Setting Goals: My Jog Through June Challenge
I’ve been thinking a lot about fall and winter this year. Not only will the days once again grow shorter, but with the colder weather and rainier environment, flu season will be upon us.
If living through quarantine and my father’s COVID19 near-death experience has taught me anything, it’s to take advantage of things when you have them. It’s only when you can no longer go to a café with friends that you realize the beauty of those moments.
So, with the long summer days and warmer weather, I decided to kick my jogging into high gear.
I missed out on Mile High May, so I decided to create my own challenge in June.
#JogThroughJune
The idea is that I’ll jog every day in the month of June. I didn’t want to give myself a mile goal because I wanted this challenge to be more about getting outside, getting my heart rate up, and appreciating the fact that I could jog more while working from home (no commute = the perfect time to go for a jog).
So, the idea is that I jog every single day. This can be as short as five minutes and as long as two hours (or more if I ever get to that point).
Here we are on June 14th. So far, it’s been fairly good. There are definitely days when I don’t feel like going for a jog. A nice 20-minute yoga session sounds a lot better (or watching an episode of Big Living in a Tiny House on YouTube). But, because I have this goal in place, I’ve forced myself outside for at least five minutes. And, of course, in the end, I always feel so much better than I did before I left my apartment!
There’s only been one day that I missed due to a migraine. I weighed my options and knew it was much better to just lay down, drink water, and rest my body. The goal is to get outside more often and live healthier, not force myself to do something that will actually be bad for my health.
What I’ve loved most about this challenge is that it’s taken me to places I totally forgot about in the city.
Since I love nature, wildlife, and hiking, I’ve really missed both of those things during the quarantine. I don’t have a car, so I haven’t been able to take any trips into the mountains.
Luckily for me, I live in San Francisco. There are seals who yelp down by the wharf and giant trees that grow taller than my eyes can see in the Presidio. I actually cried when I first ran to the Presidio and found myself on one of their hiking trails. It had been so long since I’d been amongst trees in that way.
I also had fun running back to my old neighborhood where my good friends still live. I stopped halfway through my run to say hello. Standing outside their window felt so silly but it was also really nice to be back in that neighborhood and to see them.
I’m planning on making a full video recap of this #jogthroughjune experiment. You can also follow along on my Instagram (@arealityofsorts).
