How to Start Running. And Never Stop.

Last month we did an in-depth profile of two triathletes and their journey to Ironman. This month we profile an entirely different kind of performance athlete. It is a great contrast in how different people travel their path to performance.

David Ball has been running every day five years. Every day - without missing a single day. I had a chance to interview him about this amazing accomplishment this week.

When did you start your runstreak? What motivated you to start it?

I started my runstreak on January 5th 2009 and really was trying to only run 3 miles a day for 30 days straight. Thinking if I could do that, then I could be committed enough to join a gym. I never stopped and never joined a gym.

The motivation? Running is something that I could do to stay healthy. I had three small children and could not really control my eating habits as well as I wanted, working with their tastes and schedules. Running was easy to control and flexible. All I needed to do was to get up a half hour earlier and run 3 miles.

It seems so easy doesn’t it? Any tips for a beginner who is thinking about starting a run streak?

Open the door and run a mile today.

In the beginning you need a reachable goal, no yearlong routine that you are getting off the couch and running a marathon. You need to look as far as the end of the street, no further. The miracle of creating a running streak is that you will find a person within you that is motivated, and driven.

Choose to do it only 30 days, and at the end of the 30 look back and see how far you have come.

Everything else will come later, but today you begin running.

Everything else will come later, but today you begin running.

I've read the daily minimum is one mile. Can I start a run at 11:50 PM, run until 12:10 AM, and count it as two runs on those two days? Or is that cheating?

I count a day not by the calendar but from waking up to going to bed. So running at midnight in my opinion would only count for one. If I pulled an "allnighter" for work I would reconsider and probably run each of the days.

I did, knowing I would meet some friends for a drink one night take my running shoes, so I would not need a cab and ran home at 1am. That I did not count towards my streak, but was just an extra run. I ran after I woke the next morning.

My thought immediately goes to all the clothes you're constantly washing. How many shoes do you go through a year?

I'm not a huge gear runner. I try to go as minimal as possible, no water bottles, headphones, water belts, headbands etc. But shoes make all the difference. My current brand is Saucony Kinvara 4. I am now on my 8th pair of Kinvaras. I tend to run about 600 mile in a pair, so last year I went through about 3 to 4 pair of shoes.

I have a theory that the shoe has reached its limit when the laces begin to come untied during the run.

Are you only a runner, or are there other sports you participate in?

I used to mountain bike a lot as well as surf; now I surf occasionally and bike with my kids at the park. I do have a long-term goal of eventually become a triathlete as my family obligations begin to allow.

I’m sure that is a familiar aspiration for our readers. Do you have any sports role models you look up to?

I don’t have any that are role models but have been influenced lately by Marshall Ulrich’s book Running on Empty. It has motivated me to not use getting older as an excuse, and you are never too old to have big dreams and goals.

His book was documenting his experience running across the country to break the record of 44 days. I find myself thinking about his struggles at times when the weather conditions are terrible and the distance to run seems extremely long.

An amazing ambition. What was your initial goal?

The initial goal was to be healthier. I didn’t want to be the obese dad who couldn’t do things with his kids. The goals have been numerous and are constantly evolving. After a couple of months I learned from a friend that there was a term for people who run everyday: runstreak.

And then, did your goal change as you progressed?

I try to set a goal that is a little beyond my reach each year now. Last year I had a goal of running 2013 miles in 2013, which I reached in November. This year I have a similar one to reach 2014 miles, plus 4 marathons.

A goal I have tried to hit several times but have failed is to run 10 miles a day for 10 miles. But keep missing it due to fatigue and/or schedule.

Speaking of fatigue, are you doing any races? What distances? How does the runstreak factor in to training?

I love to race and started with 5ks and progressed to ½ marathons and marathons. I have done about 50 5k races, 4 ½-Marathons (all under 2 hours) and 2 sub 4:00 Marathons. I am planning to doing the Wrightsville Beach Marathon in March and the Rock n Roll Marathon in April in Raleigh.

The runstreak is a constant, I don’t dip below 3 miles a day. If I race, I count that as the run for the day. It is usually refreshing to race in order to have a change of pace and be around a lot of other runners.

Odd to think of a race as "refreshing". What is your typical weekly mileage / time (duration)?

Now to achieve 2014 miles, I am doing 6 miles a day with a longer run on Saturdays to train for upcoming marathons, last week I ran 51 miles.

Do you use a coach?

I don’t have a coach but do have several friends I run with, who motivate and swap stories concerning running nutrition, gear, apps, hydration etc. I think there is a great benefit to the knowledge base in the running community.

Definitely. Running year round is tough, how does the seasons and weather influence your runstreak? Vacations? Illness?

The interesting thing about the streak is that there is no excuses...

The interesting thing about the streak is that there is no excuses, it have become like brushing my teeth in the morning. However I have dealt with several days where I have been sick with a fever, but was out running before I realized how bad I felt. Last year I had bronchitis which was crippling to my run. But pushed through.

Vacations and travel for work: I get up earlier. I have gotten up at 4:30 to get the miles for the day. I usually map out the route for new cities before I arrive and sometimes drive the route to see how safe it will be running.

Still - in five years, running every single day, you must have some horror stories?

I have run from temps from 101 to 17 degrees, in the rain, ice, snow, tropical storm, thunderstorm and 30+ mile winds.

I have seen the sun rise on the beach in Nags Head, the new year’s parade from the top of a ship in Nassau, and cargo ships going out to sea.

I started a runstreak this January 1. It's been idea I've kicked around for a few years. One thing I noticed: I’m doing a LOT of treadmill runs!

On a cruise one time the running track was closed due to high winds, so I ran the treadmill in their gym. The seas were so rough that I almost lost my balance a couple of times. It was like using a treadmill on a waterbed. That was only one of three times I have run a treadmill in the last 5 years.

I once ran the track on a travelling cruise ship. Round and round across the ocean. A very interesting GPS route.

When you tell people you meet you've run every day for 5 years, what do they say?

I believe it is beyond many people’s comprehension when I tell them I have run everyday for over 5 years. Other runners seem more impressed and it’s a great conversation starter. I have recently found it helps motivate others to run. I have a friend who was struggling with a couple of personal crises and he began a runstreak that has lasted over a year so far.

One last question. When will this insanity end?

I hope to be running continuously until I am 100. It has totally changed my life and given me more experiences than I could have ever imagined 5 years ago.

David Ball has run every day for over five years. Read his thoughts about running and life on his blog www.runningeveryday.com.