Running Goals and Travel
1 mile a day, for how long?
How did I get here? Well, ya see, what happened was…
Late December 2023, Mrs. Barnes said something like “I want to do a 30 day running streak for a resolution.” So being the supportive husband, I shrugged and said ok. Shortly before starting, a friend invited us to run at the Air Force Marathon in Ohio.
One mile a day was doable for everyone. So it was now on the list that every day we would get one mile in for that day. Seams easy enough. 10-15 minutes out of the day, yea, that’s easy enough.
Once training started, and a good set of days were being checked off, Sonya got a pain in the foot that would not stretch out, and would not go away. A call to Doctor, and a thought of ‘arthritis’ lead to an x-ray, that reveled a bone spur that lead to the pediatrist. A quick stop at the pediatrist leads to a diagnosis of two things: plantar fasciitis, and a heal spur. 30+ days of rehabbing the foot. Multiple times a day stretching and icing. But the worst part was the phrase mumbled from the doctor “No running for 45 days.”
After that period, we checked in with doc and she requested no running for another month, new inserts in the shoes, and continuing to stretch and do exercises, but not on the 3 times a day schedule.
Sonya continued to walk regularly to make sure she stayed active, putting in 30 to 40 minutes every other day.
My training deviated a bit from the original one mile a day streak we started. Most of my runs were between 1 and 3ish miles. Move days and locations were part of the decision daily on the distances. As we moved across the country I got to run in woods, on roads, on highways (ok, sidewalks next to highways), on the beach, and up and down mountains. At one point, we accidently got into a trail race in Sturgis, SD. (Black Hills 100)
It honestly took 3 to 4 months before seeing changes in the body, but numbers started showing decreases in heart rates and increasing in speed as the days went along.
Routes of runs were difficult to map out at many locations. Some of the areas were on too busy of a road to run next to traffic. A few times through this year I ran in circles around the parking lot or camp ground for the chosen distance. I did kill a pair of shoes that needed replacing, but this was when we were in small town USA not near a bigger city.
Air Force Marathon weekend approached quickly. We booked a campground at the base. We got up way too early and got to the start lines.
Sonya started her race an hour ahead of me. Her goals after injuries were to complete the 10k race, running every other mile, and complete it in under 2 hours. She completed those goals by completing it in 1:47, running 4 of 6 miles, and having fun with photos at every mile marker. Of course, reading spectator signs slowed her down, and made better memories on the run. (Looking at you Mr. “If you fall down, I’ll pause your Garmin” and “We’ve been trying to reach you about your shoe warranty”).
My goals for the half marathon was to complete the race without injury and to complete it in 2 hours or better. I somehow wound up in corral “A” with a bunch of younger people and a few of us old guys. Pressure was on, but I did get a text about a puppers being at the first red light. I watched my pace as the temps of the day increased and I managed to keep it under the 9:09 needed to complete my goal. I crossed the line at 1 hour and 54 minutes.
We are both very happy with the results from this race. I am continuing my streak through 2024 and maybe beyond. Sonya is slowly getting her foot to cooperate and increasing distance and times, looking at completing another half marathon in the not so distant future.
Some of my favorite Races:
Black Hills 100 Race: https://www.blackhills100.com/
Air Force Marathon: https://www.usafmarathon.com/
Space Coast Marathon: https://www.spacecoastmarathon.com/
Let me know in the comments what your favorite race is, I’m always looking for a good race!
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