Run every day
Something fun happened the other day. While at dinner - I asked a co-worker if he did any sports. He answered, "Yeah, I run one mile every day, exactly the same route, around my building". The whole table started laughing. Thinking "here's Duarte running half marathons, he must think this guy is ridiculous". I didn't laugh for a second. In fact, I think the One-mile-a-day guy is probably the smartest of the bunch. Here's why.
For about two years, I’ve been running every day. I’m not a professional athlete, or am I training to run a big marathon. I have found that running every day, consistently, vastly improves my mental and physical well-being.
Everyone is busy. “I don’t have time”, “It’s impossible”, I’ve heard it all - I don’t buy it. If this was the case, you wouldn’t have time to do your laundry, watch that TV show, or even read this rant. If you want to do something, you make time for it. Often, people will come up with excuses as to why they can't do something. The truth is if it's prioritized enough - it gets done.
Nothing matters more than time - that's your most valuable resource. If someone tries to block your time with something that doesn't contribute to your end goal, the answer is simple: no thanks. Running allows you to get your time back. Every minute you run is your minute, and no one else's. And it feels good to allocate time to yourself every day. But not all days are easy.
It's raining. It's cold. My leg hurts. My head hurts. It's too early. There are a thousand reasons why you shouldn't go out for a run. But there are a thousand and one reasons why you should. When you think about why you can't do it - think of how much better you'll feel once you've gone out for that run. Once you've done it for long enough - you won't be able to sleep without it.
1 mile? 10K? 5K? 21K? Nobody cares. It doesn't matter. Really, for the first years of running, I didn't wear a smartwatch, measured my pace, or paid attention to my breathing (still don't do the last). Why? Cause it's not about competing with others, it's about claiming your time back. People get overly concerned about times, paces, and distances. Trying to use some external motivator so they can get their ass out of bed. Motivation comes from within.
One-mile-a-day guy gets it - the rest of the table doesn't.
Two apps I love to use for running. Trail router allows you to discover new running routes, wherever you are in the world. Zones, allows you to visualize running stats in ways Apple doesn't.