Oh Yes, They Call It A Streak!

   Today is December 9th. As of today, I have officially walked or run at least a mile every day since Thanksgiving. Yes, yes, I know…that's what? All of 12 days? And considering I workout almost every day anyway, this shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?
   But it kind of is because I'm working on an Official Streak. You see, my friend Amanda (ex-Nashvillian but forever an East Nasty) threw down a challenge to all of her running friends that we have to run or walk at least a mile throughout the Holiday Season, which is Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. And you're supposed to post your miles on Facebook everyday to 1) brag about what a badass you are and 2) keep yourself accountable. Unfortunately, my obsessive personality is such that when a challenge like this is thrown down I HAVE to do it (which is how I end up signing up for things like Ironman Chattanooga, but I digress).

I know, Barney, I know...

   When Amanda first posted the challenge on Thanksgiving, I was all "Yeah! I can do this! I'm in!" I really didn't think it would be that hard. You know why? Because while Thanksgiving was cold, it was unseasonably warm last week. I think it even got into the 70's at some point. It's really easy to get out and run when it's that nice out.
   But guess what? It's freakin' COLD here now. Not in the single digits, but still cold. You know what I mean - that bone-chilling kind of cold that stays with you even after a warm shower. The kind of cold when you think that you're never going to be warm again. And it's been windy / icy / rainy / sleety as well. Just not good running weather. So my motivation to get my butt off the sofa recently has been next to nothing. This was particularly interesting because I WAS supposed to run the St. Jude's Half Marathon on Saturday, but it was cancelled due to ice. So while I was trained to run a half, I was barely able to get a mile in that day due to lack of motivation. Funny how mental running is.
   I'm also not used to running EVERY DAY. Sure, I workout most days, but it's not all running and I generally have 1-2 days of rest a week. That won't work for the challenge! But because of the Streak, and only because of the Streak, I've been getting my miles in - 12 days strong so far. Have there been times where I've only gotten one mile in? Yep. In fact, today I only had time to walk a mile over lunch. I didn't really have time to change, so I did it in my work clothes. I actually ran into a co-worker (in a car) while I was out walking. She asked me what I was doing and I told her walking. She said, "You're walking? Just walking? But you're in heels!"  She officially thinks I'm insane. But insane or not - my Streak lives for another day! Only 22 more days to go!