Today begins the most popular of the "Challenges" appearing on Slowtwitch. It's the 9th year of the "100/100," our crowd-pressure tactic urging you toward running 100 sessions in 100 days, or as close to it as we each can get. The goal of this Challenge is to accumulate running miles through frequency. Frequency is the metric we're interested in.
It's not a training plan, it is a Challenge. Use it to motivate you, but step away from it when you really need rest. Chase the spreadsheet when you need a spark, don't even open the spreadsheet when you're overtired.
Since triathlon's inception athletes have been congregating into enclaves, forming a critical mass of athletes to push each other in training. First it was San Diego, then Boulder. Slowtwitch Challenges are our attempts to bring the enclave to you. Adhering to tradition, on December 15th we commence a long virtual camp with all the rules described in our Reader Forum. You can also sign up for the the 100/100 by clicking the "Join Challenge" link.
You must run 30 minutes in a day to generate one accomplished run. You can run longer than that but it's still just one run. Shorter than 30 minutes does not register a session. More rules are in the thread linked to above.
While some athletes will actually run 100 times in 100 days, most of us will run fewer. There are levels for 90, 80 and 70 runs. There is no cost other than some miles on your legs. If you are able to participate in the Reader Forum thread and share your experiences, like any training camp, this adds to the value for everyone. We'll also host a few coaches on the thread to answer your questions. They might kick you out the door and tell you to train harder, but more than likely will tell you to hold back if you go over the top. Stories, pictures and a bit of smack talk and friendly competition are also welcome. Happy and safe training and welcome aboard.
Devashish Paul is Slowtwitch.com lifestyle contributor based in Ottawa Canada and has been managing this 100/100 Challenge now for 9 years. Dev is a 27-time IM finisher and is using this challenge to build his run base for the Ironman 70.3 World's in Austria.
