Kevin is a 45-year old IT Director for a marketing agency located in Oakville, Ontario. He set an initial small goal of running 7km for 7 consecutive days, which turned into 30 and then 50 consecutive days! His story is certainly inspiring as he developed his self-discipline muscle and applied it in other areas of his life (not just the physical!). I’m excited to share Kevin’s story 🙂

What made you decide to start your consecutive running challenge, how many kilometres did you choose to run, and why?

I have made running a consistent part of my exercise regimen over the past 2 years.  But given the achievements/”badges” available in the Nike Running App, I wanted to push myself with a stretch goal of running consecutively.  I chose 7 kms/day, as I had been consistent with 5km over the past year, and I want an incremental increase that would not over burden my legs/joints.

How much running did you do before deciding to do the challenge?

With NRC (started tracking April 2017), I had run 402 km in 2017 (2-3 days/week), and set a 2018 goal of running 500km.  But as my winter mileage increased and my weight decreased, I found that by end of June that goal was already achieved. (3-4 days/week)

Did you have any self doubts? If so, what were they?

I initially started with a 7 day challenge (smaller goal), as I didn’t “want” to commit to the 30 days from the start, as I felt my legs/knees would not be able to sustain the daily grind.  I also placed some time commitment self-doubt on myself, thinking I could not “find” the daily time to complete. In addition to thinking that after a 10 year absence from consistently running and being 45 years old, I should probably not be putting my body through such a challenge.

How did the challenge impact your life? 

The challenge re-enforced my self-discipline and focus to complete tasks that I had applied to my career (so why not towards a physical goal). Also by being dedicated to this goal, it provided an example to my family that our body’s can “out-perform” what our minds/inner voice says we cannot, but we just need to try and establish some smaller goals to keep engagement high.  The simple act of “checking off” the calendar days also  created the visual drive and weekly statistics that I could track my progress and gauge options for more kilometres over the weekend too (I would run 10k+ on Sundays).  The only negative aspect was the dealing with knee soreness yet I had expected worse aliments, so icing and additional stretching after my runs proved to ease any doubt of continuing.

Are there any other areas of your life that improved after the challenge was complete? 

After completing the 30 day challenge, I actually wanted to continue running, mainly because my body felt great, but also since it established a daily reflection routine in the mornings, that I used to also think about my daily tasks.  It improved my stress-management and I found my daily commute (~45 minutes) more enjoyable (if that’s possible). My ability to put other goals in perspective and be patient with the process allowed for me to be more reflective as well.  Also by posting my daily results on social media, I also wanted be a source of inspiration that regardless of your starting point, we can accomplish more, but we just need to start and trust the process.

Reflecting on the 50 day challenge, put in perspective how far I have come in my fitness journey (402 km in 2017 versus 387 km in 50 days), and how much more efficient/improved my body has become and that my 2019 mileage goal will definitely need to be more of a stretch than a “play it safe” number, as I have pushed past the mental limit of “impossible” once before.  I would and have recommended the #RUN30 to others as there is a community of people to draw inspiration from but also support.  It also will demonstrate our true capabilities if we allow ourselves to try.

Ready to begin your own consecutive running challenge? Sign-up for your RUN 30 | Consecutive Running Challenge here.