the Great) system! So here we go!

A post-LATE NIGHT run selfie
during the streak. Lots of late runs this time!

The Good: Motivation! I would rather run outside in 20 degree weather, compared to the hot/humid summer temperatures here. Running in the heat often makes my runs feel slower, even if I am going the exact same pace as usual. I don’t enjoy feeling sluggish. Also, frankly I tend to go through a “burnt out” period during the summer, which is likely a result of consistent winter and spring training. The RWRunStreak once again made me hold myself accountable with a goal in reach. I needed the motivation of the streak several days during this challenge. If I wasn’t streaking, it’s a safe bet I probably would have skipped those days! The social media community on Facebook, Instagram and especially Twitter were VERY encouraging during the streak as well. Each year I connect with other run streakers. Their support gets me excited to keep going. I am a goal-oriented person and the RWRunStreak kept me in check and moving forward!

The Bad: So as I mentioned in The Good, I tend to suffer from the “burnt out” feeling this time of year. This made some days really difficult to put one foot in front of the other to get started. Also, like with most years doing the challenge I could feel that period when I was ready for the streak to end. I did more hill runs this year, which I did enjoy, but those definitely contributed to even more muscle soreness and fatigue. Biofreeze became my bestie for several days. As with previous challenges, I also struggled on the “easy days.” Sometimes running “just a mile” plays mind games with my mental psyche. It doesn’t make sense as those days I wouldn’t be running at all, but my brain tends to think “well if I am doing a mile a may as well do two instead.” Fortunately, I did handle this better than last year as I made a conscious effort to do so! Overall, for “the bad” I think soreness is the main thing. I am a runner that thrives on rest days and I can tell a major difference when I don’t take a day off for an extended period of time.

The Ugly: I was pleased that I didn't deal with an ankle injury toward the end of the streak like last year, but as mentioned in the bad I did combat some sore muscles and general tiredness. I'd also say the constant rain here this summer played a big part in the ugly. This put me on the treadmill many days, which often meant I was running much later in the evenings. For some reason when I get home after work I tend to sit around before exercising. This is why I generally bring my gym bag to work and run when I'm off before heading home. Needless to say some of my runs were taking place as late as 10-11 p.m.! I'd finish just in time for the streak, but I could tell the late runs threw my schedule and routine completely out of whack, which probably contributed to my overall tiredness during the streak! Better late than never of course, but as a creature of routine the erratic running "schedule" I adapted at the end of the challenge was certainly the worst part and is why it falls in the UGLY part of this review!

The GREAT: Despite the fatigue and obstacles along the way, it wouldn't be called a CHALLENGE if the RWRunStreak was easy! This year, however, the streak seemed to come more natural to me and I just stepped right into it with no hesitation. I'm not sure if it was the third year doing it or what, but I liked that! It flew by this time! Like I said in The Good, motivation to keep going is what made this year's streak worth it. But what made it GREAT was the sense of accomplishment afterwards. As a competitor and goal oriented person at heart, I love setting the bar high and achieving my goals. It was a great self confidence boost. Often times I tend to doubt myself and that's just not good folks. Completing the RWRunStreak Summer Challenge makes me proud of my efforts and shows that my hard work does pay off. It's nice to feel good and believe in yourself!

Now what? Well since the streak ended I did take a much-needed break and have been back at establishing a regular running/exercise routine. I look forward to some cooler fall runs followed by a delicious pumpkin spice latte! Did you participate in this year's RWRunStreak Summer Challenge? Drop me a comment and let mw know how you did! Also let me know how you've enjoyed your summer!

The husband and I celebrated my RWRunStreak Finisher status  at the Pirates baseball game! We've enjoyed lots of baseball this summer!!

Let’s Go Streaking: RWRunStreak 2015!

Why hello there! It’s been a bit since I last posted. Yeah yeah yeah I already missed out on my “posting once a month at least” goal, but hey, May is just a crazy busy time for me y’all! I think every May has been hectic since my school years and working years! What’s new? Well, with summer not officially but basically here it means the hot, humid, muggy weather is alive and well in West Virginia!

Unless you are new to the blog (and if so hi new friend!), you all know by now that summer isn’t exactly my favorite because it’s soooo hot. Plus when you no longer have summers off the allure is kind of gone. Not to mention most of my television shows are on hiatus. Womp womp. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy many aspects of summer like baseball, flip flops, cook-outs, the 4th of July, and sunshiny days. BUT as a runner, boooo summer. I’d rather run in 20 degrees compared to hot humid temperatures in the 80s and up!

Something about running in the humidity and heat makes me feel sluggish. And I mean I’m all about the AC this time of year and that often sounds more appealing compared to sweating my way through a run through the neighborhood. Due to these negative thoughts, my motivation to get out there can be low this time of year. However, the past two summers I’ve put in plenty of miles and stuck to my routine thanks the Runner’s World Run Streak Summer Challenge. To read about my challenge experience last summer, check out this post!

The RWRunStreak challenge officially started on Monday, Memorial Day. The rules of the challenge are to run at least one mile every day until the challenge ends on the 4th of July. That makes for a total of 41 days of running! As Runner’s World says, also 41 days of AWESOME! My personal rules for the challenge are to continue to follow it to the best of my ability with the exception of illness/injury. I also plan to mentally stress to myself the importance of doing “only one mile” on certain days. Both years that I’ve done the challenge I’ve sometimes struggled with that because I tend to think “only a mile why not do two?” Lol! I am a firm believer that days off are important and year-round run streaking is not for me. This is why allowing myself and telling myself that it’s ok to go out and run “just a mile” is perfectly acceptable!

Only three days into the challenge and I’m already finding myself much more excited about running again! Maybe it’s the Barney Stinson in me, but sometimes I need the challenge as an extra boost. So, RWRunStreak: challenge accepted! I’ve really enjoyed doing this challenge for the past two years. I actually debated a little about doing it this year, but ultimately decided it was just what I needed!

Who all is streaking this summer? Even if you missed out on the first few days, I still encourage you to join if you need that motivation boost or if you want to try something new! Just add on the extra days after the 4th. No one is judging here! Good luck to all my fellow streakers and happy running!

Follow me on Twitter @lilrunner and/or on Instagram @lilrunner1485 for regular RWRunStreak updates!