How Was Your Run Today? The Podcast presents: HWYRT 31 Days of August Challenge

August 1 (and every day) The month begins with the two activities that we’ll do every day.

Run/walk at least 1 mile each day (can be part of an already scheduled workout or training plan)
Begin a run log/journal.
- Every day log your mileage, time, weather, and temperature, and how the run felt.
- Add more information. How did you sleep and eat the day before or the day of? What else is going on?
- Reflect on the activities that you are doing as part of this challenge.

Week 1 (8/2 – 8/8) Do each of the following at least once during the week. Repeat those you enjoyed or those that challenged you the most.

Learn and do SAM Phase 1 Easy.
Drink enough water. One guide is to take your weight in pounds and drink half that number in ounces. For example, a person weighing 200 lbs. would drink 100 oz.
Add strides to the end of a run.
Do a run in a place or at a time you don’t normally do: the track, the woods, on hills, in the morning, in the evening, etc.
Watch a video or film about running.

Week 2 (8/9 – 8/15) Do each of the following at least once during the week. Repeat those you enjoyed or those that challenged you the most.

Learn and do SAM Phase 1 Hard.
Sleep or just stay in bed without distraction for 8 hours.
Complete and time a 5K.
Find a set of post-run stretches or a foam rolling routine and do it.
Review and edit your running gear—clothes, shoes, hats, masks, hydration, etc. What needs to go? What needs to be replaced? What is on your wish list?

Week 3 (8/16 – 8/22) Do each of the following at least once during the week. Repeat those you enjoyed or those that challenged you the most.

Learn and do SAM Phase 2 Easy.
Learn about strength training for runners. Learn 3 or 4 exercises and try them out. Don’t overdo it. There are loads of resources in books, magazines and – duh – online. Almost every issue of Runner’s World includes them. You could also try joining a virtual November Project workout. On Wednesday mornings, a live workout (on Zoom) is available at 6:30am in every U.S. time zone. (Find a local November Project city on Instagram for more info.)
Review your running goals. Set a goal for the remainder of 2020. This can be a virtual race or to just to run further than you have since 2019. Whatever the goal, decide the steps you need to take to achieve it and put them on the calendar.
Call someone in your life who you would normally talk to only on their birthday or a holiday.
Discover a new running related book, magazine, or online resource and read it!

Week 4 (8/23 – 8/29) Do each of the following at least once during the week. Repeat those you enjoyed or those that challenged you the most.

Learn and do SAM Phase 2 Hard.
Complete and time a 5K. Compare the experience to Week 2.
Use social media to reach out to a runner you admire and tell them—use the public comments or DM.
Test out a new running-related food, recipe, nutrition, fuel, etc. With no races on the calendar, this is the perfect time to experiment. Never tried a GU/Skratch/Tailwind/Maurten before? Go for it! Or try replacing packaged run fuel with avocado. How about Peter’s preferred cashews and Fig Newtons? Are you a salty sweater? Then try Bryan’s drag-a-dill-pickle-through-kosher-salt sodium replacement therapy.
In your Run Log, answer the question: "Why do I run?"

"The Smidge"

August 30 – Spend an introspective hour. Dedicate a full hour to movement, either walking or running, with no communication with another person and no distractions, including your phone, music, etc.
August 31 – Send HWYRT a voice memo describing your August Challenge experience. Please keep it to 90 seconds and send it to howwasyourruntoday@gmail.com

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