100 Days & Where I Go From Here

Wow what a week it  has been....

On Thursday the 4th I received some really horrible news about my Best Friends Husband and then 12 hours later on 5th, everything came crashing down. My BFF of over 25 years, Lea Ann lost her husband to lung cancer, he fought so hard and for so long and on Friday in the early morning he took his final breath.

My heart ached for the pain my BFF was going through, she lost the love of her life, one minute he was there and the next gone....

I, of course, instantly was looking online for flights to get back home to PA to be with her. I didn't care about the cost or the time off of work, I just knew I had to be there for her. I finally got a flight out of Tampa to Scranton on Sunday night.

In the midst of all of this my run streak was still going strong. I had resulted in only going for a mile a day at that point. My body was hurting, my mind even though running helped clear it was all over the place. But I took the time out to get the runs done.

On Sunday morning, I got up early, before the rain and got my Day 99, and I felt pretty good. I knew the next day for the 100 was going to be different. I had originally planned longer mileage for both of those days, but with life you had to adjust BUT NEVER GIVE UP.

When all of this happened, I actually was going to call it quits. I felt I had no time and I wasn't into it. I was on Day 97 and I said oh the hell with it, I am giving up. I was on the phone with my Boss, whom is also my friend and my mentor in running and in life, Jen. She is currently doing a run streak also and she is going for the full year, pretty amazing. When I told her I was throwing in the towel, she said NO YOU ARE NOT. She said this is the time you need it the most. A mile out of your life is nothing, you need to take this time and just go and do you.

That was all I needed to hear and out the door I went.

Monday was going to be a really hard day for Lea Ann. And as much as I was hurting for her, I knew I had to be there for her all day and try my hardest to be strong. I was a mess BUT God I have never seen someone more stronger than her. She was amazing.

I set my alarm for early so I could get my 100th day mile in before the day even begun. I love running in other areas, there is always something new and exciting to see. I would have loved to ran so much more that time and wished it was a vacation but I did okay. Where Lea lives is actually the same place that I ran my full marathon, it was like coming home and I couldn't have loved a better place to celebrate 100 days.

Lea lives on a main road but the road her house is on, was a perfect mile spot, set right around the mountains. She told me to back and forth and I should get my mile in. I did just that. The weather was so perfect, way more cooler than Florida, like 20 degrees cooler and no humidity. The fresh air was just what I needed and wanted. Even though I was tired and sore from a full day of flying and other things the day before, that mile was just what I needed.

And just as quickly as it began, 100 days later I accomplished the goal for doing that. For 100 days straight I ran at least one mile a day. 100 days!!!! A little over 3 months. I could not have been more proud of myself with that. I did it all through the hardest times of my work schedule. I did it on days I was super tired and this damn heat. Some days I stuck to just the mile because it was easy and other days I ventured out and did more mileage. Some times I got my mile in and just walked to stretch out my legs after, some I did cross training with it.

Some runs I did super early in the morning and other times I did it after work, even though I really did not want too.

I, honestly thought when I took on this run streak, I was only going to go for 30 days, just the month of May and then until my Birthday, the number 100 seemed like the perfect part. I could probably go on for much longer, but yes I made an excuse, but the idea was never to do this to do it. It was to do it to take myself out of my comfort zone and really get back into running. The way I loved running when I started 5 years ago and I had fulfilled that.

So where do I go from here. I didn't run 101 because I wanted to spend some time just reflecting and to be quite honest not have to worry about running. So that is what I have done for the last few days. I have just relaxed and enjoyed sleeping in a bit, being lazy, and for once not thinking about running and I just sad no to the run.

But lets be honest, I cant say no. So I am back on it tomorrow. But not every day. I really need to get my toning back up. Running 100 days has built a lot of muscle in my legs for sure and gave it some pain. But I need to tone up my stomach, arms and legs a bit more. So I am focusing on 2-3 days of running a week and then the some cross training the 2-3 days and one to two rest days. I feel like that would be a really good happy medium for me.

Will I do a run streak again. ABSOLUTELY!!! It got me through some really hard times and busy times. It really kept me focused and I felt amazing doing it. I will do one again 100%!

If you are in a rut and need to switch things up, I recommend a streak, maybe a run streak or a walk streak or a work out streak, or maybe a streak of tracking food or water, a streak is a best way to get your mind set straight. Track it too, follow your progress, I promise you, it will be worth all the time and dedication.