A year of running

How do you run for 365 days? i.e.; run every single day of the year; Surreal!! Just over a year ago, Vatsal Patel committed himself to run every single day for a whole year. Whilst this proved to be quite a challenge on occasions, it taught him that if you are absolutely committed to something then you will always find a way.

Today Mr. Patel completes his journey of 365 days of running. Started in April 28,2018 he ran approximately 2000 km, an average of 5.45 km per day and covered places in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Udaipur, Mount abu and Singapore.
Mr. Vatsal tells about his amazing journey in his own words.

In a twelve-month period, you are going to hit all sorts of temptations and obstacles – Festivals, New Year, illness, holidays, travelling etc. All these things can tempt you to say you will take a day off but, as soon as you do that, you leave yourself vulnerable to another day and then another day.
Running 365 days in a row has been a surprisingly easy goal to accomplish. Habit has carried me a long way. Ultimately, running became a routine as taking a shower and as much a part of my weekly planning.

Commitment and Consistency

I was stunned how easily we break promises we give to ourselves compared to the ones we give to others. By dedicating myself to running every single day for a full year I was creating an identity in my own mind of who I am and what I do. This dedication told me that, no matter what hurdles might get in my way, I was 100% committed to my health because it became such an important part of my life.

Physical challenges

Physically I learned a couple of interesting things about myself. I have been extremely lucky. I’ve haven’t been ill. I haven’t had any major injuries. Some small aches here and there, but nothing which would last for more than 3 days. I think I’ve just been lucky. At 37 years old I can now comfortably run further than I have ever run in my life. And it was all built up from consistent practice and training my body to do things that I had never asked of it before.
Secondly, I got a little faster even though this was never one of my goals. I would much prefer to add on an extra mile to a run than do the whole run faster. The consistent movement made my body more efficient and without really trying I started to move a little faster anyway.

What I learned about myself?

When you are trying to exercise for 365 consecutive days there are bound to be times when this is quite challenging. You may not feel well, you may be busy, you may be travelling, or many other things may be going on. But because I had a target that I must hit then I was always looking to find a way. I have become a more determined and persistent person. 
I discovered I’ve almost never felt down or demotivated after a run. When I’ve gone outside and pushed myself a little, without exceptions I have always felt amazing after. Especially in the mornings; a perfect start of the day is guaranteed! It must be a life hack.

Find a time that works for you

Early mornings are best for me because it not only feels great, but it gets it out of the way so that I am not worrying about whether I will have time to exercise later. It also gives me a great sense of accomplishment as I start the rest of my day. Before anyone else is around I can just dedicate this time to me, no concerns about taking up anyone else’s time, or feeling guilty about doing what I want to do. If I leave it for the evening, and something happens during the day that is out of my control, time may just get sucked away.

Life is too short not to do something fascinating all the time. For now, I don’t know what’s the next big thing. But until I figure it out, I might just continue running.

Also, TRUEREVO has been a great partner in my journey. Majority of the days I ran in TRUEREVO T-shirt and I loved the quality of the fabric. It was very comfortable during summers also, as it dried up really fast. Also, TRUEREVO running shorts have been my savior as I am a working professional and cannot compromise on my Work-front. On most days, I carried my phone in the special phone pocket of the TRUEREVO’s Smart phone shorts (SPS) & during my run I never even realized the phone was there. Also on the odd days that I started very early or had a nigh run, the reflective details rally helped keep me visible.

“We thank Mr Patel for his time and that he shared his experience and journey with us”