I Ran Every Day In July

I ran at least one mile every single day in July.  Sometimes it was very hot, while other times pleasant.  I ran in the morning, I ran after work. I ran at night on the treadmill sometimes, when there was no other time to fit in a mile. Without fail, I ran.


I ended up running 52 miles in July, which is more I’ve run in a month since a couple of years ago, when I trained for and ran the Rock N Roll San Diego Half Marathon. I also walked 12 miles in July. 

I started a group on Facebook and 18 of my friends joined in to exercise daily.  We encouraged each other and cheered each other on.  It was quite fun and we’ve decided to continue with the group after July.

I have to admit that there were a handful of days when I didn’t feel like running, and would not have, had it not for my Mile-A-Day goal in July.  But by the end, I had my routine down and actually looked forward to running in the morning.  I learned that I enjoyed running in the morning the most, followed by the evening after work, but before dinner.  I learned a lot about perseverance, commitment, and consistency.  I also learned that I can indeed run a lot of miles in the month without my right leg IT band hurting.  (It’s a recurring injury for me.)  In fact, my legs haven’t felt this good and this strong in a couple of years.  Running every single day, but not running too much at a time, has strengthened my legs rather than breaking them down. 

This morning I ran the fastest 2 miles I’ve run since 2004.  That, my friends, is something to smile about.  :)