The Woman Who Challenged Herself to Run… Every Single day. For a Year.

, , 2 Comments

 IMG_20131019_190434

As part of the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ blog series, today’s post is an interview with special guest, Justine, who challenged herself to run every single day for 75 days straight. Once she got there she thought, why not go for 365 days straight? There’s something “run-Forrest-run” about this when you start to get the visual… Anyway, can you imagine the discipline and mental-might that it would take an every-day-girl to achieve such a goal?!

Take a look at the interview below for some incredible insights into how a personal challenge can impact your life & Self in some very surprising ways. I’ll give you a hot tip, Khloe Kardashian and Lara Bingle make an interesting inspirational duo for all the right reasons!

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

What is the exact goal/challenge (every day for a year)?

My personal challenge is that I must run every day, with a minimum of 1.5kms in distance. Originally the challenge was set 75 days out from my birthday, however 228 days later I’m still going. I’m now aiming to reach 365 days (It’s all documented in a calendar to ensure no under or over counting!)


 

What inspired you to undertake this goal/challenge?

I’ve always had an interest in fitness however, traditionally, I haven’t applied myself to full potential. In the lead up to my 30th birthday I knew things needed to get serious, I’d had 10 years of “adult life”, if I couldn’t get my health & wellbeing regime in order by now, when would I? My pending 30th birthday was just the wakeup call I needed.


 

What has been the hardest part so far?

There are many hard parts to this challenge –

1.       Some days I’ve had a horrible day, or I’m tired so the last thing I could imagine to do is go for a run… but I still do!

2.       I’ve had minor injuries or I’ve been sick but I’ve needed to push through and get the run done.

3.       I was travelling a bit for work in the early days of training so there would be mornings where I’d be running at 3am in the morning – in the middle of winter these were the WORST!


 

Has the challenge made you realise something about yourself that you didn’t already know?

It made me realise that I can run! I was never a long distance runner, give me a sprint any day – This challenge has taught me a running technique that lasts over 200 metres!!!

I also realised that time was not an excuse, 15 minutes (minimum) out of your day is nothing and the feeling of satisfaction post the run is well worth it no matter what time of day it is.


 

How has your body coped/changed (and how has your mind coped/changed)?

For the first 100 days my body was very sore and I relied on remedial massages regularly. But I wasn’t tired – I was just motivated to push through.

At the six-month point I became extremely tired (or should I say exhausted!) and run down.

Month seven the tiredness passed and the running just became the norm for me on a daily basis. I’ve also found to easier to do weights on a regular basis as well while in the first 6 months I had to solely focus on running (while I was a weights lover pre my running!)

– During the process I’ve lost 10 kilos however that’s just an added bonus of this entire process –  I also have some pretty serious leg calves! 


 

Have you had to miss any significant events or occasions to deliver on this for yourself?


I haven’t missed any key events but I’ve learnt to enjoy in moderation – even on my 30th Birthday! Therefore I don’t over indulge in food or alcohol as much

 During this challenge I’ve learnt so much more about my body & the fuel I consume. If I consume more than two coffees a day I’ll get a stitch while running & if I eat junk food I will really struggle through the entire run. I know it’s common sense but you don’t realise how important the food you consume is until you experience it’s power.

  

Do you know if you’ve inspired anyone else to commit to something similar?


A few of my friends have tried something similar, only one has succeeded past 10 days!! I guess everyone needs to find their own groove, this is my personal challenge & I needed to get my mind in the right place to stick to it – I’m sure others find their own challenge & groove when it’s right for them.

 

If you could say one thing to Michelle Bridges what would it be?

Hmmmm…… I think you’re amazing (no creepy-ness I swear!). Although I respect everything M-Bridge stands for, I’d like to have a shout out to Khloe Kardashian & Lara Bingle. These women have been bullied about their bodies by the media, and they’ve both lost weight in a healthy manner and have showcased their fitness regimes via social media – that’s awesome and as such, they’re idols to me.

 

What are some of the different tactics you’ve used to keep putting one step in front of the other (self reward etc)?


            Motivational posts on Instagram have been great, but as random as it sounds, the best tactic has been “the” doubters. It’s amazing how many people are doubters – even friends have doubted me. Unfortunately for them doubt is what motivates me most!!!

I’ve also had the occasional self-reward from Witchery, however they aren’t at set milestones – they’re just there when I’m in need (or when my old clothes are too big for me! This has happened.)

The other fun tactic is that I’ve switched the colours of my runners to celebrate the success, they’ve gone from white, to pink, to black – not sure what colour to get next….. suggestions welcome!

 

Would you recommend a challenge like this to others (and what advice would you give them)
?

Of course! But people need to want to make a change, and they need to make a commitment to themselves to make that change without that people will struggle to succeed in their challenge. I recommend people find a challenge that suits them, for me running was selected as it was something I always wanted to do!


 

 

Special Thanks: My trainer Stephen, although he thought I was silly at first he has been very supportive of this challenge since & I thank him for that!! Then there’s my amazing husband Damien. Damien has felt the effects of this challenge, he’s been woken up at 3am in the morning as I stumble out of bed, at night he’s been my “body guard” while we go for runs AND he has experienced the “we need to go home now so I can do my run” a few too many times! I thank you husband!!!

 

IMG_20131019_190434 Please join me in thanking Justine for her contribution and showing us that it’s possible to just keep putting one foot in front of the other 🙂

 

 

2 Responses

    • Julie Anne

      January 8, 2014 2:48 pm

      Hi Kylie! Thanks so much for reading the blog. Such an inspirational story isn’t it! I actually asked Justine if she blogged about her own experience and she hadn’t (that’s when I asked her if I could write the story). She told me this week that she ticked over 365 days the other day and cried, it was more emotional than she expected. I see her regularly so if you’d like me to ask anything about her experience please let me know. Thanks again for reading, it means a great deal to us 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply