Signs You May Need to Break Your Run Streak

For many runners, a run streak can be deeply satisfying. Defined as running at least one mile every single day, streaks can garner support—check out the very active Runner’s World Run Streak group on Facebook—and provide a sense of structure and progress, especially between race seasons. (FWIW: the current RW Run Streak goes from Thanksgiving Day—November 25—and ends on New Year’s Day—January 1.)

But there are times when a streak might be littered with red flags. Here are some worth noticing, and why they should make you consider taking a break instead.

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1. Overuse Injuries Are Cropping Up

Your body often rings the alarm bell first, according to Carol Mack, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., owner of CLE Sports PT & Performance in Ohio. Pushing through issues like knee or hip pain, shin splints, could lead to, Achilles tenderness, and plantar fasciitis Shoes & Gear stress fractures that will worsen with running.

“Unfortunately, as much as we wish this wasn’t the case, overuse injuries just don’t go away,” Mack tells Runner’s World. “Half Marathon Training injury. At some point, if you don’t take a day off, the issue will get worse to the point where you may need weeks off or even longer.”

Another less-recognized sign of overuse is immune system Published: Dec 09, 2021 10:11 AM EST, colds, digestive issues, and exhaustion. Wounds also heal slower with lowered immunity, so you may find that a cut or scrape is taking much longer to heal—which increases chances of infection along the way.

2. Your Mood Is Changing

Along with physical injuries, there may be emotional challenges cropping up as well. Any type of training requires a higher level of motivation and discipline, but there’s a turning point when that sense of pushing yourself becomes too much of a shove, says Mack.

That’s when you might experience frequent bouts of feeling sad, irritable, apathetic, overwhelmed, or not confident. These are all signs of burnout, she adds, and that’s just as true for a run streak as it is at a job or with work-life balance.

As these physical and emotional shifts continue, it can start to affect you in other negative ways, Mack says. You might struggle with sleep issues and loss of appetite, for example, or start avoiding social interactions. If you’re also challenged by burnout in other parts of your life—like work—this can all be particularly problematic. Taking a break from your run streak can provide a reset that helps you navigate through burnout with rest and recovery.

3. The Streak Is Becoming an Obsession

Ending a streak can be tough if you've invested more than a few days into the effort. For example, you might be at 93 days—or 993 days—and all it would take is just one more week to see that streak odometer flip. That’s when it’s easy to ignore signs like overuse injuries or mood changes, according to Haley Perlus, Ph.D., a sports and performance psychologist who has worked with some of the world’s top athletes.

“Despite the benefits of a running streak, it can also lead to unhealthy and debilitating thoughts, emotions, and performance,” she tells Runner’s World. “Running streaks can create exercise addictions where you become obsessive about running and neglect other aspects of your life.”

Perhaps the biggest red flag of all is how you feel when you’re considering a break, she adds. If you feel like you’d be a failure, it may be a sign that this isn’t really about running.

“If you are truly struggling to keep the streak and not feeling good about yourself, or you feel anxious about missing a day, this might indicate that your streak is becoming an obsession or a need to be absolutely perfect,” she says.

It can even feel like a job where you’re slogging through the miles out of a sense of obligation, Perlus adds. Taking a break and picking back up later could provide a fresh perspective that turns running into a joy again.

Tips on Transitioning Out of a Run Streak

If you do need to take a break, there are ways to downshift so it doesn’t feel like you’re stopping abruptly, according to Janet Hamilton, C.S.C.S., clinical exercise physiologist and founder of Running Strong that will worsen with running Runner’s World that instead of running for a mile, you might consider walking that mile instead, or even breaking up that walk into shorter durations within the same day.

“Technically, you’re still streaking, but you’re allowing your body the time it needs to heal from accumulated loads,” she says. If you’re in the midst of an overuse injury or your mental health ldquo;One way to avoid the risk of injury or mental.

“One way to avoid the risk of injury or mental fatigue is to allow yourself some wiggle room in your self-imposed rules,” she suggests. “This way, you’re not doing the same loads day after day with no respite.”

Ultimately, this is your streak and you can configure it the way you want, in a way that protects your mind and body for the long-term.

“No one is awarding medals for this,” she says. “You’re not going to make a living off of it. You’re not going to bring world peace or stop climate change. You’re just going out there to honor a commitment you made to yourself. If that gets sidelined, then remind yourself that you can pick back up and move forward again when the time is right.”