Consistency

I’ve always loved running. One day around 5 years back when I initially started running, it was painful. I could only run 1 km and my legs couldn’t go any further. I gave up and did not run again for weeks, because I was ashamed of myself. Then, starting my running journey, I’ve been consistent for weeks but I would then skip running for months. Then, start again and this process has continued for more than 4 years now. If I have to break it down, eventually it gets boring and I don’t enjoy it. When I do it after a while I start enjoying it again. One thing that you always notice as a runner is your pace, and I’ve always struggled with it. I am a slow runner naturally. When I initially started running my pace would go as high as 9.5 minutes per km. Some people walk at that pace. Recently there’s been a huge shift in my running routine and pace, and it’s mind-blowing for me.

Around 45 days back I made a decision to do any kind of workout every single day, without any breaks. Running, was the primary one, followed by walking and yoga. I’ve run around 30 days during this period and never missed a single day of workout. Sometimes I would work out even twice a day. And while I was doing this I suddenly realized that it has become so easy for me to keep going without breaking the streak. The game-changer was when I realized the power of this consistency was that I can now easily run at 6.5 minutes per km for even 10 km. And I am improving. There were two ways by which I was able to maintain this streak, one keeping it flexible. The other one, and most useful, uploading my everyday streak on Starva. It builds peer pressure in a good way and gives motivation even on the days when it is hard to move. So, stay consistent. It’s powerful.