GOODR™ $25 RUNNING SUNGLASSES  These light weight low-priced sunglasses with POLARIZED lenses, and “no slip”, “no bounce” properties promised, are crazy colorful. And they must be in demand. Every time I’ve gone to the website many styles/colors have been on back-order. 
 
Now they are all up for “pre-order”, with the shipment date identified as late June. If you have ever looked for polarized lens sunglasses, you’ll know that the LENS color is usually limited to a classic green or brown tint, and they are at least $100 more in price.

I am ordering some now, and hope they live up to the hype, the “Flamingos on A Booze Cruise” pink frame pair with teal lenses.  Also, for a youngish male relative’s birthday, I’m ordering the black frame with teal lenses pair, “Vincent’s Absinthe Night Terrors”.
 
Can’t wait to try them. Has anyone else worn these sunglasses?
 
RUN HAPPY!

http://www.earned-runs.com/gear-love.html
 
https://www.playgoodr.com/shop-sunglasses/

MY MEMORIAL DAY 5K : For Dad + GENEROSITY
Yesterday’s personal 5K had two purposes. The first and trivial reason was to establish a baseline time for my ‘fastest 5K’ summer challenge. It was possibly my slowest ever, after recovering from a knee issue. That not-so-good marker will be motivation to NOT over-train thereby avoiding re-injury, and to persevere with the strength part of the training plan.
 
Most importantly the 5K was to remember and honor those who gave their lives in service of the USA., the purpose of this HOLIDAY.  My father served in World War II, never fought overseas, and passed away 50 years after the war.  With a college education and business degree it was determined he would be stationed in Chicago IL to work in connection with the Army’s quartermaster center activities there.  This is according to the history provided by my deceased mother. 
 
Although he did not die in the war, the football playing dreams of his youth died when war was declared, as did the dreams of the entire generation.  The future we envision as young people is often very different from reality. It makes me think that men and women soldiers of the decades since, whether killed, injured, or physically unharmed during their tours of service, experienced a reality harsher than those of us protected ‘at home’ can comprehend. Their families too. The very act of leaving military service can be difficult it seems. 
 
For all that has been endured and sacrificed, THANK YOU.
 
Because I did not pay a 5K registration fee, in keeping with Earned Runs GENEROSITY mission, I made a comparable donation to WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA, in advance of their December wreath laying activity.  This organization is not rated by CharityNavigator.com because it is not eligible.
 
In reading their story, I was reminded that this time of year is perfect for donations to organization that aim to have a positive impact during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and other winter holidays seasons.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/our-story

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=208362270

Remember, Honor, Celebrate, and Enjoy!

RUN HAPPY!

WEEK 1: ACROSS AMERICA
Segment 1: Astoria to Portland OR
Segment 2: Portland to Hood River OR
WELCOME CHALLENGERS! You are starting this 3600+ mile journey in Astoria, Oregon.
The virtual tour route trip starts in the city, but before getting on the road you might want to jump in a virtual car and take a ~30-mile ride southwest to Cannon Beach, to see the Pacific Ocean and Haystack Rock, made famous in the 1985 classic kid cult movie, “The Goonies” (released June 7 that year).
 
Astoria, located in the northwest corner of the state, lies “near the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific Ocean” according to a Wikipedia entry. This entry reports that “the city was named after John Jacob Astor, an investor from New York City” whose fur company founded a fort at the site in 1811. The route takes you along the Youngs River, through the beautiful Clatsop State Forest, and along winding roads to the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway into the city of Portland.
 
The Lewis and Clark Expedition wintered near Portland. You’ll come to learn that this exploration group is part of the history of quite a few places along the first part of the journey.
 
The next segment from Portland to Hood River follows the course of the Columbia River Gorge along a highway that separates the state of Oregon from Washington. The TREK Travel bike tour description indicates that small hikes can take travelers to many spectacular waterfalls that are near this scenic route, including Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Multnomah Falls.
 
Although this is a virtual tour, looking at images of and reading about the astonishing geographic features of this are incites me to put it on my “Top 100 List” of places to explore in real life.
 
You might end the week with a viewing of “The Goonies”, “Kindergarten Cop”, or “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2 and 3” that were filmed in Astoria. 

​RUN HAPPY!

SEE RESOURCES page for Itinerary, calendar, and Map segments.
 
https://roadtrippers.com/trips/10313969
http://thatoregonlife.com/2016/01/12-awesome-movies-filmed-in-oregon/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria,_Oregon

IF RUNNING A FAST/FASTEST 5K is your goal this summer, get prepared to START.
Consider using a free, downloadable Hal Higdon (HH) Training Plan and modify it to fit your schedule. I plan to follow the HH 5K “advanced” program but will drop back to “intermediate” if I cannot handle the mileage the first week.  Because of the knee issue I’ve had, the distance of runs has been limited for weeks.
 
If YOU find another plan, share with us why you chose it.

The HH 5K Advanced program extends over 8 weeks.  The start date will need to be June 3 for the July 30 race in which I hope to be fast!  My overall “Plan A” (see previous post, May 20) included running a personal baseline pace 5K prior to starting a program, so it will be on or near May 28.
 
To demonstrate how to modify a plan so you’ll be able to stick with it, here’s what I did:

1. Shifted the Monday through Sunday schedule to Saturday through Friday.
2. Included an easy 1 mile run + 10-minute warm up and 10-minute cool down on each of the two regularly scheduled REST days each week (to maintain run ‘streak’)
3. Modified the interval day workout to make it a HILL interval workout of about the same distance, to add a bit of muscle strength training on the uphill segments and bone strengthening on the downhill segments.
4. Added the recommended Strength Training sessions with weights on Saturdays and Mondays (instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays on the shifted week schedule)
5. Added 30 min CROSS TRAINING to Wednesday: swimming, walking, or cycling.
6. Week 4: 5K Test is planned on day June 30, TBD if personal or organized.
7. Week 8 taper: will extend two more days due to the shifted week schedule
8. “Streak’ miles during the taper week Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday before Sunday’s RACE DAY, will be run with moderate-vigorous intensity, so as not to decrease training intensity just before the race.
   

Shop for a plan  online (or re-use one)  that generally conforms to a schedule you can maintain.  The hardest sessions to schedule for me on this plan were the FAST runs (Saturday mornings) and long runs (Sunday mornings). Summer weekend nights tend to be later and include events or gatherings, making the mornings-after not my best effort days, Thus, the shifted week will hopefully result in totally awesome workouts!
 
Do your best to identify a potential program as soon as possible. Try a few of the workouts now on the days you will be running them according to the plan, before you must start it, to determine which changes are needed.
 
Important: don’t give up summer fun to stick to a plan that doesn’t accommodate it! Keep searching and modifying.
 
RUN HAPPY!
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50935/5K-Advanced-Training-Program

RUN/WALK ACROSS AMERICA 2017 STARTS MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 29. You will find a listing of all 39 virtual trip segments from Memorial Day through Labor Day on the ITINERARY.

​Also on the Itinerary is a scaled-mile system which calculates the actual distance scheduled to run, walk, or combination of both (run/walk), for each segment, as a ratio of the miles covered on the map route from point to point. Challengers will select a scale to follow according to ability and desired effort.
 
 The exact map mileage, should you sometime be able to drive this route, may be slightly more or less, as distances have been rounded up or down to make for a simplified plan.
 
You can choose to follow a scale with a ratio of 10:1 (for each 10 real miles on the map route you would run/walk 1 mile), 20:1, 30:1, 40:1, 50: 1, or 100:1. As the scale “number” increases, the actual miles a participant runs/walks decreases.  

Thus, if you wish to cover the longest distance, greatest mileage, choose the 10:1 scale.  For the shortest distance, lowest mileage, choose the 100:1 scale.  Since this challenge is intended to be a fun activity, try one scale initially; if it doesn’t work well for you switch to another. 
 
Check the CALENDAR for the schedule of days to run/walk each week. The Itinerary and the Calendar are separate documents that can be viewed and downloaded free from the RESOURCES page (also at the bottom of this first day post). 
 
Because this activity is not meant to disrupt vacations and weekend fun, run/walks are not slated for Saturdays and Sundays.  Holiday weeks have 2 rather than the usual 3 segments. No problem if you cannot follow the schedule exactly as planned. Use all weekdays as necessary to complete the weekly mileage, per your selected scale. If weekends are also needed occasionally, and this doesn’t take the fun out of the challenge, use them too.
 
MapQuest™ images of the routes for each week are on a separate PowerPoint presentation that is also available as a free download
 
WHAT IF YOU FALL BEHIND and cannot keep up with the schedule?  Stick with it! You might be able to catch up a bit later. See how far you can travel ACROSS AMERICA this summer. If you can’t make it all the way, resolve to improve in 2018. OR keep going after Labor Day on your own schedule. This challenge is about the JOURNEY.
 
GROUP suggestion for this challenge:
FAMILY, OFFICE, or FRIEND group: have each person in the family/group follow their scale of choice. Post a calendar where all might see it.  Have each participant put initials or a unique mark next to the segment number when it’s completed. 
 
“Not fair”, a potential participant might claim, that some in the family/group will cover more miles than others, if they chose an 'easier' scale. This activity is intended to be personalized, such that individual participants can challenge themselves and be rewarded in proportion to effort.  
 
Tracking progress as an individual or in a family/group can provide each challenger with an incentive to persevere.

See you on the route.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: While I was in the process of configuring the route on these maps last year, MapQuest™ updated them. It was a race with time to complete the task before MapQuest™ discontinued posting the old “CLASSIC” version maps, which were better suited for this purpose than the new update. It’s a wonderful service.
 
This is roughly the itinerary used by TrekTravel on one of their bicycle tours. You may wish to visit the company’s website for information published about this tour, (Portland OR to Portland ME) especially if you are interested in signing up, as a cycling enthusiast, to take it or another vacation trip.

RUN/WALK ACROSS AMERICA 2017 CHALLENGE: ITINERARY
RUN/WALK ACROSS AMERICA 2017 CHALLENGE: CALENDAR
RUN/WALK ACROSS AMERICA 2017 CHALLENGE: WEEK1-3 MAP SEGMENTS
 
http://www.earned-runs.com/resources.html
 
https://www.mapquest.com/
 
http://trektravel.com/trip/cross-country-usa-bike-tour/

GET READY, SET, GO!  If Memorial Day weekend is when you wish to begin your streak, prepare to be successful by including routines that will help to prevent injury.
 
 Instead of walking out the door and starting to run immediately, warm up by walking briskly 10 minutes and cool-down by walking 10 minutes.
 
Add dynamic stretches, MYRTL’s, and passive stretching to your daily regimen (see RESOURCES page).
 
Try some strengthening moves.  Don’t know any? Check out the article, “13 Essential Core Exercises for Runners” written by Jason Fitzgerald for ACTIVE.com. Here’s a list you can print. See the slideshow article for the video demonstration and description.
 
Modified Bicycle
Plank
Bridge
Side Plank
Modified Bird-dog
Supine Leg Lift
Lateral Leg Raises
Clamshells
Hip Thrusts
Side-step Shuffles
Pistol Squats
Hip Hikes
Iron Cross
 
Some of the reviews criticize the form of the person demonstrating the exercises, but they will do. If you think they are not good enough, find another demo on YouTube or better, read a description of best form, and follow the directions.
 
The author is a “USA Track & Field certified coach and creator of Strength Running, a Greatist "Must Read Health & Fitness Blog" of 2013 that hosts over 150,000 monthly readers. His coaching advice has been featured in Runner's World, Competitor, Health Magazine, The Huffington Post, Active.com, Fitness Magazine, Fox News Magazine, Shape and Lifehacker.”
 
Have fun with this summer challenge.  My experience is tht when it’s over you’ll fully appreciate your months’ long effort and look forward to next summer’s challenge streak!
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://www.active.com/running/articles/13-essential-core-exercises-for-runners

RAINWEAR/WINDBREAKER: THIS LIGHTWEIGHT PORTABLE AND PACKABLE JACKET FROM ZEAGOO CLAIMS TO BE BREATHABLE, and to protect active outdoor types, likes runners and cyclists, from wind and rain. It’s not for warmth, and seems ideal for variable spring and summer warmer temperatures when wind/rain is  possible.
 
There are many reviews by runners who have used this outerwear during races. As I have noticed with nearly all jackets that are advertised as rainwear, except for plastic or plastic-coated items, the reviews indicate rain is not blocked by this product; otherwise the greater percent of the reviews are positive (4-5 stars)
 
I have shopped widely in brick-and-mortar running specialty stores, looking for something that is compressible/packable, and found expensive jackets by famous makers with the very same issues. So, with a tiny bit of rain protection and some wind protection, at a LOW PRICE, this seems to fit my specific purposes. 

It won’t be my go-to, stand-alone rainwear for all occasions, but something to tuck into a gym bag  or suitcase for running or travel, respectively, when the weather is uncertain and precipitation is possible. Since it covers the upper body only, there’s no chance of staying fully dry anyway, especially if the heavens open.
 
I ordered two jackets; one in a lovely, somewhat visible, medium-blue color for running (size medium). I also selected a ‘sophisticated’ black one in size large for travel, in which a jacket would need to serve several purposes. The reason for the different sizes relates to layering. The blue jacket would not be worn over heavy or multiple tops, as running warms the body sufficiently in mildly cool weather, especially if wind is not a problem.  The black one might need to fit over bulkier clothes for urban walking long-ish distances in cooler temperatures and for running on the same trip.
 
There a hood that can be tucked hidden away into the collar for protecting hair for a while; always a concern!

Unfortunately this clothing is not American made and there's no creation story to be found online that explains the sourcing or manufacturing or company culture. A jacket by Strafe Outerwear of Aspen, Colorado that has received rave reviews from skiers for being breathable and protecting it's wearers from rain and wind is the SCOUT.  It is significantly more expensive. 

If you can recommend a rain/wet and wind-blocking shell, please do!
  
RUN HAPPY!

GEAR LOVE page for link to Amazon.com

https://strafeouterwear.com/product/scout-jacket/

​“6 BOSU BALL EXERCISES That Belong in your Weekly Routine” in FitnessMagazine.com offers a change-up from the usual strength building workouts.
 
According to author Emily Abbate, this piece of equipment “basically takes some of your favorite moves — planks, burpees and lunges, for starters — and makes them that much more challenging by adding in a BALANCE component and waking up your muscle stabilizers." A bonus, she says is that, “it gives you a better range of motion, so you can try more challenging exercises as you become stronger.”
 
There’s a demonstration video and a written description of each exercise:
Burpee
Side-to-Side hop
Plank Up-Down
Front Lunge
Planks Tap
Single-leg Bridge
 
This set of exercises is a summer timesaver as it works on strength and balance simultaneously! Give it a try at the gym, or at home if you have one.
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/exercise-ball/beginner-bosu-ball-exercises

GLOBAL RUNNING DAY IS JUNE 7, 2017
RunningUSA.org ran an item explaining Global Running Day.  It is held worldwide annually on the first Wednesday in June as “a day for people around the world to celebrate the joys of running”. It’s also a day to inspire others to run, especially children, to “get healthy and fit”. To this end organizers aim to gather pledges from as many people around the world as possible on their website, including promises to help youngsters participate in the “Million Kid Run”.
 
You can pledge that you yourself will run and provide the reason why, and you can pledge to have others run with you. There is additional information on how to run in locations that are sponsoring events. Chicago is one of the cities identified on the organizations website, along with New York City and Atlanta.

A link to the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) page takes you to a list of events planned on this day.  It allows participants to sign up to host an event as well. I am going to try to be in the city that day and join a group along the lakeshore. There’s a 12:15pm 5K run at Millennium Park, near “The Bean” sculpture.  At 4pm a 5K is taking off at Oak Street Beach. 
 
RunningUSA.org explains, “Global Running Day is a collaborative effort of the most prominent running organizations around the world, with many of the top professional runners helping to share their passion for the sport with the global running community.”
 
What a positive reason to bring people together outside. I hope the weather is wonderful everywhere, but an inside run will work just as well.
 
RUN HAPPY!

http://www.runningusa.org/global-running-day-2017
​
https://globalrunningday.org
 
http://www.cararuns.org/globalrunningday/

“May 29, 2017
MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCE (mile, 5K, or 10K)
This federal holiday is for remembering the men and women who DIED while serving their country in the Armed Forces (compared with Veterans Day, in which the SERVICE of all U.S. military, veterans and active, is celebrated). It’s a solemn day. US flags and wreaths are placed at gravesites.  Many remember others who have passed away in their lives, including non-military. One way to do this by running or walking at quiet times, like sunrise or sunset, when we can reflect on their lives.“

The last Monday in May is the observed MEMORIAL DAY holiday, although May 30 had been the traditional holiday until 1968. It was originally known as Decoration Day after the practice of decorating graves of the fallen. “The practice of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers is an ancient custom.”, says a Wikipedia entry. “Soldiers' graves were decorated in the U.S. before and during the American Civil War.” Running or walking on this day in a personal event is another way to show love and respect to those you’ve lost. Request bibs and use them on this holiday and all summer.

Although this day has a solemn rather than cheery history, it is also commonly celebrated as the kick-off to the summer season, which then un-officially ends on the Labor Day Holiday. You can also mark this beginning with a custom designed event including all  the people gathered at your picnic! Be sure to have everyone REQUEST BIBS soon!

RUN HAPPY!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Dayen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

CONSIDER MAKING YOUR SUMMER CHALLENGE all about being FAST. Spend these next few months trying to turn in a personal best finish time or pace in a 5K race near summer’s end.  A personal record (PR), or at least one in "modern history", if you have become eligible for the master’s division.
 
Why? Because it’s difficult to perform better than a previous best in so many other areas of life, that being able to do so in running would be monumentally uplifting and encouraging. Well, maybe at least a confidence booster.
 
And success in this challenge is predictable if you have not previously incorporated speed work, hill repeats, tempo runs, or long runs into your training plan for this distance race.  Come to think of it, if you have never specifically trained for a 5k you have the potential to be faster.  Adding workout sessions to build strength and improve balance, mobility, and flexibility will likely contribute to a speedier you also.
 
Last year this challenge was MOST important to me. It paid off, as I did record a personal best. This summer the race I will be preparing for is earlier in the season, July 30. Not sure I have enough time to improve last summer’s goal race pace, but will aim again to be fast AND STRONG, and come out of it without an injury.
 
My Plan A

• Establish a baseline pace on which to improve: run an Earned Runs personal 5k or organized 5K race on Memorial Day weekend
• Train: find a plan specifically designed to increase the speed of an advanced runner*
• Use my runs for the  RUN STREAK Challenge to build speed
• “Test” before the race: run a 5K on or near the July 4 holiday below my intended goal race effort, either with an Earned Runs bib or in an organized event, to check progress
• Taper: will not truly taper; will back off mileage a bit and maintain intensity 1 week prior
• July 31: Day of Race: adequately warm-up

 
My Plan B
(If circumstances change and I cannot complete training or won’t make the July 31 race)

• Establish a baseline pace on which to improve: run an Earned Runs personal 5k or organized 5K race on Memorial Day weekend
• Register for or personally design a series of 5k races in unique locations.  Not exotic, but places I’ve not thought to race in, before this summer. TBA
• End the summer at home: run an Earned Runs personal 5k or local organized race on Labor Day weekend.

Earned Runs will post items that offer direction and training advice to runners who wish to be faster.  Check the RESOURCES page in the next week, in the SUMMER CHALLEGES 2017 section.

RUN HAPPY!

*Hal Higdon offers this option http://www.halhigdon.com/training/
 
http://www.earned-runs.com/resources.html

SUMMER CHALLENGE II Run/Walk ACROSS AMERICA:
Start:  Memorial Day, May 29, at Astoria OR
Finish: Labor Day, September 5, at Portland ME
 
Rather not train all summer for yet another a long-distance race in the fall? Bored by running a mile every single day? Hoping to get your friends or children interested in running, walking, or cycling with you, and sharing a goal?
 
Take a VIRTUAL journey ACROSS AMERICA on foot (or bicycle), approximately 3600 miles long, in this challenge!  Enjoy the ‘sights’, learn the geography and history of parts of America you’ve may never have visited. Use this challenge to hold yourself to a fitness schedule of RUNNING, WALKING, and/or CYCLING all through the summer months. Earned Runs has created a calendar (see *acknowledgment) that involves committing to 2 to 3 sessions/week.
 
Participants will choose how they wish to “scale” the miles (1 real mile run/ walked = 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 100 miles on the map).  There is an itinerary chart that shows the distance to be traveled for each of 39 segments over 15 weeks by each scale calculation.
 
The scale system was created so that each person could run/walk the entire ‘distance’ according to their fitness level.  Persons of different abilities can participate in the challenge together, by each using a different scale.
 
Example:
Segment 1 takes travelers from Astoria OR to Portland OR. The actual distance on the map is roughly 100 miles. The distances participants can choose to run/walk for this challenge are:
 
- 10 miles (10:1 ratio; for every 10 miles on the map, you run/walk 1 mile)
        or
- 5 miles (20:1 ratio; for every 20 miles on the map, you run/walk 1 mile)
         or
- 3.3 miles (30:1 ratio; for every 30 miles on the map you run/walk 1 mile)
         or
- 2.5 miles (40:1 ratio; for every 40 miles on the map, you run/walk 1 mile)
         or
2 miles (50:1 ratio; for every 50 miles on the map, you run/walk 1 mile)
        or
- 1 mile (100:1 ratio; for every 100 miles on the map, you run/walk 1 mile)
 
Use Earned Runs bibs to record completion of each segment!
 
Each Sunday there will be a BLOG post about that week's segment, providing a bit of information on the ground to be covered. If YOU know the part of the country the challenge will be moving through, you can COMMENT, sharing your knowledge and expert insights with everyone else. If not, you might be inspired to research more deeply into the sights, topography, environment, people, and culture of that part of the trail.
 
Hopefully this challenge will work well for families, with children using a different scale than adults, as needed. Children of various ages can run/walk distances best suited to their fitness and ability to focus on the day’s goal. It may be that in some families it’s the parents who require the highest handicap!
 
This challenge is a simple way to visually chart progress made while exercising (running/walking or cycling) over the entire summer on a map across the continent.  The cumulative miles will allow ‘travel’ from west to east across the broad expanse of the northern United States, through different regions. It’s a fun way to learn more about what’s there!
 
Having a planned ‘itinerary’ provides structure to the summer’s running/walking or cycling fitness activity.. And the scale system makes it possible for each participant to choose how strenuous this ‘trip’ will be. The ACROSS AMERICA Calendar and Itinerary drafts ARE POSTED on the RESOURCES PAGE for you to preview. Check out the SEGMENT MAPS for weeks 1-3, also posted there, and free for download.
 
LAST YEAR: I took up this challenge in the summer of 2016 and started by running all my miles on the 10:1 scale. I was training for a race as well and doing the STREAK running. Eventually I found it easier and more enjoyable to walk some miles, if I could not get them covered by running, on certain days. This year I may try to cycle some of them.
 
It’s all about the JOURNEY in this challenge.
 
RUN HAPPY!

ACROSS AMERICA ITINERARY draft
ACROSS AMERICA CALENDAR draft
ACROSS AMERICA SEGMENT MAPS draft Weeks 1-3
 
NOTES:

1. Change the mile ratio as needed: don’t be shy about adjusting the scale you will follow as you go; start with one scale and drop down or move up to another if the effort is harder or easier, respectively, to fit into your schedule than you first imagined it would be.

 

1. Cover the miles RUNNING or WALKING exclusively, or a combination of both. Since this is a bicycle tour, you can cover the miles by CYCLING as well (on the road or in a studio) or a portion of them (see my experience above, in “LAST YEAR”). 

 
AKNOWLEDGEMENT: The route is an itinerary for a bicycle tour that’s been publically posted on the internet. The TREKTRAVEL company worked to develop it, and hosts the tour and many others.  Last year Earned Runs contacted the company through email to provide notification of our use of the plan. There was no response. The same attempt has been made this year as well.

http://trektravel.com/trip/cross-country-usa-bike-tour/

[Updated from May 22, 2016]
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PHYSICAL CHALLENGE THIS SUMMER? One that doesn’t involve training for a race because it’s what you do all other months of the year? A challenge that doesn’t require learning complicated workout routines? An activity that won’t strain your exercise budget? Are you a walker wanting to get into running on a very low level to test your body’s ability to handle the extra impact?
 
Try streak running!
 
The official website of the Streak Runners International, Inc. and US Running Streak Association, Inc., defines a running streak as the running of “at least one mile (1.61 kilometers) within each calendar day. Running may occur on either the roads, a track, over hill and dale, or on a treadmill.”
 
The CHALLENGE can be to run every day of the summer, from Memorial to Labor Day. Or whatever time span you choose.
 
You can become a member of this official organization, SRI/USRSA, for $20. The groups sell singlets and T-shirts through the website link, clearlybranded.com.
 
If you extend the challenge beyond the summer and streak for a full year you are eligible to have your name placed on the SRI/USRSA running streak list. And then on the retired list once you stop.
 
The website also links to an article by member John Strumsky, “Caution: The Dangers Of Streak Running”. It defends the activity, provides an opinion on minimum fitness requirements, and offers advice on how to remain a healthy runner despite the absence of running breaks.
 
Streak running was one of my summer challenges last year. I did it to experience what Earned Runs was asking of others who chose this goal.  Initially I did not like this daily run at all, and whined about it in blogs.  The most difficult aspect was fitting one mile in when traveling.  An early flight could mean leaving for the airport by 3 or 4 am. Upon arrival at my destination it might be late afternoon or evening before a change into running clothes/shoes was possible especially if a meeting was scheduled, and a run managed.
 
One night when returning home for a trip. I finished my mile just before the stroke of the clock at midnight. Then started the next day’s run because of a full schedule and more travel.  It was weird. BUT when one of those travel days was my undoing and I missed a run, thereby ending my streak weeks before Labor Day, I was so disappointed in myself.  I had not anticipated receiving a daily boost of pride, a sense of accomplishment, when that single goal was met. I very much missed it when this personal challenge was busted.
 
This year I started with the resolve not to complain and to look forward to a 1 mile run. March 22 was my first day.  Hopefully I’ll do better in the Summer of 2017 than 2016.
 
RUN HAPPY!

http://www.runeveryday.com/

http://www.runeveryday.com/news/TheDangersofStreakRunning.htm

www.clearlybranded.com/showrooms.htm

​IT’S SUMMER CHALLENGE PLANNING TIME
THE LAST MONDAY OF MAY is the Memorial Day Holiday, which marks the unofficial start of summer vacation season. The Northern Hemisphere is beginning a wonderful period of long and bright daylight hours and warm weather. Schools have dismissed or will be dismissing students for summer break or at least abbreviated summer sessions. Workplaces may be putting off regular meetings that interfere with weekends until after Labor Day. It’s a perfect time to adopt a more relaxed and fun approach to training.

Why stick with a year-round boring workout, running, or walking routine? Challenge yourself to try something new.  It needn’t be the most physically demanding feat of your life. Just different and a bit adventurous FOR YOU.

This week Earned Runs will be highlighting some activities in which you may be interested in participating.  Although Memorial Day is featured as the kick-off for these activities, May 29, might not be the best start date for you; plan your own schedule.

Here’s a preview; the first 3 on the list were challenges introduced in the summer of 2016.  The last activity is still in development:
- Streak running or walking 
- Run/walk Across America
- Run Your Fastest 5K
- TBA

If you have not yet requested FREE Earned Runs Bibs (you’ll receive 4), do so soon.  Bibs can be used to run/walk personally designed races, for training purposes, and for charting progress toward a challenge goal.  
Look for more information during this week.

RUN HAPPY!