Day 54 - Reminiscing

A simple 3.2 mile recovery run yesterday, trying to work the stiffness out of knees and ankles after my almost-14-miler. The weather was perfect - mid 60s and overcast, and I got my run in just before another hard rain hit.

Just out of curiosity, I went back through my running logs, all the way back to my first marathon in 2001 to see what my previous best was for consecutive days of running before starting this effort. In May 2007 I ran 11 days in a row, totaling 77 miles. This was a few months after my last marathon, but when I was still doing shorter races and training for the Hood to Coast relay in Oregon.

Hood to Coast Relay Team 2007 (I'm on the end on the right)

In December 2004, when I was training for the Napa Marathon, my Boston qualifier and best-ever marathon, I ran 10 consecutive days totaling 80 miles at one point - my second best consecutive-days streak. Most of those runs were in rain and fog (which I apparently tolerated much better back then), and my long run was 14 miles, which I "jogged" at a 7:21 pace. In addition to running every day, that 10-day stretch also included four full weight sessions in the gym, two pilates classes and a yoga session, and the streak ended when I took Christmas Day off. But the day after, I ran a hilly 17 mile course just for fun. I wonder if I can ever get back into that kind of condition. A lot of work lies between where I am today and that level.

But 54 days in a row is a good start.