Last night's run was day 50. Is this how it starts? Never stopping? How can you stop now and then re-start again? Will I be that guy getting one mile in while at the airport? In the hospital? 

Anyway, it's actually cold enough at night to form ice! And I found it last night! A little spill but no big deal. I'm all sorts of beat up now, sheared off the pad of my right index finger the other day putting the Chariot together, damn that stings! 

Ran a nice loop last night in the refreshingly cold temps. Could've ran all night as it was beautiful out. The canal had ice on the protected calm areas which is always cool to see, too dark for photos though. 

Busted out a fresh new pair of kicks too. My Brooks PureFlow 2's hit around 550 miles so I figured it was time. I replaced them with the exact same thing, exciting! This will be the third and final pair I acquired from TKMaxx (the British equivelant of TJMaxx) for £30! Much better than £100! Always liked the fit of the second generation of these shoes best. 

Soon I'll retire my current Brooks PureGrit 3 trail shoes with a new version I got for free from work. They only have around 350 miles on them but holes are beginning to form. I hope the new version is as good as the third. 

The weather has been awesome for running. Just below freezing. The nights have been clear for the most part. As much as I hate running at night once I get out I just want to stay out and explore. 

Here's a poor night photo of the Stourport Basins:

Still hammering the Wyre Forest two days a week with the little guy which has been horribly muddy. Finally committed to a couple sets of kid's bike fenders I think I can modify for the Chariot. They were super cheap but it looks like the bracket will be very "modify-able" which is the key. Unfortunately they ship from Hong Kong and won't arrive for a few weeks. 

Speaking of the Wyre I'll be heading that way today, hopefully the cold will keep the mud down a bit. 

It's halfway through January and the streak continues. I'm on day 46. 

Running is going well and now the goal is minimum 30 miles a week, I'll bump up to 40 in February. Been doing my shorter runs at a faster pace which has been fun but I need to be wary of injury. It's still a ways off from any racing though. 

Speaking of racing, I canned the cross country race, I just don't have any time to be active in a club. I'd love to meet more runners and maybe have some friends here but it just won't work for now. 

Re-instilling my calisthenics and JKD everyday, again. Those habits just won't stick so I'm back at it and this time with a JKD test looming. It's been tough to get it in, I've been really tired lately for whatever reason (kids!?) which many nights makes it tough to motivate.

It's finally become cold here but I'm still rocking shorts. Gloves are out, but my winter hat comes off after about a mile. I wish it would freeze as the Wyre Forest and any trail is a total mud pit. I have yet to make side fenders for the Chariot and I get sprayed like crazy. I need to get on that one.

Just a short update. Not much to report or bitch about I guess! 

Streak accomplished!

I did it. And I'm continuing on. December I ran a minimum of 30 minutes every day. As of tonight I've not broke the streak however am not worrying about the 30 minutes rule but may try to continue on following the streak running association rule of one mile minimum. 

I'm just really enjoying running and want to get out. I guess that's the whole point of the December streak. I'm not too bothered with breaking it but for now I'll continue on. 

In other news I may be running my first cross country race in 20 years! I've been recruited by the local running club after being "discovered" on Strava by breaking  someone's segment time! More on this later.

Day 27

The December streak holds strong. Lots of treadmill time has been actually kind of nice. Getting caught up on movies! The only difficult part about this streak has been finding time. A few late nights but motivation has been high so despite lack of sleep I get it done. Only a few days left. 30 minutes minimum each day. 

Adversity and choosing when to run

The past week has been a rough one. Some illness is hanging on and won't let go. Seems to be a stomach thing as I've lost my appetite, very weak, have random bouts of stomach cramps, and had a fun night and following morning of diarrhea. Seems like norovirus. Add that to kids keeping me up at night and I'm fairly wrecked. Coffee isn't even appealing! 

Most runs feel ok though and the motivation is high to chug out 30 minutes minimum since I've ran the past 20 days. Physically running-wise I feel fine. Overall I feel out of it. This next week I'll run a bit less since the Chariot will be out of use with my daughter home. No big deal. The goal is minimum 30 minutes a day. 

I know I bitch a lot about not running in the morning and I'd guess people wonder what my wife is doing, why can't she watch the kids? Well that is my decision. Being a stay at home dad I see it as my job to be there for my kids when needed. Whether that's up a few times at night like last night or up at 5am everyday sacrificing my mornings. 

Also running is a very selfish activity. I will fit it into my schedule and use my personal time which currently happens to be at night. Yeah, I don't prefer it, but it's what I've got now and even if I complain I adapt. Besides no one can complain about my running if I'm using MY time can they? 

From an ultra training standpoint I'd assume having an odd schedule, lack of sleep, and recently pushing through sickness I'm adapting to all sorts of things making my mind stronger. Adaptability and perseverance to obtain a goal seems to be key components of racing ultra distances. 

So five days left of Advent Running and eleven left to run all of December. I won't let the shits stop me.

A few recent photos, I can't caption them on my phone app. A couple from the Wyre Forest and a Saturday post lunch break run pulled pork sandwich. My stomach felt like shit but I needed some calories! 

Day 13 I stumbled. Lack of sleep and busy days built up but I recovered and went forth with 30 minutes to hold the streak. The wife seems to have forgotten that I'm running every day this month. I guess I misspoke in my last post that she is understanding the importance. 

Feeling down a bit but will hopefully snap out of it with a good run on the Wyre Forest later today. I feel mediocre in everything and want to be better, but that takes time and patience. I need to realize that. Take it one day at a time. 

Ten days streaking are done. Minimum of 30 minutes. I'm feeling great. Motivated. Having fun.

I've actually been using the treadmill a fair amount and enjoying it. It's an easy way to run worry free at night. I've been watching YouTube videos of Arrowhead 135, Rovaniemi 150, and a bunch of other similar stuff. I'm considering hooking up our old tv! Could be a bit overkill though. 

I hate running at night outside and it's been my only option 5 days of the week for a year now. I've been saying it for months now but hopefully the little guy will shift soon!

I think it's all going smoothly, despite still being forced to run at night, because my wife has realized the importance of running to me and the effect (sp?) it has.