My 1000km Run

It started with a Facebook post.

Thanks to Gerald Brady, and my twisted sense of competitiveness, I have been locked into a weekly routine of trying to run 20km each week to reach a 1000km run during 2017.

Having initially been taken back by the quantum of the distance, I started to break it down into a weekly schedule and whether that would even be possible. To cover a 1000km in a year, that would equate to 20km each week over 50 weeks, and to cover 20km in a week I would probably equate to 3 runs each week of around 6km. To be honest it felt possible but challenging. Each week would be challenging, but smaller short term targets would add up to the bigger target — assuming I could remain consistent throughout the year.

To my surprise I completed my 1000k goal on 31 July 2017 (in 7 months rather than 12 months), and have increased my 2017 target to 1600k (1000 miles).

So what have I learn?

1. Have an objective measure to make it easier to create a goal and gives me a real sense of control and self determination.
2. Small wins add up, an extra 5 mins gets me 1km closer to my weekly target. I can measurably see how a little more effort in the short term reduces the effort later that week and possibly reduce the need for a third run each week.
3. Anchoring each week with a Sunday morning run makes me feel that I am winning right from the start of each week. The run is a constant and helps me to focus on my weekly target.
4. Burn the bridges behind you and commit yourself. I usually run directly away from my house (or hotel). To push myself a little harder, I run a little further mid run when it hurts less. But the net effective is I actually run twice the extra distance — an extra 5 mins mid run extends my run by 10 mins (and 2k extra).
5. I hate treadmills, but a necessary evil when travelling and most hotels have them. While I typically limit myself to 30 to 40 mins running, I push myself by slowly increasing my speed. While it doesn’t change the overall distance significantly, it does materially improve my average speed and I get off the treadmill faster.
6. You are only step away from screwing up the target, but pushing yourself to build a buffer feels necessary. There is a constant balance between pushing hard and not burning out. A change of running shoes led to an injury which I have been slowly coming back from.
7. The sense of accomplishment of the small wins each week and seeing them add up to my overall target is hugely addiction knowing that you are on target for the big win.
8. Increased rate of weekly improvements really add up and accelerate the time to achieve your goals and are incredibly additive. Adding an extra 5mins (and then 10mins) per run has increased my initial target of 3 x 6km (18km) runs a week, to 3 x 8km (24km) runs per week. Over a year that a big difference which I didn’t account for.
9. You only need a pair of running shoes. As someone who travels a lot, being able to get out of the hotel and see the surroundings particularly first thing in the morning when a city is waking up is a real pleasure.
10. AirPods are amazing, seriously they have made running so much fun and I am now am up to date with my podcasts. I can’t wait for the new Apple Watch with LTE, this will give me the freedom of not needing to carry a mobile phone.

To be clear, I don’t see myself as a runner. It gives me thinking time and exercise but probably most important it has shown me the cumulative effect that small changes in habits can make such a big difference.

Onto the next 1000km.