I have a new Holiday Tradition...Streaking!

Anyone else doing the Runner's World Winter 2015 Streak?

This is my third consecutive year doing the winter streak, and also my fifth time streaking. The last time I streaked was the RW Winter Streak a year ago (you can read my recap HERE ). I also streaked in April of 2013, Winter of 2013 and June of 2014.

Let me preface this by coming clean and being totally honest..... I am not a fan of daily running. Some runners love to run everyday and don't experience problems in doing so. Myself, I love running but not enough to do it so frequently. Also, my body needs recovery time, and "easy" daily running is not 100% restful.

That said, I do enjoy doing the occasional streak because it gets me out of my comfort zone. It also confirms the fact that daily running is not for me.

So, how does this streaking thing work? It's really not that difficult. As a general guideline, we're asked to run one mile everyday between Thanksgiving until New Years Day. Of course, we can run further than the one mile minimum.

Streaking Day 1-Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving

My plan? Typically, I run 2-3 times during the week, and try to do a "longer" run on the weekend. The only thing I do differently while streaking is to run that minimum one mile on my usual rest days. I have a treadmill, but am hoping to do all of my runs outside for the Streak.

Streaking Day 2...before hitting the Black Friday scene

I live on a hill, and the block where my house resides is an exact 1/2 mile in perimeter. So, running two laps around my block is an easy option (and gives me some good hill work as well). There's a smaller block across the street from my house (also situated on a hill)....and three laps around that block also equals one mile. That's another option.

Streaking Day 3, sporting one of my Black Friday bargains

Also, did you know that a mile (usually) is equal to the distance of 10 city blocks? That's an average, not necessarily a hard and fast rule of city government. When in doubt, you can map out a course online, or use your GPS device.

Streaking Day 4 had me out at the local nature preserve for some (muddy) trails

I try to do a different route everyday...whether it's running the same block in reverse or running one lap clockwise and another lap counter-clockwise. Not only do I get bored doing the same route all the time, it's not good to always be running on the same incline, or always be making left turns, etc. It does your body good to change the terrain now and then. That's true for running in general, not just for streaking.

Streaking Day 5.....got rain? Chilly temps in the high 30's? No problem!

And, I'll be posting my runfies (selfies while in running attire, usually immediately following a run)....to not only keep me accountable for getting the daily runs done, but also to see how many different (colorful) outfits I can create. You do what you gotta do to get it done, right?

Streaking Day 6, my coldest run thus far in the 33-degree temps and damp air

Don't forget, I'm in Iowa. We don't exactly have tropical conditions this time of year. I anticipate a myriad of weather conditions will be challenging me to stay inside...but I've done this streaking gig before, and I've been running outside (almost exclusively) for the past nine years. Prior to that, I spent my first year running on the treadmill. I have done it both ways, and outside is definitely my forte'.

'nuff said

So, anyone care to join me? I welcome your comments, and I'll gladly cheer you on and give you an endless supply of (virtual) high-5's! I'm linking up with Deb at Deb Runs today for the Wednesday Word, which is Tradition. Go ahead and check out her blog and all the others, as we share our versions and visions on this topic.