It’s been a long time coming, but I am SO ecstatic to finally share this project I’ve been working on for months with you.
Last year I read a book that changed my life. Well actually, I listened to it (I’m a big audiobook fan, which I’m sure you’ve gathered if you’ve read any of my previous posts); that book was The Pursuit of Happiness by Chris Guillebeau. This book came to me at the right time in my life; a time when I felt stagnant in the same mundane day-to-day routine; when I was trying to fill a somewhat despondent void in my motivational welfare, hoping to seek out a heightened sense of meaning and purpose for my life. In short, the premise of the book highlighted several stories of regular people that took on extraordinary quests. The type of quests varied substantially; that is, not speaking and refusing to take any modes of transportation (except by foot) for 20 years, running 250 marathons in a single year, and Chris’ own quest of traveling to all 193 countries in the world.
“Pursuing a “quest” (a big goal with a defined end point) can bring purpose and meaning to our lives. Striving is good for us!”- Chris Guillebeau
Over the past few years, I have abstained from alcohol for the entire month of January; however, I wanted to build off that goal and develop a mini quest of my own. I was accustomed to running 4-6 kilometers per day, so I decided to build off my regular running routine and expand into a territory that truly challenged (and scared) me: run 10 kilometers or 6.25 miles per day in the month of January, post my runs on social media, and blog about my experience daily. I know the latter half of that challenge may seem trivial, but as someone who has always shied away from writing (due to inhibition), composing blog posts for a public audience naturally amplified feelings of insecurity. After I successfully completed the challenge, I had an itch to develop a more extreme goal – one that would truly test the limits of my mental, physical and emotional strength. That’s when the #RUN70 Challenge was born – I wanted to break a world record by running 21.1km/13.1 miles for 70 consecutive days while raising $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
During and after these attempts, I heard from over a dozen people who were inspired to start their own consecutive running challenge, with some ranging from extreme to a bit more pragmatic. I’ll be sharing some of their stories in subsequent blog posts and hope that I can share yours too.
This challenge opened the floodgates for introspection, and I not only learned things about myself I didn’t know existed, but also discovered the importance of setting difficult goals that truly stretched what I thought I was capable of. I had the opportunity to experiment with pre-workout and post-workout meals, recovery, mind tricks, audiobooks and several other tools and techniques that aided in my ability to complete the challenge.
Both of these quests I pursued changed my life for the better. I had more self-confidence in other areas of my life, developed more self-discipline, and most importantly, it gave me a sense of purpose knowing that no matter what the day brings, I’d be able to tackle something that was important to me and thus feel an incredible sense of gratification. By sharing my journey publicly, I was welcomed with warm reception, encouragement and support through messages, comments, and best of all, the opportunity to meet some of the people that followed my journey; some individuals even ran with me on the last day, Day 70, to celebrate what I believe turned into a communal goal for all of us. I also emailed Chris Guillebeau himself to let him know that his book had inspired a new quest. Excited by my story, Chris wrote about #RUN70 on his personal website, shared it with his large online following, donated to the campaign and invited me to the World Domination Summit in Portland July, 2017. I was so humbled and amazed with the impact #RUN70 had, as well as the incredible sense of community that was fostered throughout the entirety of the challenge. The experience itself (as well as the feelings encompassing the same) is beyond words, and I want you to experience the same.
Introducing the #RUN30 | 30 Day Consecutive Running Challenge
Now it’s your turn to develop a consecutive running challenge of your own. I hope that I have been able to spark even a sliver of interest in pursuing your own quest. If you set the right goal, it’s going to be difficult, scary, and may, on the surface, seem impossible, but I promise you, when you push yourself, you are granted the most rewarding result of all: growing as a person. However, as a disclaimer, please ensure that you work within your physical capabilities when setting a goal; that is, make sure you understand and listen to your body and work within those limits.
Over the past several months, I’ve compiled helpful resources and my own experiences to help you start and complete a running challenge of your own.
Convinced and ready to start your own? Click the button below to start your RUN30 |30 Day Consecutive Running Challenge.