Day 37
I’m not sure if Morgan Freeman actually said that, but I like it a lot.
For me, this was the challenge:
Run at least One Mile every day
Every day.
No excuses.
Rain or shine.
Sick, or feeling fantastic.
Make it happen!
The Origin
I’ve got a good buddy who I workout with almost daily. On days we don’t workout, we try to run together.
I’ve only been running (consistently) for about 6 months now.
Check out my posts Run YOUR Race and Easy Times Don’t Make Tough People for more behind that!
But, the consistency I’ve seen from my buddy has made me a lot better runner!
One day, I asked him about his consistency.
He told me that no matter what he did during the day, he always made sure to run at least one mile.
I was captivated.
“Every day?! No matter what?!”
“Yes, every day. No matter what.”
He told me that sometimes he would run have to run laps in his driveway, take an abnormal lunch break, or step away from vacation for 10m just to get it done.
But no matter what, he got it done.
The most impressive thing? He’s been doing this since 2021.
I know, insanely impressive.
As difficult as this seemed, I wanted to give it a try!
The Ground Rules
I asked my buddy what his “rules” were.
What “standards” was he going to hold himself accountable to? Was there a generic standard everyone followed? I didn’t know.
His response, “I do this for me, to make myself better. No one knows about this except me. I do this to prove to myself ‘you can do this.’ But, my rules are pretty simple, just move every day. If I run at least a mile in a workout or a longer run, that counts. If I am forced inside to a treadmill, that counts too. Just hit the mile.”
I liked that, but I guess a part of me is pretty Type A, so I set some more concrete standards, “rules,” or things to aim at for my own challenge:
Run a mile every day, no walking, even if it had to be a crawling jog
*In September, I’m going on a 7-Day backpacking Elk Hunt deep in the Colorado Wilderness. We will be covering miles daily. I don’t think I’ll be running those days. Do I get a break then? Ehh, maybe. I might consider breaking my first rule for that trip.
Do everything I could to make it happen outside, using a treadmill as an absolute last resort
Make the mile meaningful (utilize a pace for training, recovery or a push)
Mix the route (I struggle with monotony, so I try to switch it up)
Don’t shy away from tough routes (hills, trails, etc.)
Run a stand-alone mile, outside of a workout (long runs still count)
I think that’s pretty much it!
It’s Hard, but it’s Worth It
At 37 days in, I’m still obsessed. I don’t see myself stopping.
If you run any distance 5k (3.1 miles) or greater, you know the first mile is the worst.
Once you get past that, and really past ~3/4 miles, you finally start to settle in and feel good.
So, the challenge is essentially, doing the hardest part, every day.
VALUABLE.
We posted on Instagram a few days ago, this quote:
A mile is a mile, every time. And, it’s still hard. But, we get better at overcoming the adversity! Our perspective tends to shift.
Lessons Learned
This challenge has taught me:
Better Time Management (What do I need to shift around to get my mile in? What do I need to do now so I can do that later? Or, know that I need to go ahead and get this mile in because of my busy schedule later.)
Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable (Sometimes, I don’t even change clothes, or I run in non-running shoes. This could’ve been due to poor time management in the beginning, or also just due to me saying “Screw it. Let’s go run. You don’t need to change.”)
I feel like this aspect prepares me for life! Sometimes, things aren’t going to be the way you need them to be, but you do it anyway.
Mental Toughness (Do I want to run every day? Not always. Am I glad every time I get through? Absolutely.)
Hard Work Pays Off (I believe my stamina has increased, on long runs, but also in other exercise activities!)
Pain Don’t Hurt (Remember the quote from my last article, from the movie Roadhouse? Well, it applies. I don’t feel the best every day. Sometimes I have aches and pains from CrossFit, or other times, I run with walking-pneumonia. True story.)
Personal Accountability (All of my runs are logged on Strava, but that’s not why I do it. I do it because I don’t want to give up on myself. This is something I’ve placed extreme value in, and I want to be faithful.)
Value-Added Stubbornness (Is this a term? I have no idea. But I think this stubbornness is valuable, because I’m trying my absolute best to not let anything stop me.")
I could probably go on, but you get the point - this has been extremely valuable.
Will I fail, or break my rules?
I DANG SURE HOPE NOT.
I’m not perfect, but I can promise you guys I’m going to give this everything I have.
Hopefully one day, you’ll be reading an article titled “Day 377.”
My Recommendation
Find a challenge.
Don’t make it impossible, but don’t make it easy. Make it challenging.
Create something that will 100% guarantee adversity. Then, overcome it.
Then overcome it again, and again, and again. Don’t stop!
If you want to try the mile challenge, go for it!
If your challenge is 10 push-ups a day, do that. But go all in.
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I’d love to hear what challenges you guys create, or find for yourself.
Comment below, or send an email to nutrition.e3@gmail.com to share yours!
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I hope you guys have a GREAT weekend.
God Bless,
Eli Grambling
Founder, Head Coach | E3 Nutrition