If you’ve never heard of a running streak before, you might be pleased to hear it has nothing to do with taking off your clothes. Or maybe you’re very disappointed! A running streak simply means running on consecutive days, for a set period of time, without fail.
I’ve never been a streaker myself, so when Aaptiv recently asked me to record a 7 Day Starter Streak program with 7 audio-guided runs, I questioned whether I was the right coach for the job. Don’t get me wrong; I run a lot, sometimes twice a day. I find that every couple of weeks, my mind craves change from routine and my body begs forgiveness from impact. Instead of running, I’ll go for an easy bike ride, swim, or (gasp!) take a complete rest day. In recent years, I have been taking two or more weeks completely off from running to let my body recover from cumulative cycles of training and racing, practicing the “Less is More” effect.
Ground Rules
The ground rules for streaks usually involve running at least 1 mile or 15 minutes within each calendar day. Running may occur outside or on a treadmill.
Some runners keep their streaks for years and decades. In fact, the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA) was established in 2000 with the motto of “Through weather, injury, illness, and life events, we run everyday.” There are over 2,300 active running streaks registered with USRSA with the longest being 51 years. There is even an active streak by an 8-year-old who started when she was 4!
Benefits
Streaks with a minimum distance or time requirement can offer multiple benefits. Physically, you will burn calories and help your metabolism work more efficiently. And mentally, you will not only instill discipline and perseverance but also create time for yourself each day to zone out or work through anything on your mind.
In addition, streaks can be their own reward. A streak fosters both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation that keeps it going. At first, a streak requires commitment. You decide on a period of time and ground rules. Soon enough, your commitment turns into a daily practice. If you can streak for one week, and then one month, you convince yourself you’re capable of more than you think. Practice then turns into a power of habit. Runners who streak successfully will often take a similar approach to form positive habits in health, education, and the workplace.
Should You Streak?
There can be two ways to think about a run: “I have to run” and “I want to run.” Running should never be something you have to do. Because if you feel that way, you might be taking it too seriously. Have fun with a streak! You can streak for a cause or with a different purpose or accountability partner each day. Running, and run streaking, should be something you want to do. If you need extra motivation, you can try my 7 Day Starter Streak after Labor Day.
5 Tips to Maintain a Running Streak
Set a goal: Make sure the challenge motivates you to reap the reward. Start small as you can always extend your streak.
Prioritize: Fit your runs around more important commitments, rather than the other way around.
Build in recovery: Stretch and foam roll. Incorporate days where you run only the bare minimum. You can follow a hard morning run with a slow jog the next evening.
Mix it up: To prevent monotony, vary your routes, distances, and speeds. Invite others to keep you accountable or give you company.
Log your runs: Whether it’s an old school logbook or app like Strava, track your progress. Logging can help you set intentions or practice gratitude.
