I have been wanting to do a more physical challenge as my previous challenges have been focused more on mental aspects (stop complaining, wake up early, breaking a habit, and learning spanish).

I’ve thought I would like to do something with running, and when a friend suggested they needed to get back into a running routine, I thought this was the perfect opportunity!

However, this challenge was going to be a little different.

For this challenge, I want others to be involved. So I created a video showcasing the new upcoming challenge and I’ve asked if people want to join in. The video essentially showed the following information:

So I asked people to follow me, choose a distance (it can even be 1km) and choose the type of activity you want to do. Then everytime I post a run on Strava and across social media platforms, they can comment with their daily results.

With that, I had a few people intersted, with the challenge beggining on 18th of May 2020!

My current running shoes are getting a bit old. I’ve done a bit over 500km in these shoes (tracked runs through Strava), and probably quite a bit more as I use them for walking everywhere. They are still in good enough shape for now, so perhaps at the middle or end of this challenge, I’ll reward myself with a brand new pair of shoes (most likely the exact same ones). I currently use Salomon Sense Marin trailrunning shoes – super light weight, breathable, elastic laces, and all-round versatile and comfortable.

Day 1 – 18 May 2020

Today’s run will be completed just before lunch time.

I’ll have to start scoping out some 5km loops, but at the moment I’ve got a few runs that I like to do which involve a lot of hills and trail running.

This is one of the common tracks I’ll be doing throughout. It’s got a bit hill which is pretty steep, but may look for a more round-trip course.

You may notice that I put ‘with partner’ under the main title to show that I ran with my partner – she will probably be joining me on most of these runs.

Day 2

For day 2 it was my first solo run. I managed to find a really cool loop, just over 5km and with a mix of trail running and sidewalk. A lot of elevation involved as well. This will definitely be one of the common routes I take.

Day 3

Day 4

Happy birthday to me! but that doesn’t mean a day off! Another run 😀 Finding some shortcuts to drop this loop really close to 5km.

Day 5

Day 6

It’s good to mix it up every now and then to add some excitement. Really nice area for trail running.

Day 7

Depending on the time of the day, what I’ve eaten, how I’m feeling, or even the direction that you run can make all the difference (it does to me anyway!) This one felt a lot easier.

Week 1 summary!

I’ve now completed 7 days of running. 41.79km total for week 1. Feeling amazing at the moment!

Before going on to week 2, I thought I’d cover a bit about what I do pretty much after every run.

Stretching

Right after finishing a run, I spend around 5 minutes doing some key stretches to stretch the muscle groups involved with running. I do a pretty basic routine but it feels really good. This has probably helped to minimise any injury and for muscle recovery.

Nutrition

After stretching, I usually make a protein smoothie consiting of:

• 25g protein
• one banana
• 1/2 to 1 cup of quick oats
• 1 cup of soy/oat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon of spirulina powder
• any extra fruits/foods/liquids added to bulk it up

It tastes amazing and it has probably also helped with muscular recovery after the runs and for that added fuel/nutrition needed.

I’ve also been eating more throughout the day to ensure that I feel full of energy every day when going out for a run.

Day 8

We’ve got the loop down to perfection! Just over 5km! Sometimes having that extra person to train with you can make all the difference. This week started off in the morning, it was pretty cold (as you can see the temperature was 7 degrees), but once you’re our there getting it done it feels amazing. Even more so when you finish for the day before 9am!

Day 9

I’ve noticed that my watch drops off a few metres of the runs sometimes, which I have no idea why. So a few of the upcoming days will have 4.9 instead of the 5km, but I definitely got over 5 before stopping my watch each time.

Day 10

Day 11

As mentioned above, there were a few people joining me on this challenge, and it’s great to see them get out there for a run!

Day 12

Day 13

As I’ve been running with my partner for pretty much every day, the pace has been slower than what I would normally go at (~6min/km). But today I had the run to myself, so I thought why not go crazy and do it faster. It was great to see that I just scraped the sub 5min/km mark – it sure was a challenge though!

Day 14

Week 2 Summary!

The distance ran for week 2 came in at 35.92km. Still feeling super fresh and keen for runs every day. At this point it’s become so normal to go for a run. I’ve been doing my runs usually during my lunch break from work as I’ve been working from home. It’s a great way to get some fresh air and clear your mind!

Day 15

Feeling great to be half-way!

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

During my day 18 run, I’ve had enough of my shoes as a part of my foot has is starting to hurt during the runs. So I drove to the shops to buy a new pair!

New shoes!

Salamon Sense Ride 3

Day 19

New shoes felt great – need to be worn in a bit though 😛

Day 20

As part of the long weekend here in Canberra, we thought it would be good to venture out and do some of the Canberra Centenary Trail. While technically it wasn’t a 5km run – I think the distance more than makes up for it.

My partner had a terrific idea! We haven’t done many hikes that aren’t loops as we couldn’t get picked up if we went walking the whole day and didn’t want to turn back and retrace our steps. So for this walk, we just called an Uber at the end of the day and they drove us home! No need to cut the walk short and turn back half-way – just keep walking until you’re done!

Day 21

We enjoyed the walk so much yesterday that we decided to go back out and do more of it!

Week 3 Summary!

Including the long walks we did, the total km for week 3 came in at 68.24km.

Running every day has been no problem and I actually look forward to it! I’ve really been enjoying some good quality exercise every day. One more week to go and it’s done!

Of course, still doing the same stretching routine and either having a protein smoothie or a big meal (usually lunch) right after the run. Feeling as good as ever!

Day 22

Running after the two days of long walks was perfectly fine! Did some intervals, getting to 4:14/km for part of it. Not bad.

Day 23

Day 24

Interesting to note that my heart rate is pretty low for most of my run, with the exception of the hills. Definitely helping with endurance by staying in zone 2

Day 25

Day 26

Watch didn’t record properly, luckily I looked at my results.

Day 27

I ran the 5km loop holding my GoPro for some timelapse footage in my end video. Not a bad pace considering the back and forth – lot’s of forwards and back for the camera 😛

Day 28

Week 4 Summary!

For week 4, I ran a total of 39.4km.

Still feeling great as normal! 2 days left!

Day 29

Day 30

Final run for the challenge!

Running 5km 30-Day Challenge Summary!

I ended up running (including the 2 long walking days) a total of 195.45km! Which ended up being an average of 6.5km per day 😀

I didn’t check it before the final run, but I’m a bit sad I didn’t end up having a total of 200km in 30 days – but definitely happy with how it went.

It was super easy to run every day – and something that I looked forward to as a break from work.

This was a fun challenge to do – and what made it more fun was the few people who joined in with me and ran/walked over the 30 days! – Well done to everyone who participated 😀

If you want to see a video of my experience, then check it out here:

That’s it for this challenge! Definitely keen to try out more physical-based challenges as this was really fun!

Until next time,

Nathan.