What's My Motivation?

Remember when I told you to get on Strava? You might want to reconsider after reading this post. I signed up to do the Strava 100 Running Challenge, which involves running 100 miles in 28 days. I signed up for the challenge on October 17 and two days later, I got sick, and I have yet to fully get back to my 100% self. The delay in my recovery might be due in part to me trying to sneak in runs before I am completely healthy, all for the sake of this damn challenge. My original intent was to run massive miles and make it to the top of the leader board for miles run. But once I got sick, I saw guys and gals pass me by and leave me in their dust. As I browsed through the list of runners and their mileage, I realized that it took at minimum, 9 runs to reach 100 miles. I decided that if I couldn't be #1 for miles run, I could be the leader for most miles in the fewest runs.

On Monday, the plan was to run a 20-miler to make it 76 miles in five runs. I was pumped to do this run, putting me in better position to hit 100 miles in six or seven runs, the fewest of any runner. However, my Garmin was not cooperating, and it would not turn on. And I found myself asking, "Do I still run?" This shift in motivation caused me to ask myself even deeper questions. Am I running for myself or am I running for Strava data? Am I only running to protect my reputation on Strava? Had I become a Strava junkie? I sought advice and many of you said to just run free of data, to run for myself. Well, I set out to run for myself and I guess I'm only worth 7 miles, albeit it was 7 miles at a pretty fast clip. The next day, I got my Garmin to work again, and having it strapped to my wrist, I ran 18.6 miles. So you tell me, am I a Strava junkie?