Why I Love Streaking
I have been streaking since January 1st, 2019. My minimum is to run, walk, or crawl at least one mile a day. I have been doing this for over five years now and have no plans to stop. I find freedom in knowing that no matter what I am going to run a mile every day. Before I started my streak I was typically running three to six days a week but I found it difficult to maintain any meaningful consistency.
Pre-streak I could train for a race and ramp my weekly mileage up to 50ish miles a week before the race. The problems would come after the race. I would take a recovery week or two where I did not run much but I would be thinking about my next race. Usually I would sign up for another race sometime around this recovery period but I always found it difficult to start training consistently again. I was undisciplined when it came to rest days throughout the week. After a long day at work I would get home and crack open a beer instead of going for a run. I would promise myself that I would go for a run the next day and sometimes I would but often I would put off my run another day. If I didn't put it off, I would likely go out and do a workout that would leave me exhausted the next day. I could get in the miles when I needed to but there is a difference between getting in the miles sporadically and getting in the miles consistently.
Starting a streak completely resolved the issue of deciding which days were run days and which days were rest days. Now every day is a run day, even if it's just for a single mile. Since starting the streak I have been able to hit 70+ mile weeks consistently in training blocks and my race experiences have improved. Not having to decide if I am going to go for a run and instead only having to decide on the distance has made a huge difference.
Streaking is not easy, I have had a lot of hard days. Each day presents a different challenge. I have run through a PCS, injury, COVID (twice), personal loss, work travel, vacations, quitting drinking, getting my bachelors and soon to be masters, and all those days when I just REALLY don't want to. Rain, wind, blizzards, heat, smoke, and any other weather conditions have not been able to stop me. Getting a treadmill has been a life saver. Through it all I have found that I am always able to find time to get in at least one mile.
One thing that I discovered about streaking that I did not expect is how much I need to rest. Since I am running every day I have to make sure that I am committing to rest and recovery on a daily basis. I don't just mean physical recovery from running but also recovering mentally. I have found it to be absolutely vital to focus on mental rest and prioritizing things like reading a book and avoiding my phone when possible. A lot of times this can be challenging but the alternative for me is a crash. I try to make sure that I have at least one day a week when I only run a mile. I also try to eat well, hold to a good supplement regimen, and get as much sleep as I can.
My streak is to run a mile every day. That is not something that could work for everybody but I am certain that many people could find a streak that they could commit to on a daily basis. It could be 25 pushups a day or maybe a 30 second plank. It could be a 5 minute meditation or a 10 minute walk. If you have something that you could commit to daily to help your fitness then give it a shot. You might fall in love with streaking too.
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