Running Streak Training – A Beginner’s Guide
Running streaks have grown in popularity over the past few years, becoming a common term for runners. But what exactly is running streak training? And what benefits does it present?
Here at Race At Your Pace we encourage our community to run in a way that suits them, at their own pace, whether that’s through streak training or sporadic exercise. We offer a variety of challenges to help everyone get started or continue on their fitness journey.
What is a Running Streak?
A running streak is when you create a streak by running a certain distance or amount a day, every day, for a period of your choosing.
The minimum daily amount is usually one mile, but more experienced runners may choose a higher amount. This is the amount you must do to consider the day to ‘count’. On the other hand, the minimum amount may be a time limit as well, from 15-30 minutes as a baseline. The lower your minimum amount, the less demanding your ‘easy’ days are, when you can only manage the bare minimum.
How long your streak goes on for is entirely up to you, however it can be a good idea to set a target streak to keep you on track. Some running streaks have lasted decades! Don’t worry, yours won’t have to be that long – even 30 days of consecutive exercise can have impressive results on mental and physical health.
See more: Short Term Fitness Goals
Benefits of Running Streaks
There are so many benefits to running, on physical as well as mental health.
Specific benefits of running daily and streaks include:
- Lower cancer risk – according to medical research, a mile a day can dramatically lower risk of cancer by; 42% for oesophageal cancer; 27% for liver cancer; 26% for lung cancer; 23% for kidney cancer; 16% for colon cancer; and 10% for breast cancer.
- Motivation – starting a running streak can be greatly motivating as it encourages you to maintain the streak. Instead of running only when you really feel like it, you are motivated to continue and work towards a goal – just like the Race At Your Pace monthly challenges!
- Running improvement – the best way to improve your running, whether its stamina or technique, is to keep running! Doing even your minimum amount each day will help you get better at running and improve your stamina.
- Daily repetition – research has suggested it takes 66 days to form a habit, so running daily for two months can make daily exercise become an expected norm for your body. Starting a running streak is an effective way to encourage exercise as a subconscious desire, rather than a forced activity.
- Mindset – not only will a running streak help regular exercise become habit, but also change your belief system. Initially, running a set mileage a week may seem daunting, but by doing a streak, you will accomplish things you never thought possible.
Tips for Starting a Running Streak
Stick to your minimum
Your minimum amount is the perfect goal to have on days where you don’t have the time or effort to do longer, or the weather is very uninspiring! When possible, try to push yourself harder than your minimum so you don’t become complacent and stop challenging yourself.
Integrate ‘rest’ days
Don’t go too hard while completing a running streak, else you will likely injure yourself and your muscles. Instead, take ‘rest’ days if you need to – i.e. do your minimum amount 3 days a week or walk your target distance. This way you are active each day, thus keeping up your streak and reducing the risk of injury. Make sure you stretch too!
See more: Overtraining Symptoms – Signs That You’re Overtraining
Make it work for you
If you have specific goals in mind, running everyday may not help, and in fact may hinder. For example, if you are planning on running a marathon, a tailored training plan designed specifically for distanced and endurance may be more suitable. Ideally, wait until large races are complete before starting a streak. If you are training for a race, follow this guide.
Ease into it
If you normally run once or twice a week, or even less often, increasing to daily runs may be hard. Either start with small distances and work your way up to larger amounts or gradually increase the amount of runs you do in a week before beginning a streak.
Are you a beginner runner? Here are some top tips!
Explore
Running the same route every single day may get boring, so take the opportunity to explore new routes and switch up the norm.
Set an end date
Whether you stick to it or continue your streak through it, an end date can be a great motivator! Like our monthly challenges and shiny medals, incentives are effective at keeping you going.
Get Started with Race At Your Pace
Whether you want to integrate a running streak with your monthly miles or would rather take things at your own pace with a flexible schedule, Race At Your Pace is for you. With our challenges, you get a whole month to complete your chosen mile amount for an exercise of your choice, meaning you can complete your miles however you like, when you like. Not only do our challenges provide motivation but, if you successfully complete your miles, a shiny medal!
Want to run, swim, walk, step, or cycle at your pace?
Or give your running streak more purpose? Sign up today!