I, like many others, made a new year’s resolution for 2023. My resolution was to run 365 miles in one year. It sounds intimidating but realistically it’s so easy. One mile a day. That’s all it requires. If you miss a day, just do two the next day. I chose this resolution because it’s something easy but something I can still brag about. 

For most, a mile is not an easy feat. An average mile time for a female highschooler is twelve minutes and nine seconds. My starting mile was around nine minutes. I was already starting off better than average due to my participation in school sports, but it wasn’t the time I had wanted.  

The trip from my couch to running wasn’t that difficult, mostly because I’m fortunate enough to have a treadmill in my living room. The key to running, without wanting to die, was to turn on Dance Moms and zone out. At one point I completely zoned out and ended up running a 10k in one night. 

I’ve learned a lot about running. There are a lot of important things that get overlooked. Like stretching. I did not stretch or warm up for the first month, and it killed my body. Not warming up made it so much harder to keep my goal, I was dreading running. After warming up it became so much easier to start because I had pretty much already started. Warming up was a good start to ease into something a little harder. Another thing I learned was that no matter what, the first mile will always be the hardest. I’m hyper-aware of my body the first mile. When running in the cold all you can taste is metallic iron flooding your throat.  All you can think about is how you’re breathing or how it hurts or how many calories you’ve burnt. But after that first mile it’s smooth sailing. It’s easy to disassociate the body from the mind once you get into the rhythm of something. 

The right shoes are so important when it comes to running. If you’re planning on running, good running shoes are an investment you need to make. Otherwise running won’t benefit you, it’ll only hurt you. Some good running shoes that have been trending on TikTok recently are Hokas due to their ergonomic design. Other running shoes that are cheaper but still recommended are Nikes and Asics. When looking for good running shoes you should be looking for a lifted toe, a flat toe will make it more difficult to run. 

As of the time I’m writing this it is the 66th day of 2023, and I have run 87 miles. Needless to say, I am ahead of the game. I hope to finish the year with a little over 365 miles. A lot of people ask me how I stay motivated. The truth is I don’t. There are days where I’d rather stub my toe twenty times then run a mile. It’s not about motivation, it’s about discipline. Showing up for yourself even when you don’t want to – That’s how you change for the better. That’s how you run 365 miles in 365 days.