5 Days of 5Ks

The idea came to me last Saturday morning, while on a run. I had been discouraged; a trail run I had planned fell through. And I was going to use that as a test to see how prepared I was to race a brutal 10.5 trail run the end of the month.

My training schedule is screwed up. And if I’m not careful, that unconventional training creeps up into a heavy cloud of doubt…

That said, I’m a fighter.

And I’ve come to recognize the value in setting mini-goals. It doesn’t have to be a race or a pace. A few months ago, I challenged myself to “7 days of running.” I knew I could never achieve a #runstreak like @bikerly or @TheBeerRunner or @skinnyjeans.

But maybe it was possible to run at least one mile for seven days. And it was. I succeeded and felt good.

So Saturday, I came up with another fun challenge: Could I run a 5K (3.1 miles) for the next 5 days? This is easily measurable. I didn’t set my eyes on a particular time, so there wasn’t pressure to run fast or to push myself past a point where I was at a disadvantage to run the next morning.

5 days of 5Ks.

Totally do-able.

Day 1 and Day 2 were awesome. I tweeted about it, posted on Daily Mile and told a few colleagues of my plan.

Day 3 was good, but I felt my calves getting tight (Confession: I never stretch or roll enough).

Day 4 – yesterday – Let me just tell you that had I not publicly proclaimed my little personal challenge, I would have stayed in bed. I was terribly tired.

But I had publicly proclaimed my intent. And there was no way that I was going to let YOU down.

So I ran.

Today is Day 5, and while you East Coasters read this, I should be out running. For those living on the West Coast, please check my Daily Mile profile, my Facebook profile or my Twitter account to make sure I recorded my run.

Sometimes it’s not about the race or the pace….it’s about just getting your butt out the door.