Running 5k every day for 60 days
Blackness Bay near Blackness Castle
I originally started this blog post after running every day for 30 days in June.
I was enjoying it so much that I decided to keep up with it for another 30 days (actually 31 days but we like nice round numbers).
Let’s take it back to why I wanted to run 5k every day and what I hoped I’d achieve.
After a general feeling of sluggishness over winter which seeped into spring (probably not helped by an almost daily takeaway coffee and chocolate croissant habit) what better way to get back into an exercise routine than challenging myself to run 5k for 30 days?
I wanted to move with more ease and get a bit faster, as any running I’ve done this year has felt a bit of an effort. I could run 5k but it didn’t feel so comfortable so I wanted to change that. Plus, I missed the days of lockdown when I could easily run for miles and miles around Edinburgh and how good it left me feeling, both physically and mentally.
I also wondered how I would fare committing to running every day for a month. I’ll admit, I didn’t want to share my progress in real time in case I gave up. In fact, I half-heartedly attempted to run more consistently in April and May but realised that if I had one rest day, that became two rest days which became three and it was hard to get into any sort of a routine. So I had to go all in.
Finishing my job at the end of May freed up some time I had desperately been craving so I decided June was the month to go for it. Also, good weather helps with wanting to be outside.
You would think I’d have the most motivation at the beginning of this challenge, except I didn’t. I wondered whether running 5k every day was wise and if I might end up doing more harm than good.
Towards the end of the first week, however, new thoughts took over. I wanted to cultivate other, new and healthy habits, like reading more and getting back into DuoLingo. (I currently have about 10 different languages in progress because why should I be expected to stick to one when they’re all so equally enticing?!)
I digress.
It felt like I could maintain this new little running practice. And the lack of motivation, more often than not, was replaced by excitement to go out.
The month progressed and, I opted for running later in the day due to the heatwave and enjoyed some beautiful, serene sunsets and I felt a lot of gratitude during these outings. Before long, 30 days was up. I felt so proud of myself that I wanted to continue…so I did.
For the next month and as we approached our wedding, I enjoyed heading out in the evenings to discuss plans with my fiancé and chat through any anxieties and general stresses I had. I think I managed one 10k after signing up to a race in September and wondered how running every day would impact training for a longer distance.
After running on uneven sand on a beach route one evening, I felt some niggles in my hip, glutes and knee so decided to end my running streak at 61 days as I didn’t want to injure myself ahead of my wedding. I continued with yoga and lots of stretching and the niggles cleared up within a few days, luckily.
A while ago I asked on Instagram if you had any questions for me, so now I’m finally getting round to answering them:
How have you managed energy levels?
I’ve generally felt fine, apart from some insomnia due to wedding anxiety. It probably wasn’t helped by running later in the evenings, I think I confused my body clock.
How far are you running?
Generally aiming for 5k, sometimes the run comes in a little under and sometimes I go a bit further, the most being up to 10k, at a slower pace and only if I feel good and pain free. I’m also happy to walk for parts if I need to due to hills or not feeling 100%.
Are you getting faster?
Looking at my stats, although I managed a 5k in 27:52 on day 43, I didn’t really get consistently faster during this challenge. My initial reaction to that is one of frustration but I was taking it easy most days as I didn’t want to sustain any injuries so I’m focusing more on that and the fact that I was able to commit to the challenge and listen to my body and stop when I needed to.
Are you taking rest days?
Speaking of injury, I understand the need for rest days and it was one of the reasons I was hesitant to pursue this challenge. With this routine, I was happier running at a slower pace and even walking at times, being mindful of overuse and any pain.
I incorporated a lot of post-run stretching for my knees, hips and ankles as well as some yoga, which I feel has helped with joint mobility and seems to have reduced clicking and popping.
Has it impacted your creative process?
Good question. I feel like I’m gaining clarity and confidence in my work at the moment, allowing myself more time to paint the things I want and experiment with colour and composition, with varying results, of course. I’m not sure if this is a direct result of running every day, summer or just the natural ebb and flow and development of my artist journey.
One month on…
It has been a month since I completed my 60 day running streak and I have been for the occasional 5k but haven’t been keeping much track of things. We have since got married and went on honeymoon and although I took my running gear, I opted against running in 30 degree heat!
Now that I am back home, it is three weeks until my 10k race and whereas I had been aiming for a certain finishing time, I’m now just hoping to get through the race without putting any pressure on myself. That in itself is a big learning. After some lovely advice from my friends in our group chat, they’ve made me see that of course I can’t dedicate the time, energy and focus to running that I did during 2020/2021. Perhaps I’ll never get back to those times and I need to accept that doing my best, showing up and having gratitude is what matters.