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- 🏃🏻♂️ Lessons on habits from a daily marathon runner | AWIP #73
🏃🏻♂️ Lessons on habits from a daily marathon runner | AWIP #73
Aaron Robinson has ran a marathon EVERY day in 2023. Here's what he's learned.
Jake Wharmby
March 12, 2023
Hello!
Let me introduce you to Aaron Robinson. He’s ran a marathon every day in 2023 with his 2 border collies. 26.2 miles for 71 consecutive days. What???
He gave a great interview to the Guardian a few weeks ago, and it goes without saying there is a looooot to learn from this man’s incredible strength, consistency and determination when it comes ton habit formation.
Here’s 5 of the best lessons he has learned while running a marathon every day - and don’t forget to subscribe!
⚡️ Keep a habit going by removing friction
“I do exactly the same thing each night. It’s definitely a lot easier.”
He continues:
“There’s a lot of energy in working out where to go. Sometimes we go a different way but I don’t really want to get lost when it’s 4am.”
Removing the decision making element means one less element that can get in the way of your habit. And it’s often the case that thinking about doing something is actually harder than just doing it.
🙅🏻♂️ Don’t give yourself another option
“I never have a choice. I never think: do I do it today, or do I not? I have to get up.”
Sometimes, removing the option to not do something is the easiest way to stay on the right path. Treating a habit as non-negotiable is a great way to focus and stay consistent. In fact, Aaron reckons his daily marathons would be harder to stick to if they were three/four sessions a week, rather than weekly.
It would be harder to stick to, he thinks, if he set himself the challenge of running three or four marathons a week as opposed to there being no days off.
🏁 The hardest part is just starting
“Once you’re there, and you’ve run the first mile or two, it’s actually fine. The hardest part is just starting.”
Making that first step takes the most effort, but once the wheels are turning and you can gain some momentum, habit forming gets easier.
🛌 Prioritise sleep
Long term subscribers know this is a Wharmby special. Aaron says sleep is one of the most important aspects of his health and always aims for at least eight hours. He clocks off at 7pm - despite being bad for his social life - but the pay off is so worth it.
“[Sleep is] probably the No 1 factor in how well I’ll perform. I’ve had 10 hours of sleep twice and both those times I got the fastest times afterwards.”
How’s that for a great bit of empirical evidence?
Ultimately, sleep is the foundation of all health and happiness. It would be the most prescribed drug on Earth if we could bottle it up, and when you’re not feeling yourself, it should be the first thing you prioritise.
🤝 Don’t do it alone
“If you arrange to meet somebody, you don’t want to let them down. So find a friend to go out for a run with”.
Accountability is a very powerful tool when taken advantage of. Committing with someone to form a specific habit, like running, gives you another reason to stick to it, as you don’t want to let the other person down. Accountability can come in many forms:
Working with a friend
Joining a club
Regularly posting about it on social media
If a person manages to run a marathon everyday, chances are we should listen to what they have to say. And clearly this is true - Aaron shared lots of great wisdom that we can all learn from.
This week I'm: ⬇️
📺 Watching Clarkson’s Farm S2 - already as good as the previous series! Huge recommendation
🕺🏻 Going to see Salute and Yung Singh next week - very exciting
🎧 Listening to Michael Pollan’s all things crazy plants follow up book - This is Your Mind on Plants
☀️ Happy that today’s sunset was 6PM
🏃🏻♂️ Getting back into running (still)
🛫 Heading to Spain in just over a week - well needed!
📹 Recommending you watch this video by the 🐐 Matt D’Avella on 9 great book recommendations
💬 And finally, a quote
Look at what takes up your time and see what is worth doing and what is not. Think about what provides enjoyment, connectivity, a sense of fulfilment, and what, when you look back, will have been a waste of time or stifled you.
Thanks!
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