1 day down, 364 to go

Maybe I’m having an early midlife crisis.

I recently decided that for the last year of my 20s, I should probably do something epic. I didn’t know what that should be, so I asked for suggestions on my DailyMile, Facebook and Twitter profiles.

I heard a variety of ideas, from entering the Hood To Coast relay to running 29 marathons to doing a 50K race. They all sounded appealing, but my birthday was coming up fast, and I had to decide on something.

In the end I went with Jim‘s suggestion to start a run streak and drink a beer each day. This was straightforward and required the least amount of planning and financial commitment. It also leaves the door open for a marathon, ultra or something else special during the course of the year.

I jumped in and got started right away, beginning with mile repeats on the track and Abita Save Our Shore afterward. My 365 day journey was off and running. And drinking.

So why am I doing this? The past year has been so insane, I needed something to follow it. My daughter arrived, our house was flooded, and our house was saved. I feel like I need a victory lap of sorts for surviving.

People have asked me if I have any parameters for the streak. The answer is, not really. As long as I run a mile a day, I’ll be happy. So far I’ve run between 3 and 11 miles on each of my first nine days into the streak.

I can’t say that I feel too much different from when I started a week and a half ago. The biggest thing is it takes away your excuses. Whereas before I would just take a day off if I was feeling lazy, that’s no longer an option. It forces you to be accountable.

Are there any beers I need to make sure to try or race I should check out in the next 365 days? I have 356 days to go, and I’m open to all suggestions.