I currently have two running streaks going that I know of and am actively trying to keep alive. I have run every day since September 14th of 2012 and I have broken 5:00.00 in a mile for 18 straight years.
The first streak started when I started working at Nebraska. I realized quickly that my own running and training was going to have to take a back seat to the work that needed to be done to help the program be successful. It takes a lot of time and energy to plan and impilment a recruit weekend around a football game for up to 16 prospective student athletes and their parents. So while I was not able to get longer runs or workouts in the way that I felt I would need to compete at a high level, I did want to continue to run. I knew if I didn't have some sort of goal it would be very easy to fall into the trap of "o I'll just take today off, I'll run tomorrow." So I made the commitment to lace them up and head out the door every day and have followed through with that every day since.
The second streak was one that I had been doing and didn't even realize it. When I moved to Sacramento, Scott Abbott, the distance coach prior to me at Sac St was talking about how he had to get ready to break 5 for the mile and how he had done it every year since is freshman year of high school. I started to think back and realized that I had also covered a mile distance in sub 5 minutes since 1998 my junior year in high school. Last year I had not done it through the year and December had arrived. One day at lunch I decided to head out for a run, felt good and stepped on the track and ran 4:48. This year was a similar situation. December was here and I had not covered the distance in sub 5. So Tuesday while on my morning run with Fred he told me we could run Wednesday morning but not Thursday, I figured that was my day. I told a few of the kids on the team i was going to go for it.
So yesterday at 4:00 I did a short warm up, a few strides, put my flats on and started off. Goal was 73's which felt very comfortable, so I slowly cut down and the last 200 decided to let it rip and see what I could do. I ended up running 4:42 and felt comfortable. The streak is intact I don't foresee 20 years being a difficulty, especially if Fred keeps meeting me for morning runs.
Does anyone else out there have any streaks of their own?
I think you are aware of my running streak, dating back to June 1, 2006. 9.5+ years going strong. I've also run Home Run for the Homeless and the Stow Firecracker every year since 2002, but not sure if that means as much - Andrew
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