reflections on 20 years of running
Many years ago, when I lived in Ventura California I began to run, first on the local college track, and then on the local streets, initially to stay in shape for full court basketball games with younger players. Running did not come naturally to me; in fact, I had initially hated it, and to this day my stride is heavy and choppy. I remember well that first run on the Ventura College track, how an easy 400 meters hurt so bad. I kept running. While living in Rangely Colorado in the 1990’s and then on to Midland Texas I began to run more often, for the health and meditative benefits. I remember long out and backs on a two-lane highway south from Rangely, and it is possible that I entered a 5K race while living there, with no lasting memory or record to keep. While in Midland and still running semi-regularly, in 2002 I was involved in a car accident and broke several ribs. I dedicated myself to increasing my runs as a form of recovery.
In January of 2003 I ran the first 6 days of the year and then missed a day. That did not sit well, so I decided to run every day forward, for as long as practical. I kept a logbook to record distance, time, with thoughts each day, and this became a habit. I do not remember the daily runs being a burden, and I accepted the weather, along with travel challenges in good grace. My fitness began to rapidly improve. Sometime after a year or more of daily running, I learned that there is an association that records and tracks multi-year run streaks. After a full five years of daily running, I signed on to the group. Streak Runners International, Inc. and the United States Running Streak Association, Inc. home page (runeveryday.com)
Early morning runs are my constant, necessitated by work and carried over into a life routine. Sleep hard, dream deep, and hold off the morning for as long as practical. Eventually stir, dress out, stare at my socks and newsfeed until properly awake. Out into the dark dressed for the weather, from shirtless to multiple layers. Slow tentative starts, assess the planned route, ease into it, and count off the miles. There is a bit of a disconnect between constant effort and sometimes pain, while still enjoying the journey. Some days are better than others, rave runs are few, but every day is a good day to run. I love my solitary runs and most are, but find joy in occasional easy runs with Mike, he humors me, and “sometimes it is like flying, jets in formation”. I remember each of those magical runs with a treasured running partner, we drift along in solitude together, like no one else exists in the world except us.
I have been blessed with few injuries, illnesses, or accidents over these many years. Sprains and strains tend to accumulate with time, they either get worse or they get better, usually better, though it takes longer now.
Throughout daily runs we see the best and worst that weather has to offer. The coldest morning, I ever ran was -22 degrees F in Calgary Alberta. There was a light layer of snow on the river trail, all crunchy, I ran past a snowshoe rabbit while wearing two pairs of everything, wool hat pulled down to my eyes, and could feel the cold where my gloves met my jacket. I though a bit about falling asleep as a frozen artifact while outside alone that morning. There is probably a 20-time tie for the hottest and most humid run of the streak, though most of my summer runs are well before the sun rises, thankfully. I have run in rain and snow, hail and ice, thunder, and lightning, not a big fan of lightning. I ran the evening of Hurricane Ike, as the sun went down behind pitch dark, tree covered streets. I ran through five days of drenching Hurricane Harvey rain; you get used to it. On the fifth day I ran past a large trash barrel filled to the brim with rainwater. I have run Boston and Baystate during Nor’easters, Dallas Marathon in continuous heavy rain, the Brenham 10K in a full-on thunderstorm, hot sweaty runs (many), cold wet windy runs (occasionally) you just show up and do the work each day. During the 2021 freeze in Texas, I went out on a 16-degree morning and made snow tracks around the neighborhood, beating a path for a full eight miles. I might delay a run for heavy lightning, or stay close to the house, but what a waste of time to give up the run. Weather is something to be endured, just like muscle and lung pain, part of the bargain.
Oh. the places we have been. I have run on six continents while preserving the run streak. The great cities of London, Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Atyrau, Lagos, Cabinda, Chengdu, Thailand, Singapore, Sydney, a marathon in Perth, Vancouver, past a castle in Milan, and many more. One bright morning in Oregon, my son and I crossed a highway into a most beautiful area dense with tall fir trees; the sun was shining through, the air was cool, and we knew that we were alive. I celebrated my 5000th day in Aberdeen Scotland on an early morning run with my closest ever friend. One dark morning in Lisbon Portugal, I woke up and decided to explore roads leading down to the city. At dawn, I crested a hill to a reach the grand esplanade which leads down to the city center, bordering the brightened sea. As I looked over the city, I smiled said to myself; life is grand.
I passed 20 years of continuous daily running on January 8th, 2023, on that day 59,242 miles total elapsed miles (8.2 per day), 600+ races and 65 marathons, I have run every morning, daily in in my local neighborhood, and across the world. I am so blessed to be healthy and active, and friends with so many great people, runners of all ages, with special thanks to my sons Dan, Matt & Mike, Ken Johnson, Tracey Driver, and my virtual streak buddy Woody Woodburn. All come join me on Sunday, May 26th, 2030, for a celebration of my 10,000th day of continuous daily running. See you there! Some days are better than others, but every day is a great day to run.
