I Ran 5KMS Everyday for a Week
And heres what happened…
It’s no surprise that during this period of being stuck inside, social distancing and quarantine a lot of us has taken on running, at least I know I have!
Not only does it feel amazing to get outside and get your heart rate up it’s a great form of exercise with most other options being closed.
Now I’m not a runner, this is all new to me. I only started running last month and let me tell you, even now it’s a huge accomplishment if I can run an entire kilometre without stopping to walk and catch my breath.
Before embarking on this 5kms a day for 7 days challenge I would go for ‘guided runs’ on the Nike Run Club app or just run to my favourite music and I’d average a run between 2–3kms.
Picking it up to 5kms is a big leap when you’re not used to it, and definitely not listening to the 10% rule like advised by most runners (woops).
So day 1 rolls around and I am PUMPED. I’ve wanted to be a ‘runner’ for a long time now, I’ve just never done it. And here I am, finally doing it!
I started my run in my town, running around blocks and down the main street and by the half way point all I could think was “I have to do this 6 more times?!” “What have I gotten myself into? There’s no way!”
But the longer I ran, the more into it I got. — common factor in every run, the first kilometre is the hardest! (but hey, this could be because I never warmed up properly).
Day 2 and 3 were very similar to day 1, I ran different routes around my neighbourhood but started to enjoy the process that little bit more. Running 7 days in a row didn’t seem quite as daunting any more. I even beat a record on day 2, I ran my fastest kilometre. 5 minutes and 18 seconds!
By day 4 I was honestly surprised that I’d made it this far without needing to cheat a day by walking. My town was getting a little boring and repetitive at this point so I drove out to a walking trail a few towns over. I tracked 2.5 kms on the Nike Run Clun app and when I reached this point I turned around and ran back to where I started.
So I’ve been pushing my body further than I ever have before in terms of running, how was I feeling? Honestly, a lot better than I thought I’d be. The back of my right foot was starting to blister, but a bandaid fixed this pretty quickly and my knees were a little sore but nothing I couldn’t handle.
Day 5 I drove back to this walking trail and ran it again, it was easier this time as I knew what to expect, where I was running uphill, where i was running down hill and where to turn around. This was also my longest run of the week, I ran an extra half a kilometre back to my car as I was just in the zone!
Day 6 and we are SO CLOSE to the end. I’m thankful for this today because I’m sore. My whole body is sore, and if I’m being honest I’m surprised it took 6 days to start feeling it. But I started this challenge, I’m going to finish it.
I thought I’d have a horrible run but once my body warmed up into the run, the stiffness and soreness that my body was feeling before I started dissipated and I ended up having a really good run.
Day 7, the final day of my 5km a day challenge and believe it or not, this was my best day yet. I wasn’t feeling sore. (my blisters were definitely alive and thriving at this point though) but being the last day I had an extra bounce in my step. I finished this week and this challenge with a bang. I broke 3 new personal bests. I ran my fastest 1k, fastest mile and fastest 5k. my total time for this run was 30:30 and one of my goals is to be able to run 5k in sub 30.. so close….
Now what were the benefits of this?
Appearance wise, a week isn’t going to do much to your body. maybe I toned a little bit, but nothing noticeable.
Fitness wise is where I saw the biggest change. My resting heart rate is now the lowest it’s ever been, dropping by a few beats per minute. My cardio fitness score also raised, for good to average to good to very good for women my age.
This is so much more important than what your body looks like, your heart rate and cardio fitness score is a window into your health, not how flat your stomach is.
At the start of this week I truly doubted that I could do this. I thought I’d have to only do this for 5 days, or halfway through the week I’d have to walk one of the days, but I surprised myself. I’m stronger than I thought and I couldn’t recommend a challenge like this more.
I’m proud to call myself a runner now and I cant wait to keep setting challenges and hitting goals.
Go for a run, even if you have to stop and walk every few meters, everyone has to start somewhere, and you’ll be ending your day a fitter, healthier and stronger person than when you started.
