Aron Hinds – Why I run every day

Why I Run Every Day

or: What exactly are those numbers on your Strava?!

If you’re on Strava you may have seen me prefix my run with a number – a few of you have asked me about it so I’ve been meaning to put a blog together. I’m sure there are plenty of people in the club with bigger mileage, more impressive achievements and maybe even longer streaks, but I just thought i’d share a few of the things I’ve learned and maybe inspire a few of you to give it a go.

1. My rules – #runeveryday! It does what it says on the tin really. At least 1 mile every day. I’ve not got any rules about a minimum pace (as long as I feel like I’ve run and not walked) and I don’t fret about it being ‘continuous’ (so if I need to tie my shoelace, keep stopping at lights, pop into a shop etc it still counts as a run). I started on 1st Jan 2016 and my streak now stands at over 400 days.

2. Why did I start? – I don’t really know. It started as a New Year’s Resolution, the aim being to run for a month and build a bit of consistency. I’ve always been the sort of runner who trains for a big event with long fallow periods in between. So after moving to Leeds, joining the running club, and spending about 3 months slowly building up my mileage I decided to do something fairly drastic to kick-start my running. It wasn’t for charity so it was purely about myself, and when I reached the end of the month I just decided I liked how it was going and thought I’d keep it up.

3. It’s not actually that hard – I get a bit embarrassed talking about running every day if I’m honest. I think people assume that to run every day you must be some crazy 100-mile-a-week pro, so when I get round to explaining it I almost expect people to be underwhelmed. I averaged around 4 miles a day last year, but this included marathon training so there was plenty of short stuff in there. Running every day has given me consistency, and splitting up the runs (over 7 days rather than, say 4) mean they seem to have a much lower impact on my fatigue levels. I’m also in that blissful period of my life before any real commitments (children), with plenty of control over my time and most importantly a supportive fiancée! (Ahem, is that a good enough mention Heather?)

4. It actually helps my recovery – It might sound counterintuitive but whereas in the past I’d have felt I had to go long or fast in every run I’ve totally taken the pressure off myself now. After a hard run I might have taken a day or two off, but then the next run would feel tough, I’d feel sluggish, and it’d take a while to get back into it. Using these shorter/slower runs as active recovery means that when I go out to target proper sessions I generally feel fresher, more prepared, and more ready to go. Maybe I’ve just matured a bit as a runner, but I think it would have taken me a lot longer to discover this by myself.

5. You have to be a bit lucky  – Generally the only thing that could stop me now would be serious injury or illness, and so far I’ve been pretty lucky to avoid both *furiously touches wood*. There will come a point when you’re faced with a decision and you have to decide if maintaining the streak is worth it. My one big decision was whether to keep the streak going after I turned my ankle on a stray tree root at PECO before Christmas. As I was so close to reaching a year I decided to persevere with one mile runs (ignoring the distinctly purple hue spreading across my ankle), and I must say I’m happy with the decision. My red line would have to be that if I was making an injury worse I would have to stop. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that for a while yet.

6. It’s completely changed my running – I’ve hit PBs at just about every distance I’ve raced, and I think this is all down to consistency. Would I have done as well without running every day? Possibly, but it’s hard to say. I’ve completely changed the way I think about running: Instead of asking “should I run today?” the question is “when am I going to run today?” For someone who struggles to find the motivation when I don’t have a specific target in mind, this switch in focus really simplifies the whole process for me.

7. I think it’s helped my mental health – I’m sure all of you are aware of the power of running in this capacity and this is probably one of the main reasons I’ve decided to keep going (for now at least). I really appreciate having a regular block of time each day for some space, some time to reflect, time to think. I’ve had some anxiety/depression issues in the past, and I find regular exercise helps me to control it. Often the most difficult thing is getting out of the door. It’s easier said than done, but I’m a firm believer that you never regret going for a run, and usually that’s just enough to get me to lace up my shoes.

8. You might make some questionable decisions – Aside from convincing yourself that you’re not really injured, or that what your body really needs when you’re tucked up in bed with a cold is a little one mile run, you may go to some strange lengths to maintain the streak. A 5 am start to run in the snow before a day trip to London for football; running at close to midnight because I’d managed to forget earlier in the day; rushing to the shops on my lunch break for a new pair of running shoes because I’d left mine at home and was heading straight out for a night away; I realise these things sound completely crazy, or at the very least a bit odd, but at the same time I’ve run in some amazing places (Isle of Skye, anyone?) when I probably wouldn’t have even thought of taking my trainers.

9. It might not be for everyone – For the super-serious amongst you, more qualified people than me would say you need a rest day. Many pro’s for example often take one day off a fortnight (but they also usually do double sessions and 3 figure weeks, so I really don’t feel I can compare myself). If you’re tempted to give it a go, my advice would be go for it! Start small. Start slow. Keep the intensity low. Obviously it depends on your level of training. Whether your streak target is one week, 2 weeks, a month, I’d wager that it will really help your running. Don’t be tempted to use it as a way to massively increase your mileage. Take your current mileage and break up a few of your runs, so you’re running the same distance but over more runs in the week. You might love it, you might hate it. It might work really well for you, it might not.

10. I’ve got a long way to go – If I want to catch up to the legendary Dr Ron Hill’s 19,032 day streak that is. I’m not too worried about that for now. I’m just enjoying my running, loving my streak, and I’d love to hear how you get on if you give it a go.

Aron