So what are the chances?!?! That my 43rd birthday happens to fall on the 243rd day of this year. And my 243rd straight day of running. For Rodney.

3 Miles. Every Day. It started as 31 days and then the goal posts moved to 53 days after Rodney passed – one day for every year he was with us. Then I just said ‘Fukk it! How hard could it be to go every day for the whole year?!’ And it hasn’t been hard, per se, but it has been challenging. It’s taken me all over the world. It started in Thailand (where it’s going to end as well) and all throughout Asia and Europe and the US and A. I’ve run high up in the Swiss Alps, and down at Sea Levels. I’ve run through blazing heat topping 100 degrees and in literal blizzards. Through more jet lag and rain and puddles and sunshine and darkness, both literal and figurative. But I haven’t stopped.

I’ve been running through injuries – shin splints and plantar fasciitis – which has required me to change my running style. I’ve run with food poisoning which caused me to reshape my diet, and I’ve run with massive hangovers, which led me to just giving up booze altogether, and feeling much better all around because of it.

But by far the toughest thing I’ve had to run through is resistance. That devilish voice in the back of my head that tries to trick me out of getting out there and doing it. I’ve never met anybody who hasn’t had to battle resistance in one way or another. But all my favorite people in this world fight this fight valiantly every single day. Those are my friends. Those are my heroes.

So it’s taught me a lot about commitment. And stick-to-itiveness. And now I’ve gotten to the point where it’s not even a question of IF Im going to do it, it’s WHEN Im going to do it. And usually that’s first thing in the morning. I wake up, wherever I am, and start to shake the cobwebs out of my legs and feet. Those cobwebs are the only other constant I’ve had this year… No matter how much stretching, or rolling, or acupuncture or massage or Chinese herbs that I burn, I still wake up with creaky legs and feet every day. Which seems sort of fair give the pounding I’ve been putting on myself without any rest days. And on top of that addicting more and more miles and biking and swimming and triathlons to the mix just to keep things fresh…

But no matter what I just get up and do it. And after I do, I feel better for it. They say “The only bad run is the one you didn’t do.” And I believe that with all my heart, because every single day I feel better after the run than I did before. Which is what keeps me doing it day in and day out.

And every single day I think about Rockin Rodney Speed. All the good times we shared over the past 20+ years. And all the joy we brought each other. And how much his love means to me. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

123 days to go. At the outset 31 days seemed like it was going to be impossible. Now 123 days seems like it it’s gonna be too soon to stop. So who knows what will happen after that? I’ve got some ideas…. And they are all insane.

If there’s something you’ve been meaning to do, here I am, doing what I used to think was impossible. right out here in the open. And encouraging you to go for it. After all, What’s the Worst That Could Happen?!?! #WTWTCH #3For366