28 Day Challenge - who's in?

I’m an interval runner. Usually it’s 2 or 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking. Sometimes I have to remind myself that running intervals makes me no less of a runner. In fact if Olympian Jeff Galloway runs intervals, then it should be good enough for me. But I can’t help daydreaming (usually on the couch in my pj’s reading Runner’s World) about running without intervals.


Occasionally, I will take my daydreaming so far as the first 3 minutes of a run before I decide I’m not ready to give up my intervals. It’s an almost constant internal debate. Give up the intervals...run longer. Keep the intervals...run faster. Sometimes I think I use the intervals as a crutch or a reward. I’m sure I’m conditioned enough to not actually need them. However, I enjoy them. They make running more fun for me.

I would love to tell you I’ve come to some brilliant conclusion. Sadly, I haven’t. But I am going to challenge myself.

Christopher McClintock is the half marathon coach for Fleet Feet’s Half Marathon training going on right now. He also writes a running resource section for the Brentwood Home Page. On Saturday, I discovered his 28 day challenge for the month of February. The challenge seems simple enough. Run 1 mile everyday in February. Accountability is key, so there’s a website you sign in on daily and record your mile.

Loving a challenge, I signed up immediately. I also posted it to Facebook and asked my friends to do it too. Physically, one mile a day will be easy for me. The harder part will be mental. My brain is really good at cooking up reasons for me not to do things. But it’s just 1 mile....12 minutes or less.

Today on my rainy run, I decided to make it a little more challenging for myself. I will run 1 continuous mile each day in the month of February. To some of you this will still seem like a piece of cake, but for me it will be a mental game. And I will prove to myself I can run without intervals...even if I choose not to give them up.

Who’s up for the challenge of 1 mile a day for 28 days? Make the challenge your own, but sign up to do it! Oh and did i mention there are prizes?