Finding Motivation Outside of the Numbers

I had a pretty impressive streak going. It began in June of 2011 and last until October of 2014.

40 months long. Three years and four months.

Oh the streak? What was it?

Only running at least 100 miles a month. With most being at a minimum of 125 miles.

But after my last marathon in October, things changed. Depending on how you look at it, the change could be viewed either good or bad. At the time, I struggled to see the good in it. Yet, having four months to process everything, the change was good.

Very good.

Getting My Mojo Back One Mile At A Time

Evidence of my solid run this morning.

There's no denying it. I was in a running funk.

There wasn't just one thing that caused it but rather a combination of a number of factors which conspired against me.

After posting an incredible 9-minute PR at the Knoxville Marathon in March, things went south for me the following months. Part of it was due to recovering from the marathon, a job change at work was another culprit, tons of travel for work didn't help and the normal course of everyday life factored it.

In fact, the funk had been so bad and lasted so long, I was seriously concerned about things as I began this new training cycle in preparation for the Spinx Carolina Marathon.

Yet, three weeks into training, and I've got my mojo back.

Two Years Of Streaking

Runners can be funny with their obsession, and I'm no different. Add the fact in that I'm a stats geek in large part to my job as a director of sports communication, and that obsession goes to exponential proportions.

In addition, runners have the habit of getting caught up with streaks. Runners' World, in fact, promotes two different running streaks - one from Thanksgiving to New Year's and another which began today (Memorial Day) and rolls to the Fourth of July. During these streaks, runners are encouraged to run at least 1 mile every day.

You can follow along with everyone's progress by following the hashtag #RWRunStreak on Twitter.

While I'm going to attempt to complete this running streak, I'm not going to stress over it. My longest run streak is 11 days. My body needs rest, and I'm not a fan of injuries.

However, this post is not about the #RWRunningStreak but rather a different running streak of mine.

After my run this morning, I have logged 100 miles or more in 24 months in a row.

2011: My Year In Running

Man, what a year!

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I'd take to running like I have.

2011 was my first-full year as a runner, and it was a good year to say the least. I set out the year with four goals and reached all but one. (The last remaining will be crossed off the list in the coming months, however.)

I've got a long list of goals for 2012. But before I share those with you, I want to take a moment to look back at the year that was 2011.

Milestone Delayed Worth the Wait

At the end of March, I bemoaned the fact I was unable to hit the 100-mile mark for the month due to illness. I was disappointed because I wasn't sure when I would have my next shot at reaching the milestone.

Since I was running a half marathon in April, I did not think I would run 100 miles in the month because I was not sure how I would bounce back from the race. And May is a crazy time for me at work since I tend to travel a lot, and we all know it's not always the easiest to get the miles in when taking out of your routine.

Consequently, I thought June would be the earliest I could achieve the milestone.

Well ... I. Thought. WRONG.