4 things I learned during my 30-day running challenge.

I realized that I left my 30-day challenge in limbo.  First, be assured that I did complete the full 30-days.  Although I didn’t figure out what was causing my pain, I was able to figure out the reverse.  I was able to focus my running and exercise regimens on items that would not cause pain. Maybe one day the medical professionals will be able to tell me something more.  But, for the most part, I am back to a regular running schedule (4 days per week) as well as strength and   stretching exercises.  Even though I didn’t solve my issue, there were some things that I did learn from this challenge that I’d like to share.

• Blogging every day is tough: I know that mistakes are bound to happen. But, when trying to post something every day, there is not enough time to ensure the message that I wanted to present was clear. In the future, I will stick with my original goals, post once or twice per month, or when I have something valuable to say.
• Don’t beat yourself up:  It is easy to beat yourself up when you are not performing at your best.  It doesn’t matter if it is writing or running, give yourself a break. The most important thing is that you don’t give up. If you happen to fall off, be intentional about getting back to achieving your goal.
• Find an accountability partner:  It is also easy to get discouraged and want to not continue.  There were so many days that I really didn’t feel like going out to run, and almost didn’t.  But the motivation that I received from the men in my running group and my family kept me encouraged.  Also, blogging about my experience also served as a motivator for me to keep going. A partner will help to keep you accountable for achieving your goal.
• Keep the focus on the challenge:  If you decide to journal, blog or somehow share your experience with others.  Remember to keep the focus on the challenge.  During my 30-days, there were so many days when I lost focus on why I was doing the challenge in the first place.  I was more focused completing the post for the day rather than focusing on actually completing the run.  When in reality, the post should have been a second thought in the process.

I want to leave you with this thought. You have the power to create the life that you want to live.   Even though my outlet to express that over the last few posts[b1]  have been focused on running, your challenge is whatever it is you want to achieve. I want to encourage you to take your own challenge and achieve higher levels of success.