Ever since high school, I’ve generally enjoyed running. In the summer of ’98, I even tried out for the cross country team. I’ll never forget the sneaker I bought – the Saucony Grid 3D Hurricane. It was the first sneaker I ever owned that featured “motion control” technology – basically it propelled your foot forward as you ran.
Every morning that summer, I’d wake up early and run with a few buddies from the team. We met up at the high school and I really couldn’t tell you how far we ran or how fast we were going. All I know is I could keep up, and it was pretty exhausting. I ended up not joining the cross country team that year – not because I couldn’t do it, but because I found running to be boring (and I didn’t like getting up early).
21 years later, I find myself waking up early again to go for runs, and I can’t help but reminisce about my youth. There is something very calming about getting up before everyone else and running as the sun rises and the birds are chirping. I start to see the same people out on the roads pushing themselves, and it gives me the same motivation.
Thanks to my iPhone and the Nike Run Club app, I know exactly how fast I am going and exactly how far I’ve run. Nike invited me to be a part of the #mediamiles July challenge: I have to run 60 miles this month. I’m not sure I’ve ever run that many miles in a month, but I’m up for the challenge.
I’ve been rotating between the Nike AlphaFLY NEXT% and the Infinity React. The two sneakers are completely different – the NEXT% has that “motion control” aspect as the Flyplate and Zoom Air literally propel your foot forward the faster you run. The Infinity React features a fully React foam sole, and is a nice change of pace from the aggressiveness of the NEXT%.
For months during the pandemic, I just slept in every morning and began my day around 8:00 AM. Thanks to Nike’s challenge, I am motivated to start my day at 6:30 AM and get out for a run. I really have no excuse since I no longer commute to work. Typically I run 3.1 miles on Monday, 4 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Wednesday, 4 miles on Thursday, and 3.1 miles on Friday. I find it’s a good balance and not too overwhelming.
Stay tuned to see if I can accomplish my goal of 60 miles this month. So far so good!
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