Results Are In!

January is just about done.
145.62 miles in my 366 day challenge so far.

The weather tonight was fantastic, 53 with some rain here and there. Saw some fellow runners outdoors for the first time all year. Nobody really looked happy to be running, and nobody bothered to respond to my enthusiastic greetings. Their loss, I say. It was fun to be outside in shorts, with no hat and gloves. The wind picked up a little (a lot) near the end, and my mile times definitely show it.

I ended at 9 miles, which is the furthest I've run in my VivoBarefoot Evos. If nothing else, putting in mileage every day has made my feet extremely durable.

1/12 of the way through with 2012, looking forward to the next 1,000+ miles!

30 down

With nearly one month down, I've knocked down 136.6 miles. It's taken 20 hours, 56 minutes and 56 seconds and I've burned 20,126 calories.

Is there anyone out there that knows about the kindness of local businesses? Not anywhere in particular, but just in general. I'd like to see about getting local Kalamazoo businesses to match, or supplement in some way, the individual donations that are received by way of my activity. I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogging experience, but you're supposed to be able to leave a post. If you have any experience raising funds, let me know.

One last thing. It was warm out today. I can't speak for yesterday, but it was even warmer today.

The 366 Day Challenge

In 2012, I'm doing what I call the 366 Day Challenge. Every day this year I'm going to run at least 1 mile. To date I've been successful, and have put 125 miles under my belt. 

Initially the undertaking was solely a personal challenge. Not to see if I could put in the miles, but to see if I could muster the dedication of running each day in rain, shine, snow, ice, hail, wind, and later on this year a potential Mayan doomsday scenario. Since starting the 366 Day Challenge, I've partnered with Girls on the Run Kalamazoo to use my goal for something greater than myself. I'd like to think that a person reading about my mission of running the calendar this year would feel at least an inkling of inspiration. If that person is you, feel free to donate to Girls on the Run Kalamazoo at the link on my blog. 

If a monetary donation isn't your thing, Girls on the Run also has ample opportunities for volunteering you can participate in. Look them up and find what you can do. 

Ultimately, the real challenge is personal. Am I able to run every day this year? I'd like to think so, but I'm only 4 weeks down so far. More than raising money for any organization, my goal is to challenge myself and challenge others. If I don't raise a cent, but half of the people reading this decide to get out of bed and be active for half an hour each day, then I think I've done an okay job. 

I read a poster once, or a picture online, or something similar. It showed a girl running and the caption read "Someone who is busier than you is running right now." When decided that I would do this, I realized that a mile takes less than 15 minutes if you're taking it easy, less than 10 if you're moving at a decent clip, and less than 8 if you're in a hurry. There's always time to get moving during the day.