A Year of Running: 400 miles in 365 days
The journey
2016 came to end and I was able to accomplish my physical goal. In total, I ran 400 miles, 35 more miles than I had aimed for!
I was inspired by Mark Zuckerberg’s physical challenge to run 365 miles in one year, which was about a mile per day.
It wasn’t easy. Most of the evenings I put on my running shoes even if I was tired or having a bad day. There were days where running 2 miles was difficult. There were other days where 8 miles was a breeze. However, the simple accomplishment of attempting to run that day was motivating enough.
On the toughest days, I would remind myself that I was in control. No one was making me run and I had the choice to turn around and finish early. I would continue running a little more until I completed my set distance. There were times where I even ran an extra mile because I had done something that I didn’t think I could do that day.
Throughout the year, I kept the momentum going by signing up for half marathons and charity fundraising events. With the support of friends, I was able to help raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Girls In Tech Inc. Most importantly, I was able to accompany my sister on her first half marathon experience.
2016 Events Completed:
- 04/03/2016: Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon (raised $790 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
- 07/31/2016: The San Francisco First Half Marathon
- 10/01/2016-10/31/2016: Completed 40 miles in October and raised $376 for If Girls Ran the World benefiting Girls in Tech Inc
- 12/03/2016: The North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon (My First Trail Run!)
Lessons Learned
I am so grateful for everyone who supported me with words of encouragement and to those that donated to causes that have benefited children’s health and women empowerment.
I learned to take control over how I can kindly push myself and to enjoy the journey of completing a goal.
Overall, running 400 miles and completing 3 half marathons this past year has helped me discover a way to continue pursuing the rest of my life goals.
Whenever things in life seem overwhelming, I will remember how I faced the same feeling during my last 2 miles of a half marathon. Or the average Wednesday morning where I somehow managed to run 14 miles.
In 2017, my goal is to complete my first marathon and increase my average speed. Overall, I hope to one day be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
I encourage you to try out building the habits of hardiness
I hope that others that read this continue to strengthen themselves physically. As suggested by “The Now Habit”, I too encourage you to use exercise as a way to try out building the habits of hardiness — commitment, control, and challenge.
I encourage you to sign up for that half marathon even though you think you might never be ready for it. After you push yourself a little more, many things in life get easier.
Do it for your health, your mind, and for the people that love you because we all want to see you healthy and happy.
You can go farther than you think you can.
He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything. — Thomas Carlyle
Cheers to the 2017! :)
