When RED January (Run Every Day January) started, way back when in 2016, it was an amazing experience for me, year after year I returned, roped in new friends. I even did a few photo shoots, which was super fun and got to join Red January founder, Hannah, on stage at the Happy Festival to talk about running and mental health. 

But then all of a sudden I fell out of love with RED January. It is what it is, it happens right!? RED January continues to grow and develop, and if we don’t grow and change what is the point. Everyone chooses a path and RED January choses it’s own path, whether I liked it or not. Contrary to how this post has started out, the purposed isn’t to bash RED January though… so stay with me.

In recent years, I did try to do the, Something Everyday January, committing to stretching, or strength workouts, but nothing quite had the sticking power that a 1-month long run streak does. So inevitably I always fell off the bandwagon, with no huge community of run streakers around me, nothing to be held accountable to, nothing to strive for, and in turn, nothing to feel accomplishment at having completed it.

This year I decided that I did want to do a traditional Run Every Day January, and run every day. I set myself a simple target, minimum 1 mile a day, but no matter what I had to run. So on days when I didn’t have a London Marathon training run in, I committed to a 1 mile little run anyways. Even at the end of my days in the office, where I cycle commute, I’d come home and drop my bike and do 3 laps around the block. My lovely coach, who isn’t a huge fan of run streaks, even popped my little 1 mile runs into my training plan, which was immensely satisfying to see them getting ticked off.

I’ve been dogmatic about it, except for 1 day when I was literally too poorly to even lift my head off the sofa, and I have run everyday day. I’ve been putting huge numbers on all my instagram posts, so I am truly accountable to my followers, not that anyone really cares, and possibly people find it annoying. At least it is something, another way to visually tick off of another day.

It feels a lonelier journey than it did in those early heady years of RED January with MIND charity, and campaigning for better mental health and the benefits of running. But it is my journey this year. I feel ownership of it, as my little personal thing that I am doing for myself. As it turns out I will run tomorrow, on the 1st of Feb, I have a training run planned, so it feels like I will be able to complete the 31 days of running. So I guess I will be making up the day that I missed in the middle of the month after all.

Have you done a run streak or RED January? Do you love running everyday? I’ve love to hear your thoughts.