Have you ever challenged yourself and then thought, what in the world have I gotten myself into??
Yeah… that was me in July! I challenged myself to run 100 miles in one month. This was beyond crazy because the month prior, I had only run a total of 26 miles for the entire month. Huge difference, right?!
Here is what helped me through:
- 1. Taking 1 Step at a Time
- 2. Have an Accountability Partner
- 3. Don’t be Rigid with Plans
- 4. Keep Your Word to Yourself
- 5. Challenge Your Fears
Here is the backstory to sum all that up!
But I had already done a similar challenge back in December through A Black Girls Run challenge. They actually had 6 tiers that you could choose from and I chose the highest at 100 miles for the month. The difference in the December one and the July challenge? All of December miles were done on a treadmill.
And running on the treadmill and running outdoors is extremely different. Running on a treadmill requires less effort. You can increase the intensity by running faster or running on an incline. But there is something different about running from Point A to Point B. Also with my experience, I always burn more calories when I run outdoors.
With the July challenge, I wanted to feel the sun in my skin, wanted to see beautiful trees and flowers, and wind all around me. So I opted to run in the treadmill and outdoors. I knew with my schedule that some miles would have to be completed on the treadmill but any chance I got to run outdoors, I took full advantage of it.
⚠️IMPORTANT⚠️
I think that’s important to note that you must meet yourself where you are. Me trying to convince myself that I could run all 100 miles outdoors would be setting myself up for failure. So instead of doing that and being extremely rigid with my goal, I gave myself some grace and allowed the treadmill to be part of the challenge.
But man oh man, there were days where I didn’t want to do a single mile. I would try to talk myself out of it and would almost give in! But even through those days where I didn’t want to do anything I pushed myself to do at least 1 mile. In my mind, if I could get just 1 mile in that I was 1 mile closer to my goal. Knowing that I had this set goal definitely kept me in motion. Mainly because I don’t like letting myself down. Literally, one step at a time. That’s all I could take to get my closer to my goal.
But I also had an accountability partner who was aware of my goal and so I do truly believe that when you have someone who is aware of your goal, it helps you stay the course.
Before I knew it, I was challenging myself to one of the toughest hilly areas ever. I figured if I’m gonna do this, I might as well go for the gusto, right?! So every chance I got, I would run in the area that gave me the most anxiety.
Let me tell you, once you conquer those fears for the first time, the rest is a piece of cake! Now, I won’t say it gets easier the next time, but you build the confidence you need to know that you CAN do it! Do it afraid, so you can conquer your fears!
Overall, this experience was challenging and rewarding. I learned to push through my negative thoughts. I learned that being rigid is a sure fire way to set myself up for failure. I learned that every step counts toward the overall goal. And last but not least, I learned that even with fear you should go after your desires!
Check out this video for a quick recap!
What’s been your experience with running? What are some fears you had to push through to meet your goal? (It doesn’t have to be fitness related!) Where is your favorite place to go for a walk/run and why?What is your furthest distance in one day? I’d love to hear from you.
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