I ran. I biked. I ran some more. I biked some more. In beautiful sunshine, in treacherous downpour rains, in a cool breeze, in the dead heat of summer, in white out snow storms, and in the freezing cold of winter. From April 1st 2020 to March 31st 2021, I ran or biked outside every single day. What started as 30 straight days of running near the beginning of Covid, turned into 4 straight months of running. That transitioned into 30 straight days of biking, which turned into 4 straight months of biking. And it concluded with 4 more months of biking or running every day, to reach a year straight of outdoor exercise.
At the end of those 365 days, I ran 1264 miles and biked 2000 miles, all while enjoying hundreds of hours outside in the elements. I ran 1 marathon, 12 half marathons, and biked more than 25 miles ten times, with my longest ride being 100 km (63.63 miles).
In case you missed it, I wrote a few blogs detailing my running and biking experiences from April through November 2020 which you can find below:
Running every day of April
600 miles of running in 122 days
Biking 1640 miles in 122 days
Biking every day of August
Here are few of my memorable runs & rides from December through March. Not as many pictures since it was very cold, snowy and dark for most of these workouts.
December 10th - PR for Half Marathon with a time of 96 minutes and a 10K at 44 minutes. No pics from the run since I was cruising.
January 7th - Cheddar’s first mile run. Time: 12:21
Many short runs with Cheddar in February and March
Family Run on March 22nd at our new house
March 30th, 2021 - Finishing my 12th half marathon which ended up being 15 miles, my second longest run of the year. I also pooped in the woods again. Only the second time I had to do this in my year of running/biking. Oops.
When it was all over, I definitely felt like I was in the best endurance shape of my life. Edging out my exhilarating career as a Division III college athlete.
Yearly Running Stats:
I ran at least 1 mile on 279 of those days for a total of 1,264 miles.
I ran outside on 76% of the days over the last year.
This averaged out to be a little over 4.5 miles per run. Woo!
Yearly Biking Stats:
I didn’t start biking until August 1st which means I had 244 possible days of biking.
I biked 151 of those 244 days
This was ~62% of days biked over the 8 month period from which I started.
This averaged out to be a little over 13 miles per ride.
Below you will find a list every single one of my runs & rides for December thru March. It was a somewhat of a struggle during the darkest, coldest months of the year, but a rewarding experience nonetheless. See the mileage and (mode of transportation).
December 1 - 3.01 miles (running)
December 2 - 3.19 miles (running)
December 3 - 1.7 miles (running)
December 4 - 8.01 miles (running)
December 5 - 10.05 miles (biking)
December 6 - 10.68 miles (biking) + 1.01 miles (running)
December 7 - 4.2 miles (running)
December 8 - 3.25 miles (running)
December 9 - 2.01 miles (running)
December 10 - 13.13 miles (running) PR Half Marathon 96 minutes, PR 10k 44 minutes
December 11 - 10.14 miles (biking)
December 12 - 2.02 miles (running)
December 13 - 8.09 miles (biking)
December 14 - 2.73 miles (running)
December 15 - 10.05 miles (biking) + 6.36 miles (running)
December 16 - 2.59 miles (running)
December 17 - 8.17 miles (biking)
December 18 - 12.12 miles (biking)
December 19 - 8.88 miles (biking)
December 20 - 2.22 miles (running)
December 21 - 3.69 miles (running)
December 22 - 5.05 miles (running)
December 23 - 4.2 miles (running)
December 24 - 8.01 miles (running)
December 25 - 4.01 miles (running)
December 26 - 10.04 miles (biking)
December 27 - 3.01 miles (running)
December 28 - 2.08 miles (running)
December 29 - 2.3 miles (running)
December 30 - 5.59. miles (running)
December 31 - 23.83 miles (biking)
December Total: 85.36 miles (running) + 110 miles (biking)
January 1 - 3.18 miles (running)
January 2 - 3 miles (running)
January 3 - 2.69 miles (running)
January 4 - 3.12 miles (running)
January 5 - 3.15 miles (running)
January 6 - 7.51 miles (biking) + 2.01 miles (running)
January 7 - 8.18 miles (biking) + 1.01 miles (running) Cheddar’s first mile run
January 8 - 4.2 miles (running)
January 9 - 13.15 miles (running)
January 10 - 1.25 miles (running)
January 11 - 3.33 miles (running)
January 12 - 3.52 miles (running)
January 13 - 10.43 miles (biking)
January 14 - 4.1 miles (running)
January 15 - 2.20 miles (running)
January 16 - 5.01 miles (running)
January 17 - 2.56 miles (running)
January 18 - 7.1 miles (biking)
January 19 - 2.3 miles (running)
January 20 - 1.31 miles (running)
January 21 - 6.66 miles (running)
January 22 - 6.3 miles (biking)
January 23 - 7.01 miles (running)
January 24 - 10 miles (biking indoor) + 4.02 miles (running)
January 25 - 10 miles (biking indoor) + 3.88 miles (running)
January 26 - 2.57 miles (running)
January 27 - 4.34 miles (running)
January 28 - 10.4 miles (biking indoor) + 4.2 miles (running)
January 29 - 7.18 miles (biking)
January 30 - 25.25 miles (biking indoor) + 3.04 miles (running)
January 31 - 3.4 miles (running)
January Total: 100.30 miles (running) + 102.35 miles (biking)
February 1 - 4.01 miles (running)
February 2 - 3.18 miles (running)
February 3 - 3.1 miles (running)
February 4 - 2.01 miles (running)
February 5 - 3.61 miles (running)
February 6 - 3.21 miles (running)
February 7 - 4.11 miles (running) + 10.25 miles (biking indoor)
February 8 - 3.01 miles (running)
February 9 - 3.36 miles (running)
February 10 - 2.25 miles (running)
February 11 - 5.2 miles (running)
February 12 - 2.22 miles (running)
February 13 - 2.55 miles (running)
February 14 - 1.01 miles (running) + 10 miles (biking indoor)
February 15 - 3.2 miles (running) + 11.11 (biking indoor)
February 16 - 4.01 miles (running)
February 17 - 2.15 miles (running)
February 18 - 2.07 miles (running)
February 19 - 4.65 miles (running)
February 20 - 3.71 miles (running) + 33.41 (biking indoor)
February 21 - 4.2 miles (running)
February 22 - 1.06 miles (running) + 6.27 (biking indoor)
February 23 - 1 miles (running)
February 24 - 3.42 miles (running)
February 25 - 6.26 miles (running)
February 26 - 13.16 miles (running) + 10 miles (biking indoor)
February 27 - 5.1 miles (running) + 20.21 miles (biking)
February 28 - 3.4 miles (running)
February Total: 100.22 miles (running) + 101.25 miles (biking)
March 1 - 2.25 miles (running)
March 2 - 3.33 miles (running)
March 3 - 1.41 miles (running) + 6.16 miles (biking indoor)
March 4 - 3.5 miles (running)
March 5 - 3.13 miles (running)
March 6 - 3.01 miles (running)
March 7 - 2.69 miles (running) First run at new house
March 8 - 3.33 miles (running)
March 9 - 2.01 miles (running)
March 10 - 4.2 miles (running)
March 11 - 2.03 miles (running)
March 12 - 4.5 miles (running)
March 13 - 3.4 miles (running)
March 14 - 2.22 miles (running)
March 15 - 1.11 miles (running)
March 16 - 3.2 miles (running)
March 17 - 2.19 miles (running)
March 18 - 2.31 miles (running)
March 19 - 1.33 miles (running)
March 20 - 7.01 miles (running)
March 21 - 2.01 miles (running)
March 22 - 2.5 miles (running) + 15 miles (biking indoor)
March 23 - 3.43 miles (running) + 5 miles (biking indoor)
March 24 - 2.21 miles (running) + 10 miles (biking indoor)
March 25 - 6.6 miles (running)
March 26 - 7.77 miles (running)
March 27 - 4.66 miles (running)
March 28 - 5.4 miles (running)
March 29 - 4.2 miles (running)
March 30 - 15.03 miles (running)
March 31 - 1.51 miles (running) + 10.24 miles (biking indoor)
March Total: 113.48 miles (running) + 46.4 miles (biking)
Year Total Running: 1264 miles running + Year Total Biking: 2000 miles
Benefits I found from daily running/biking outside:
Consistent, relatively easy exercise that keeps you motivated.
Gives you a release from the stressors in your life. Clears your mind!
It is something to look forward to every day; you can do it alone or with friends (a new way to explore your neighborhood (town))
Gets you off the couch and into the great outdoors.
Makes you feel good and accomplished.
Struggles I found from daily running/biking outside:
Weather. It was cold! For nearly half of the year in the Chicagoland area it is 40 degrees or less, sometimes even below zero.
Sunlight. Especially during these last four months, it was dark out for the majority of my runs and rides. Getting a light up vest was a life saver!
Sometimes you don’t want to do it. Getting over the hump of not feeling well, or not wanting to run/bike.
It can be harsh on the body, your recovery is going slower or shorter distances on those days.
A lot more laundry and showers! The results of working hard and getting sweaty.
My Gear
You can see my previous blogs to find out all about my running shoes, bicycles, attire and more. Below is some new gear that I’ve acquired since the end of November 2020.
Garmin Forerunner 735xt - I picked up this new Garmin watch on a Black Friday sale. It is a better, more versatile watch than the one I used for the first 8 months of this adventure. It is great for triathlons as well. Maybe one in my future? Need to learn how to swim first.
Brooks Ghost 13 Shoes - Snagged these shoes in September if I remember correctly. Great, comfortable running shoes. They recommend you get new shoes every 500 miles or so.
NoxGear Tracer Running Vest - This thing is amazing! It is super lightweight, glows brightly and has a ton of color options. I have the Tracer 1 which is battery powered, but there is now a rechargeable Trace 2 out. I could not have done all my running in the winter months safely without this bad boy. I also just picked up the Light Hound (dog version) for Cheddar this Christmas!
Indoor Stationary Bike - Schwinn IC4 - Awesome indoor bike at an affordable price. No monthly subscription fee, and no attached tv, but there is a stand you can set your iPad up on. It is a smooth ride with varying resistance levels that got a lot of good use over the winter months. I am excited to get back on this in the upcoming months when it is cold and snowy out once again.
I took a day off of all outdoor exercise on April 9th, 2021, which was an indoor bike ride. My first official day off of exercise ended up being April 30th, but I was soon to get back out there and only missed a few days in the rest of the year. I finished off 2021 by doing a lot of running and dog walking, thanks Cheddar.
My goal for 2022 is to run or walk at least one mile a day outside. Getting out of the house/office is often the best medicine for stress and whatever life may throw our way.
This upcoming year, I challenge you all to do the same. Get outdoors and explore!
Let’s get back at it in 2022. 365 days straight.
I’ll see you out there,
Josh