On June 13, 2020, I completed the Go Girls Go Virtual 5k with my youngest daughter Eve, her best friend Emma, and my longtime running friend and mentor, Angie Fuss.
At this point, we had been in Covid Pandemic Quarantine for three months, so I was elated to have some inspiration behind my run.
For some reason, later in the day, I realized that I had run two days in a row. Not usually a big feat for me, but in the midst of a Global Shutdown, I realized that my motivation to run had been pretty inconsistent since my training for the Pittsburgh Marathon was cut off in the middle of March.
Thinking of Angie, I decided to keep the momentum going. At that point, she had a nearly 9-year-running streak….maybe I would try it out and see how far it could take me.
Now, more than 1,000 days later – this Run Streak has taught me far more than I ever thought possible.
In no particular order, here are the Top Ten Things I have learned about life and myself leading up to my “Comma Day”.
- Morning runs help set the stage for the rest of the day. During the school year, I like to head out on my daily run before getting ready for work. That’s usually between 5 and 5:30 a.m. (sometimes even 4:30).On the off chance that I wait until the afternoon to do my run, I have found that my mood is negatively impacted until I can get that run in for the day. As a result, my patience with others is shorter and I feel stressed for most of the day because my mind is busy trying to find a time to fit in a few miles in the midst of my other responsibilities.
- No matter the condition, outside runs are far better than on the treadmill. In fact, none of the runs in this Run Streak have occurred on a treadmill. Yes, that means that some days I have to pile on the layers, while other days I have to run super slow because of slick conditions, and still other days require sunblock and a hydration pack. I love seeing the beauty Mother Nature has in store for me and nothing beats running with a full moon.
- My mantra throughout these 2.5+ years is a quote from one of my favorite professional runners, Des Linden, “Keep Showing Up.” For a while this hung on my wall on the board where I keep track of my days, and when I celebrated the two-year mark I had it engraved on a necklace that I wear nearly every day. I have found that it not only reminds me to keep the commitment to myself, but it has also carried over into my daily life as well. Keep showing up for others, keep showing up for my family, keep showing up for my responsibility, keep showing up for myself, just keep showing up.
- The best way to explore a new place is to go for a run. While most of my runs are done throughout the streets of Waynesboro, I ventured out for some miles during family trips in Los Angeles, Yosemite, the Outer Banks, South Dakota, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Raystown. Taking some quiet miles on my own allows me to see “how the locals live” and appreciate the area on a whole other level.
- On the other hand, there is a sense of comfort in knowing a million different ways to get my mileage in for the day just by heading out my front door. Whether it’s using the Walmart parking lot for two miles, enjoying the safety of the path along Washington Township Boulevard, greeting “my cows” on a downhill of Old Pen Mar Road, seeing the ducklings growing up on the closed portion of Amsterdam Road, or saying “good morning” to people on their front porches having their morning coffee or cigarette – the familiarity of Waynesboro never gets old.
- Running solo isn’t as boring as you might think. I have learned more True Crime cases than the average high school English teacher will ever need to know. In addition to podcasts, I also catch up on reading with audio books to help the miles pass.
- Running with friends is a special way to catch up. Daily life is often so chaotic and busy since most of my girlfriends balance careers, children, spouses, and other responsibilities on top of their running journeys. So grabbing a few miles together helps us accomplish two things at once – hearing the latest in each other’s lives and also offering advice when needed.
- In the grand scheme of life, pace doesn’t matter. At this point, I’m never getting a call from Nike, the Olympic recruits are knocking on other doors, and I may never qualify for the Boston Marathon. You know what? I’m ok with that. While there are training seasons in which I want to challenge myself, there are other seasons in which I allow myself to enjoy each run.
- Put your goal in a visible place and tell people about it. When I started this Run Streak, I wasn’t concerned with meeting any certain number of days, but as the weeks became months, I started to really love the idea of running every day. When I read about one of my online Streak inspirations celebrating her “Comma Day”, I made that my goal. I started telling everyone that I was going to “make it to 1,000” – and you know what? That helped me in so many ways – especially when my friends ask me about my streak or congratulate me on another milestone number. That encouragement helps keep me going.
- There is nothing more satisfying than appreciating what your health and what your body can do. This Run Streak has allowed me to see that even when life throws me hard times and trials, I am so much stronger than I ever thought I would be.
I celebrated my Comma Day on Wednesday, March 8, by getting up a little earlier and running with two of my favorite “sole sisters”. At the end of the run, my friend Erica presented me with balloons and the sweetest card. Throughout the day, many people congratulated me on the milestone and my sweet sister, Dani, even sent flowers.
At times I haven’t given the magnitude of this number of runs that much thought – but on March 8th I took time to really soak in the satisfaction of meeting my goal.
So what now? More runs, of course. There is no way I’m stopping this Run Streak any time soon. In fact, I think I’ll celebrate by buying a new pair of running sneakers and signing up for a race I’ve had my eye on for quite a while…preparing for a distance I’ve never run before.
Stay tuned.
Emily Dickey is a Waynesboro native who run for fun and always looks for an opportunity to spread the sunshine.
