Meet Kristen and her adorable mini warriors! Stroller Warriors around the world are jumping in on a streaking challenge to run at least 1 mile DAILY. Often streaking starts out as a one-month challenge hosted by a chapter. Many Stroller Warriors, however, are finding they enjoy the streaking lifestyle and are sticking with it! Kristen S. is likely to blame as the mother runner who started streaking for the Stroller Warriors. I know the first time I ever heard of run-streaking was from her and her group of Stroller Warriors in Lakenheath!
In 2014 Kristen decided to take part in the Runners World Thanksgiving to New Year Streaking Challenge. Little did she know she was going to get hooked. Kristen ended up running 1,223 days IN A ROW! That’s close to 3.5 years!! Through the course of her streak Kristen ran in 4 Countries and 10 different States. As you can probably imagine, she has run in all types of weather from sunshine to rain and snow to a hurricane.
What advice does Kristen have for you on streaking? “My advice is, do it!!! Even if it’s only a few days or you end up going 3 years like I did. Knowing you can achieve it is amazing!!”
In 2014 Kristen decided to take part in the Runners World Thanksgiving to New Year Streaking Challenge. Little did she know she was going to get hooked. Kristen ended up running 1,223 days IN A ROW! That’s close to 3.5 years!! Through the course of her streak Kristen ran in 4 Countries and 10 different States. As you can probably imagine, she has run in all types of weather from sunshine to rain and snow to a hurricane.
What advice does Kristen have for you on streaking? “My advice is, do it!!! Even if it’s only a few days or you end up going 3 years like I did. Knowing you can achieve it is amazing!!”
Bad weather doesn't scare Kristen! She'll run anyway! Kristen really put her dedication to the test during her running streak. She has run in a truck parking lot at 11:30pm carrying a crying child, while on the way to a marathon. She has run a mile in her hotel room in Malta in her pajamas. She ran on a visit to Charleston while playing Pokémon go. She ran her first 50k and also the day after, limping through the parking lot. She has run everything from 1 mile to 36 miles, Countless 5ks, 10ks, half marathons and full marathons. Kristen says it got to the point where she remembered to run better than she remembered to floss. Often, her husband would drop her one mile from home and she’d run home in order to keep her streak alive.
The craziest mile Kristen says she ever ran was, “also her creepiest mile, in a creepy caravan park [they] were staying in the night before the Portsmouth Marathon.”
The craziest mile Kristen says she ever ran was, “also her creepiest mile, in a creepy caravan park [they] were staying in the night before the Portsmouth Marathon.”
Kristen playing Pokemon go while streaking! Kristen isn’t the only Stroller Warrior who is streaking. Lindsay S. started streaking with the Stroller Warriors of Quantico when they did a Thanksgiving to Christmas streaking challenge in the hope of keeping their members engaged and active. Lindsay says the running streak appealed to her because, “It sounded like a great way to stay motivated over the holiday and cold weather. I would tell myself it’s only a mile, but then it would push me to keep running on some of those days that I didn’t feel like running.” She continued running past the 40 days the chapter was streaking and ran 151 days because, “It became a new goal for me. Could I make 100 days? Could I make 150 days? I had other Stroller Warriors continuing the streak with me too so I had a lot of support and accountability.”
Often, Stroller Warriors chapters are making streaking exciting and fun by adding in a bingo challenge where you try to cross off various things during a run, like running with a dog (it can be a borrowed dog!) or a “Joey mile” where you run with every single possession of Stroller Warriors clothing that you own. The photos of Joey miles are often quite hilarious!
Often, Stroller Warriors chapters are making streaking exciting and fun by adding in a bingo challenge where you try to cross off various things during a run, like running with a dog (it can be a borrowed dog!) or a “Joey mile” where you run with every single possession of Stroller Warriors clothing that you own. The photos of Joey miles are often quite hilarious!
Kristen streaking with the Stroller Warriors If you haven’t done a run streak, I encourage you to give it a go. However, keep in mind these important lessons:
Lessons learned while streaking:
1. It is possible to streak in regular clothes, regular shoes, no shoes, sports bra over regular clothes, etc. You might look silly but you’ll get the mile done!
2. Cross training is important. You need cross training to be a good runner. You need cross training to be injury free. Don’t neglect your cross training to do a running streak or you’ll end up sorry.
3. It can be hard to stop at 1 mile or at X number of days. MANY of the Stroller Warriors streakers that I talk to have reported that it’s often hard to stop running at 1 mile. Once they get past the first mile they keep going. They also report that once they start streaking they can't stop and even when they've reached their first, second or third streaking goal they are still sad if they have to stop their streak.
4. Rest days are needed. Maybe even rest weeks! When you’re ‘resting’ during a streak it means just running 1 mile that day (or that week). Don’t keep going to rack up more mileage for runopoly.
5. Foam rolling is probably more important than ever to help break up muscle adhesions and helping your muscles keep or get back their full range of motion.
6. Sleep when you can! Naps are okay. Naps while driving on the highway are not okay. Take extra rest when you can to try and help your body reload and recover from the extra work you’re putting in.
7. Streaking can help you not take running so seriously. It can also help you to share the joy of running with your kids or family. When a training schedule dictates a certain mileage or a certain pace it can be easy to leave the kids on bikes and scooters home so you aren’t slowed down or burdened by tag-alongs. Streaking will teach you the joy that comes with doing a mile with your kids. 1 mile may be the perfect distance for your kids, and when your goal is just a mile, the pace doesn’t matter. The kids can grab their bikes and loop the neighborhood with you or jump on the path to check out the ‘secret pathway’ through the trees. Streaking can open up an opportunity for kid-led runs where the distance and pace are completely set by them.
Lessons learned while streaking:
1. It is possible to streak in regular clothes, regular shoes, no shoes, sports bra over regular clothes, etc. You might look silly but you’ll get the mile done!
2. Cross training is important. You need cross training to be a good runner. You need cross training to be injury free. Don’t neglect your cross training to do a running streak or you’ll end up sorry.
3. It can be hard to stop at 1 mile or at X number of days. MANY of the Stroller Warriors streakers that I talk to have reported that it’s often hard to stop running at 1 mile. Once they get past the first mile they keep going. They also report that once they start streaking they can't stop and even when they've reached their first, second or third streaking goal they are still sad if they have to stop their streak.
4. Rest days are needed. Maybe even rest weeks! When you’re ‘resting’ during a streak it means just running 1 mile that day (or that week). Don’t keep going to rack up more mileage for runopoly.
5. Foam rolling is probably more important than ever to help break up muscle adhesions and helping your muscles keep or get back their full range of motion.
6. Sleep when you can! Naps are okay. Naps while driving on the highway are not okay. Take extra rest when you can to try and help your body reload and recover from the extra work you’re putting in.
7. Streaking can help you not take running so seriously. It can also help you to share the joy of running with your kids or family. When a training schedule dictates a certain mileage or a certain pace it can be easy to leave the kids on bikes and scooters home so you aren’t slowed down or burdened by tag-alongs. Streaking will teach you the joy that comes with doing a mile with your kids. 1 mile may be the perfect distance for your kids, and when your goal is just a mile, the pace doesn’t matter. The kids can grab their bikes and loop the neighborhood with you or jump on the path to check out the ‘secret pathway’ through the trees. Streaking can open up an opportunity for kid-led runs where the distance and pace are completely set by them.
Kristen streaking with her mini warriors Streaking can lead to a lot of lessons learned and confidence built. However, you’ll never know if you don’t try.
Have you ever done a run streak? Tell us about it! How many days did you streak? What made you want to do it? What lessons did you learn along the way?
Have you ever done a run streak? Tell us about it! How many days did you streak? What made you want to do it? What lessons did you learn along the way?
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