To Your Health: One Mile + One Cup of Tea a Day

I can still remember the thought that crossed my mind somewhere around mile 23 of my first marathon…”I never want to run another mile, EVER, in my life.” Well, since I’ve touched down in the US, I’ve managed to cram in 21.71 miles in the last 6 days I’ve been back. I guess it seems like running is here to stay, for now!

When I got back to my apartment, the first piece of mail I read was my December Runner’s World Magazine. That’s where I came across the article about the Holiday Running Streak. It was largely fueled by the desire to keep a manageable running routine during the busy holiday season (between Thanksgiving and Christmas). The idea is to run at least 1 mile a day, everyday, until the New Year.

Sounds pretty manageable after logging so many intense weeks leading up to the marathon. So manageable, in fact, that my boyfriend — a non-runner! — has even joined in the challenge. I’ve told a few co-workers about it but none of them seem to have really taken to it (yet). Shant and I put a wager on it: he would paint my entire apartment if he loses. And, if I lost, I would paint my own apartment. Either way, my apartment wins I guess.

To sweeten the deal, he’s added one more component to our challenge: follow up the one run a day with a cup of tea a day. Seems pretty simple. Both of these challenges take up to 15 minutes a day. Seems like your health and longevity is worth it when boiled down to those bare requirements, right? One mile a day (walk/run/walk-run/cycle) and one cup of tea a day is pretty manageable.