I decided to set myself a running target for October. Having previously only managed 100 miles of running in a month once before, I thought I would try again. I’ve come achingly close a few times (marathon training brought a 98 mile month at its peak). So October, 100 miles it was.
I thought it would be a good idea to set myself a target for October to keep motivated. With the weather changing, clocks turning back and no run commute to use I needed something. (Last year the run commute was one of my winter ways to keep motivated!) Spoiler alert: I managed to meet my target, with a little over (3.48 miles!) and I couldn’t be happier. Here’s how I managed it..
Keeping the Easy Miles Easy
When I say easy I really mean easy. I’ve been adding trail runs to my week quite regularly. Because of how they are in places (some fields are unrunnable) these runs are a bit walk/run. Having a proper easy run or even a couple of them in the week, really do help you get extra mileage in. As I’m doing an ultramarathon next year (eep) I don’t mind the walk/run in training runs as I figure it’s good to practice slowing down.
Keeping the Plan Flexible
I did not plan out my month in full from the start, this never works for me. Seeing all the miles up front is super overwhelming in my opinion. I had a rough idea of what my weeks wanted to look like (4 runs – easy trails, easy road, speedier session and a long run) and went with the flow. I actually managed to even have a week this month with only 14 miles, because plans came up, so it is possible to have a bit of respite in a 100 mile month!
Making (Safe) Plans with Friends
I never used to be big on running with friends, getting very nervous that I slow everyone down. But this year (before lockdown) it was something I started doing more. As restrictions have lifted I have run with friends a little bit more. I’m still being careful and mindful of how much I see different people. But the occasional outside run with friends can really help motivation. In my case, it meant I couldn’t back out of my running plans so I achieved the mileage I wanted too!
I’d largely say hitting 100 miles wasn’t too difficult. Sometimes I did struggle to get myself out of the door, but I had that during marathon training too. The difference between my previous 100 mile month and this one, I’m used to running 4 times a week now. The routine is there and that’s definitely been a bonus of this month. But I think next month it may be a quieter month to give my legs a break!
Have you set yourself a monthly exercise goal before? How did you meet your target? Let me know in the comments,
