Streak Runners Beware
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Streaking is risky. I'm not referring to running naked in public - that is illegal but safer than a recent trend with the same name where runners run one or more miles per day for 365 days or more, regardless of injury or illness.
Running when weakened by fever, the stomach flu, or exhaustion seems an impossible task, yet I'm confident that with the right mindset, anyone can do it. But the question is not whether we can. It is whether we should.
For most of us, running every day isn't healthy. Running exerts a high load on our joints and muscles, about three times that of walking. Days off are essential for healing and adapting to these forces. Imagine microscopic construction workers in the cells repairing broken bridges and reinforcing a city after a flood. That work must occur for a resilient and healthy runner to evolve.
But if there is no break in the flood, as with streak running, there is no opportunity for the workers to make repairs. Sensing danger, our bodies send out a specialized team of soldiers to stop the flood by secreting a biochemical soup - tight and weak muscles, swollen joints, and pain follows.
These are signs of an acute injury and are supposed to signal us to stop the threatening activity. But self-imposed challenges like streaking encourage us to ignore these messages, and chronic injury and permanent dysfunction ensue. Our longevity in the sport is in jeopardy, and so is our health.
We get one body in this lifetime. Honor it. Take care of it. Instead of a run streak, try something equally ambitious yet sustainable:
Trust that a day off won't derail training goals or momentum.
Dispel the myth that more is better.
Take control over running wisely.
Engage in a variety of activities.
Join a community that supports a healthy dose of running.
Create a plan and then stick to it.
It's a tough challenge, but we can do it, and we should.