Run The Year

If you read last month’s blog, then you know it was all about setting New Year’s Resolutions and creating an intentional word for the year. Did you decide on your word? How are your resolutions coming along? Did you come in for your adjustment and write a goal for 2018 for us to put up in the office? I’ve really enjoyed reading what everyone has shared, and it’s fun to guess who the goals belong to for those who didn’t write their names.

I wrote three goals and hung them on the wall, and no I didn’t write my name on them. I’m proud to say that I am still working on completing all of them. Some will be finished before the year is done, but one in particular is potentially a year long process and is a group effort. I share most of my running adventures on social media, and this is also where I heard about the concept of Run the Year. There is a crazy group of people out there who will run 2018 miles in 2018! You’re probably wondering why anyone would want to do this but hear me out.

We all know that as a society we need to move more. We need to stop sitting so much and be more active. My sport of choice is running, and over the years I have set and completed many running related goals. I ran during my pregnancies and won a couple of races while at it. I’ve pushed the single and double jogger for countless miles while pushing my mental limits as well. I even ran a 50K last year and can now call myself an ultramarathon runner! However, in order to run 2018 miles in one year, one would need to run an average of 5.5 miles per day. When I did the math, that figure sounded daunting to me. This seemed like a goal that I was going to need help with.

This is where my group effort to complete this journey comes in. Run the Year is set up, so that people like me who would be unable to run all the miles themselves, can create a group to get the mileage completed collectively. My husband willingly said he would join me with the understanding that I would be running most of the miles! I’m excited about this journey we’re embarking upon. With the kids, his firefighter work schedule, and my office hours, we won’t get to run much together. However, we’re one month into this, and he has already completed over 20 miles. As a team we have surpassed the 100-mile mark, and I think we might actually be able to tackle this goal.

How will you be active in 2018?

Dr. Shannon