Hey all, its been nice being a part of this group. There is a good spirit of support and encouragement. However with this latest conversation about the rules of the streak I think Im considering leaving the group. The more I learn about it the more I realize that people have to feel like theyre in control of something. The way I understood the beginnings of this whole movement was one guy decided one day that he was simply going to run a little bit each day for the rest of his life. No rules, no list, just running. That was the inspiration for me...along with seeing the results of some friends and aquaintences. Throughout the course of my relatively short streak I have gone from pre heart attack and hypertensive situation, and barely being able to even complete a mile, to consistently running a mile between 8:00, and 10:00 pace. As a result of my streak, My last blood pressure check was normal ....! All I did was run a mile a day. At the beginning of my effort to do this daily If someone had told me that it didnt count because I walked a little, or that I had to restart my mile if my knee caused me to walk a bit...I may have quit. Who knows. Now that I see the amazing results that 10 minutes a day can have I will certainly continue. But Im not sure if I want to be a part of this organization seeing the competitive nature of it. What really drew me to it originally was the non competitive intensity. The daily grind broken up by the daily goal. The group celebration every time someone overcame an obstacle to meet their 10 minute challenge. I have enough rules and regulations to follow on a daily basis and this has been my escape. The recent argument over what defines a streak is hard to read. It hurts my brain because in my mind, it goes completely against the spirit of the original and trend setting streaker. Health, fitness, and happiness should be the goal. Not scrutiny over whether it counts or not. I say if you made the effort to get off the couch and move your ass a mile...it counts. Whether it was with kids in a stroller, dogs on a leash, husband/wife in tow, barefooted, in sandals , on crutches, in a wheelchair, shoes, socks, prosthetics, bad knees or good, in sand, on pavement, on a trail, in snow, or 100 degrees...it counts because you made an effort to make your life better by choosing the healthy option and being determined to make it happen. Thats the point. Thats why we do it. Its more than simply running a mile and chalking up another tally mark. After all ,for many, running a mile is not a simple task. So for now Ill see where this conversation goes, but if we start putting new rules on the books, and revising old ones to make them suit the loud talkers, then Ill move on. I AM thankful still for those of you who have supported me in my beginnings as a runner. I am running in my first 5k race ever in a couple of weeks, and I think Ill be able to run the whole thing. So, thanks to those of you who have watched and encouraged thus far. I might not have come to this point without that support. Later,
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 00:04:17 +0000
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