The Streak

Many of us have “running streaks” which consist of many years of not missing a day of our favorite addiction–running. We do have to consider the price we might have to pay for not taking days off, and consider whether it is worth the possible physical toll on our bodies. We are not all the same physiological animals, so keep that in mind as part of the equation we have to consider.

Maintaining the streak can also be tricky at times. I live in the Philippines, and when I travel to the U.S., it involves more then one day of traveling time. I make arrangements on my layovers in Hong Kong or Japan to figure out a way to get in a short run. It is complicated to leave the airport building as one needs to go through immigration and then later through airport reentry. Sometimes I can run in an isolated area of the terminal, and in one case I had my run on the airport roof top! Anyway, with a little creativity, my own “streak” has stayed alive. It is going on eight years now, and I am blessed in that I have not had even one major injury in all my running years.
In this man’s opinion, my home weight training program has helped to keep my body in balance, so I think that aspect is an important part of the formula. The shorter runs, when the body says, “slow down” are important as well. It is a universal belief to pay attention when your body “speaks”. The mega-nutrition meal I consume once a day is, I believe, a great boost. I will give you my mega-nutrition meal recipe later on in the article.

What is the significance of the streak? The discipline it requires carries over on to all aspects of life. The daily calming influence is very important in this highly stressful world we live in. Running truly is a lifestyle, and it is for sure a positive addiction. Most people say, “take a day-off”, but I don’t want to; I look forward to my daily run! The cliche of wanting to “maintain balance” in daily life is really the key to keeping “the streak” alive.
Minor aches and pains come about, of course, and various rubs and heat ointments are needed to ease these, but that is all part of the charm of the streak.

I have a friend, now in his 70’s, who was a world class runner. He came in eighth in an Olympic marathon. Over the years he rarely missed a day of running, but now he can barely run. He did not round out his running program with weight training, and by using only the same muscles, day in and day out, the resulting imbalance in his body has become apparent. All-around fitness, with the emphasis on running, is a “must” in my belief, for the longevity of one’s running career .

For many of us, the idea of missing even one day of running is impossible to consider, unless we are physically unable. We are runners, and we think like runners, which means our lives revolve around our passion, whose positive points also carry over into many other aspects of our lives.

We’d love to hear about your streak, please e-mail us your story!

Best of health from,
Senior Runner