Tuesday, January 31, 2017

My Ill-fated Run Ottawa Running Streak

When I saw that Run Ottawa was doing its second (?) annual run streak in January, I thought that this is exactly the kind of gimmick* I need to get off the "Couch of Doom" and kick-off my quest for fitness.

Pre-Streak
My pre-streak preparations involved too much time in a desk chair, car seat or living room couch.  When I decided to attempt the streak, I thought that I would do at least one run to see how I feel.  I got out on Christmas day for around 30 minutes so I know that I could do it.  I did another run early in the morning on New Year's Eve and the slow 5km felt great.  I wasn't trying to set land speed records with these runs.  I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be heading out with the best of intentions and then crawling home.

Days 1-10
January 1 was one of those glorious sunny winter days where the air was crisp and footing was treacherous. The rest of the week was just as cold and decreasingly treacherous.  Treachery was coming but not from the footing...



Days 11-20
The second ten days started great.  For the first seven, I was feeling invincible.  The persistent soreness in my legs left after day 14.  I was mixing indoor and outdoor runs.  The weather was clear and cold but I have good clothing, so it was not a factor.  On Day 18, I started getting a sore throat and by Day 20, I was in the throes of a full-blown flu.  I tried pushing through, but energy stores started running on E.




Day 21 - The Streak Ends
I think I made it to the back door and then asked myself, "What are you doing?".  That was it.  The streak ended for 2017.  There is always next year...



* I'm starting to wonder if I should switch from The Experimental Runner to The Gimmick Runner.  I'm not terribly scientific in the stuff that I try and seem to be drawn to gimmicks, gadgets and fads,  but that is a topic for another day...