For the past 100(+) days I’ve been running without exception. Some days it’s just a mile and others, it’s many but the one things is for sure – even when I don’t feel like it, I’m running. The run streak has been a humbling, challenging and rewarding process thus far. This (brief) blog will detail some of the main lessons that I’ve learned from running every day since and I hope that you enjoy!
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Before We Jump In
In 4 months (on November 6th, 2022), I’ll be running the New York City Marathon and through the training process I’ll be raising money for The Partnership To End Addiction to help families who are affected by addiction. If you’d like to donate and help support a great cause, you can do so here at my fundraising page. If you’d like to follow along with my training in more detail, you can do so here.
If you’d like an in-depth look at my training plan, you can find it here.
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Streak Lessons
Presence
Through the past 100(+) days I’ve had some great runs and some not so great runs. No matter what kind of run I was having or how I was feeling, I never stopped. I came to understand that the discomfort I was experiencing wouldn’t last forever and so I took another step. One at a time, I did my best to stay in the present moment through each step of each run. Life is much of the same; when we feel overwhelmed, sometimes we just need to be here, now. Handle one moment at a time and do your best.
Commitment
The run streak has reinforced that commitment means doing what you said you were going to do even especially when you don’t feel like it anymore. There have been many mornings when the shoes were the last thing I want to look at and the bed was the last thing I wanted to leave. However, every day I got up and ran because I understood that our decisions shape the person that we’re becoming and I owed my best effort to “future Joe.” In running and in life, confidence comes with congruence between words and actions. Keep your commitments and don’t let quitting become a habit.
Consistent
In the beginning of the streak I didn’t feel like I was making progress. My paces weren’t changing much and I wasn’t recovering well. Deep down, I knew that change doesn’t happen overnight and consistent effort compounds. Like anything else, the more that we practice something, the better we get. with over one hundred days of consecutive runs under my belt, I can say with confidence that I’ve become a much better runner. Whatever it is that you want to get better at, go do more of it.
Pressure
As the steak continued to grow, I felt a growing (internal) pressure to keep it going. What I’ve come to notice is that this pressure isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I’m coming to realize that I perform well under pressure. Looking back, I can now see the same theme when I quit my job and felt the pressure of full-time entrepreneurship. This next sentence is not specific advice but more-so a general thought – sometimes we need to burn the boats, make our commitments public and embrace pressure to propel performance.
Endurance
This is a word that I hold close to my heart. One year ago I created Project Endure with the hopes of inspiring others to be their best (find strength in struggle) while creating enduring impact in aa dark world in desperate need of light. The run streak has helped me see that endurance can mean different things to different people and different things to the same person on different days. Beneath the surface, I see that endurance isn’t a grand gesture but rather the accumulation of small steps spread out over time; it’s moving forward, choosing resilience, being relentless and so much more. If you’d like to browse some amazing conversations on the topic of endurance, check out the Project Endure Podcast.
Gratitude
Regardless of if I wanted to run on any given day, I always ended feeling a sense of gratitude because it was something that I chose to do and something that I get to do. The hard things in life are often uncomfortable but the chance to embrace pain as we pursue our potential is a privilege. If nothing else, I hope that this last point can serve as a reminder to choose your perspective – to see the good in things and look for the good in people (because it’s there if we look hard enough).
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Throughout the run streak and marathon prep I have been (and will be ) using supplements from Bare Performance Nutrition to optimize performance and recovery. If you’re looking to take your training to the next level, I’d recommend checking out the brand, their mission, their content and supplements. I’m also happy to answer questions or provide suggestions if that’s helpful (shoot me a message).
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I’m excited to continue pushing forward with the run streak as the clock ticks toward the NYC Marathon. Thank you for reading this blog, following along with my process and supporting my endeavors – it means more than you’ll ever know. With that being said, let me leave you with an appropriate running quote…
“For running, looking around means embracing the process, including the ups and downs on the way. It means the same thing for life. If the goal is just to connect summits, you’ll probably grow to be indifferent about all the time you aren’t on top of a mountain.”
Megan & David Roche
Thank you for reading!
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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