11 Things I’ve Learned from Running 100 Days Straight

Katelyn Kommer

Four months ago, I felt mostly “blah” about running. I had just moved from California to Utah and my body was struggling with the elevation, climate, and trails in general. None of my runs clicked, and I wanted to find a way to get back in tune with a sport that’s been with me for so many years. On a whim, I decided to see how many days in a row I could run at least one mile. I expected the challenge to last around 20 days, maybe 30. Now, over 100 days into my experiment, I’ve never had a healthier relationship with running. When summer comes I’ll likely spend more time backpacking and stop my streak, but I plan on doing this every winter. Here’s why:

Active recovery works. 

I used to think athletes needed one full rest day. To me, that meant sitting on the couch, doing little to no movement. In hindsight, I recognize I probably wasn’t doing my body any favors with forced stagnation. I haven’t had one of those “full rest days” since I started my streak, and my body has learned to recover even more quickly with light exercise. Also, one of the most common questions I get is how I recover while running every day. Running one slow mile, stretching, and foam rolling has worked even better for my body than taking one true rest day. 

Voicing my goals is a powerful motivator. 

I’m a certified Strava addict. It doesn’t matter if anyone else reads my long, rambly captions but putting my workouts out there and tracking the days of my streak publicly has been one of the biggest motivators to get out the door every day. This far into the streak, it’s become part of my daily routine to run. When I make my schedule the night before, there’s always time in the day to squeeze in at least one mile. 

Prioritizing post-run stretch sessions keeps me healthy. 

I don’t go for a run unless I have an extra 10-15 minutes afterwards to stretch. Every time I’ve developed an overuse injury it has been as soon as I start to skimp on my recovery. My stretching routine consists mostly of deep hip openers and hamstring stretches, which I find get the most tight after long runs. I also foam roll a few times per week, especially when my calves are feeling tight.

I rely less on music / podcasts. 

I have absolutely nothing against popping in headphones to motivate through a run, but through this experience I’ve found myself leaving the house more often without entertainment. As running has become part of my normal routine, I haven’t felt the need to hype myself up with a fresh playlist to perfectly match my pace. The other day, I did a 2.5 hour trail run without once feeling the need to plug in my headphones. 

Eat enough always, overeat sometimes, eat too little never. 

I heard this phrase on a podcast some time ago and I repeat it to myself weekly. As an athlete, it’s my job to give my body enough energy to keep up with the activity I do. Whenever I feel the urge to skimp on calories or skip a meal because I’m busy, I repeat this to myself, and eat. 

Heart rate data is more important than pacing. 

I absolutely love my Garmin, and often use the heart rate monitor to gauge how I’m recovering. Learning to run slowly has been an important part of both active recovery and long run training. Forcing myself to keep my heart rate in a certain range (140-145 bpm) and being able to track this keeps me from moving too quickly on recovery runs.

Progress isn’t linear. 

Some weeks are great, some weeks are total meh. Whenever I’m feeling burned out on a run, I take the pace down a notch and let my legs recover. I didn’t start the streak with the intention to get faster, but it’s absolutely happened over the past couple of months. 

My body loves a variety of terrain. 

There’s no way I would have been able to keep this streak without access to nearby trails. I shamelessly love road running and pavement pounding, but my joints appreciate the balance of running on dirt and snow too. Throwing in runs with a lot of vertical gain also forces me to hike portions of the trail, which is very kind on the joints. Whether you’re training for something specific or not, I highly recommend doing different styles of runs throughout the week to help your body adapt to more miles. 

Start cold, always (when it’s possible).

Moving from California, I was nervous for cold winter mornings. I handled it extremely well, and actually much prefer running in 20 degree weather than 80 degrees. You don’t need as many layers as you may think; and runs where I felt shivery at first always became the most comfortable. My basic layering system for winter running was merino wool tights and long sleeve, gloves, and a fleece headband. If it dipped below 25 degrees I would add a vest or ultralight puffy. In total honesty, I’m really not looking forward to fighting heat this summer.

Rotating footwear is key. 

I have a different pair of shoes for speed work, trails, and normal road running. Not only does this help me run better in each situation, it also prevents injuries and extends the lifetime of your shoes. Running coach Mario Fraioli notes that “giving your shoes a break gives the foam more time to rebound so that it can perform like it’s supposed to” (source). Especially if you’re running every day, it’s best practice to rotate at least two pairs of shoes. 

I can always do “just one mile,” no matter what. 

This mindset has carried over into other aspects of my life as well. Whenever I feel unmotivated, whether it’s athletic or writing related, I remember the mile I ran in a snowstorm at 5:30 am. Oftentimes, it’s not inspiration or motivation that gets me out the door. Running has become another daily task, and some days it’s not particularly magical but it all adds up over time to some incredible runs. 

Feel like joining me yet? Find me on Strava and let’s be friends.