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 365 Days – A Rundown

Today I hit my goal! Last year I decided to try and accomplish a running streak that would last a full year. In order to meet that goal I had to run at least one mile every day. I set the mileage at one mile to allow me to run even if I was sick or injured, but I wanted to run longer than that on average. I was able to average just under 2.8 miles per day for the year. I covered a lot of miles and I learned a few things along the way.

I Made Time. There were many days that it was not convenient for me to run. I ran anyway. I ran at 3:00 am. I ran at 11:00 pm. I ran when it was cold, when it was raining, when the wind was against me, both ways. To be honest, my motivation was gone just after the midway point. It was only my discipline that allowed me to continue to make time to run every day. The excuses were abundant, but I still made time.

I Don’t Like to Run. Running has never been my passion. My wife loves to run, and she loves to run long distances. And though I have run some long distances, I have never done it with the same passion as she does. And that is ok. You don’t need to love to do something that is hard, or even love to do something that is beneficial. You just have to commit to the idea that you love the sense of accomplishment when achieving your goals and accomplishing hard tasks. Don’t worry about loving the activity, love the outcome!

Rest is Critical. The whole point of my challenge was to tax myself mentally and physically, and to set a streak. And I truly feel this is an important part of growth. Yet, I couldn’t help but notice that after awhile my desire to run diminished and so did my speed. I don’t know if it was fatigue, boredom, being burnt out, or a combination of all of that and more. My conclusion is, although running and exercise is important, so is time away from running and exercise. Rest is critical to growth and necessary for recovery, healing, and mental preparedness. Often, too much of a good thing is not a good thing.

Attack your Goals. Set hard goals and go after them. Make sure they are truly hard so when you complete them you truly feel accomplished. Set hard goals and crush them. You are the creator of your success; you are the creator of your future. The goal is an obstacle you created for you to overcome. Nothing should stand in your way, if you want it, you will make it happen. If you set hard goals, you might fail, that is the reality of life. But succeeding at easy goals will not give you the same learning experience as failing at something hard or the satisfaction of accomplishing your hard goal.


Find a New Challenge. Even though my running streak is over, I am still wrapping up another challenge I set for myself this year. And I am looking at some difficult challenges for 2024. You should look for challenges that you have a reasonable chance of failure. Challenge yourself mentally and physically. Try something that is truly hard. Choose hard things to allow you to grow. This mindset will prepare you for the moment when life hands you something hard that you did not choose. And it will.


Lastly…, you can do hard things! Want better, be better!


Location: Michigan, USA

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