I’ve been looking for a way to jumpstart my running. It’s high summer in Israel until probably mid-late September, which means that it is hot and humid everyday. Simply existing outside–let alone doing any sort of physical activity, is a sweaty ordeal. To be honest, this isn’t much different from life in NYC. My motivation to run is low. Heck, my motivation to do anything is low. Coupled with the lack of in-person racing, my body is slowly fusing itself to the couch. This is probably not a good thing.
Enter the Ultra X Month of Miles! Ultra X is a UK-based organization that puts on multi-stage ultramarathons (any distance greater than 26.2mi/42.2k) around the world. They have cleverly decided to put on a challenge for August, where participants can register to run 125km, 250km, or 500km during the month! If I was in the midst of marathon training, the 250km distance would be very doable… but as I have been pretty sedentary, I decided to opt for the 125km distance, since this distance is the most doable without getting an overuse injury. My goal is to run between 30-40km per week, shooting for consistency (running 4-5 days per week) instead of longer distance runs.
I’m very excited for this challenge because I have been struggling with consistency in my workouts during the pandemic. When I workout regularly, I feel better about myself and also generally have healthier eating habits…which then makes me want to exercise more. I’ve found that when I want to make healthier lifestyle changes, the impetus really needs to be exercise and not diet. Between the Month of Miles, my twice weekly workout class, and returning to blogging on a more regular basis, I am looking forward to regaining the “spark” that has been missing lately.
Today I kicked off the Month of Miles with an 8km run–I’m off to a great start!