I honestly believed that “a 5k a day would keep the doctor away.” Why else would I torture myself first thing every morning? In the past, I would go in for my annual checkup and this was the only exposure I had to white coats. However, in the last few years this has increased to probably one a month – blood tests, preventative shots, neurologists, urologists, physicians, cardiologists, chiropractors, PAs, nurses. I also have a special glow about myself after cat scans, x-rays, and now an upcoming heart catheterization. My “best shot” anymore is solely related to flu, covid, shingles, and pneumonia! More importantly, I’m learning how to properly spell and even pronounce all these medical terms. 

Running might be keeping some weight off, so I look good on the outside, but my insides are a mess. Like any addiction, good or bad, I know that if I stop, I may never be able to start again. I feel threatened that my running streak of now 5,376 consecutive days may be jeopardized by upcoming surgery. Then, my only streak would be Wordle, now at 145 straight solves. In a sense, this is a relief, knowing that I would not have to wake up with a feeling of regret, followed by sweat, strain, and breathlessness. I would finally make it to the finish line, without the next day to worry about. 

Running has been my primary motivation for getting up in the morning for the last 15-years. Before that, it was races, marathons, serious training, and topping personal bests. With the streak, it was all about just doing it every day – time, speed, and distance supposedly didn’t matter. However, I was all too conscious, even embarrassed, that I couldn’t go faster and farther anymore. Plus, the Florida heat started to bother me, so 5k has become 2.1 miles. Fast walkers were starting to pass me and good runners left me in the dust. I was simply going through the motions. 

Like everything else in life, if the streak ends, I will deal with it and probably find a better alternative. I salute those that have somehow fought off all adversity and made it to fifty years, forty, thirty, and even twenty years of running every day. It’s also a major accomplishment to do it that first full year! As a lifetime member of the United States Streak Running Association, I read the articles about these phenomenal achievements and also the stories about injuries, surgeries, travel, weather, and even forgetfulness that prevent a streak from continuing. There are sadly those that don’t get up the next morning and many that have simply started a new streak. I’m just not sure at my age that I want to, especially since, like a bad apple, it’s no longer keeping the doctor away.