What I Learned Running 5km a Day for 30 Days
Honestly, I thought it would be harder. Going into this challenge I expected it to be more daunting and more exhausting than it was. Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that this was challenge easy by any means. My expectations going into this however, were not the outcome that I had.
Starting off I knew the physical challenge would not be too bad. I ran 3–4 times per week before starting this challenge due to being an avid rugby player. I knew the distance running may be more difficult though. The change in energy demands on the body and without having anyone to chase or without having someone literally trying to knock you over right on your heels I expected myself to lack the motivation to finish my runs. Not only did I expect to lack motivation during my runs but also in the act of actually getting dressed and going outside to run.
The first run I did wasn’t supposed to lead to this challenge it was intended to be a one-off run. I was just going for a run because I honestly had nothing better to do during the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t until the next day I decided I wanted to turn this into a 30-day challenge. I wanted to prove to myself that I could stick with this and I was determined not to fail at it.
The first week was hard. Motivating myself to go running everyday was a struggle. I would sit on my bed and scroll through Instagram subconsciously procrastinating. Some days I even spent over 30 minutes trying to extend my pre-run time. It got better eventually around day 10. My runs started to feel less daunting, it took me less time between putting on my run gear and actually leaving the door. It felt like I was starting to get into a bit of a meditative state during my runs which made it a lot easier to get out without spending an obscene amount of time on my phone beforehand.
I was making a lot of progress which was very motivating. I shaved almost three minutes from my first run time to my tenth run time. I was excited about the new times about what they meant for my running. They were the fastest times I had run 5km in my whole life. Then out of the blue I was on my 15th run and my calf started to hurt. I got about two kilometers in and had to stop running. It wasn’t the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life but it was enough to make me stop.
I had to change my routine for almost five days and I wasn’t very excited about it. I am a person of habit and routine. When my routine got changed it was a little disheartening. My runs started to be later in the day and it was taking me longer to get ready for them. I knew it wouldn’t take too long for my calf to heal and for me to be back running but it was still hard. I had to take 3 days off of running. To try and keep the routine I still walked the 5km everyday but it didn’t feel the same. I had to keep telling myself not to run so I wouldn’t make my calf worse and it could take its time to heal.
After two days of having to walk the 5km I decided to slowly try to start running again. I started with 1km the first day then 2km then 3 until I finally made my way back to 5km. The first 5km after I hurt my calf was one of my top 3 fastest times. Surprising but also really exciting to have run that fast right after coming back from injury. The next few runs were exactly what I had expected after injuring myself though, lethargic would probably be the best way to describe them. They felt terrible, not because of my calf just mentally they were really hard. Once I was running, I just felt bad and had to keep telling myself not to quit. Not to give up on my goal.
After a few days of my runs feeling terrible I started to get my groove back. My body was back to being happy with running. My lungs were happy, my legs were happy, and my mind was happy. Now, I was around day 25, new personal best time and feeling great. I was very proud of myself and was extremely content with just coasting through the next few days and just running for fun.
My second last run was a little derailed. Remember me mentioning how I like routine and dislike it being changed? Well construction changed my running route which had been the same for 28 days in a row. I wasn’t thrilled with having to change routine on the fly. The change could have been worse but my run just didn’t feel the same. I’m not sure if that’s what motivated me to try for a new personal best on my last run or if something else was the motivating factor behind me wanting to do my last run as fast as I could. The last run was my best run. It felt great and I was highly motivated to keep moving and try for a new personal best, which I achieved shaving 52 seconds off my previous best time.
So, what did I learn from this? I learned that I am much more capable of committing to 30 days of doing something than I originally thought. That, going out running every day during a global pandemic is a great way to get out of the house. That, my body is capable of enduring a moderate running load over a 30day period without being too destroyed by the end (minus the whole calf thing). But maybe the biggest thing I learned is that I truly enjoy running or at least running short distances I enjoy. I still don’t think I ever want to run a marathon but who knows what will happen in the future.