Reading Time: 4 minutes

March 15th, 2020

How to Reach 1000 KM in Less Than a Year

by Jeannette Boudreau, Ontario

Today is Sunday, March 15th. We are ten weeks into 2020! Some of you may be wondering if you could ever reach 1000 KM in less than one year. Some of you may not have begun this challenge yet or may feel defeated by such a significant number. Many may also feel discouraged to see so many participants on the leaderboard reaching 1000 KM already.

Is 1000 KM even possible if you started today?

The best way to answer this question is: Anything is possible! You will never know what your body is capable of achieving unless you try.

Anything is possible if you put your mind to something. A goal is defined as what one intends to accomplish or attain: ambition, desire, aim, results. (source) Goals are made to be achieved. They give us purpose. If you want something bad enough, you can get it! If you want to reach 1000 KM in 2020, you can!

Let’s crunch down some numbers!

You have a certain amount of days to do this challenge. There are 292 days left in 2020! Setting a goal to complete 1000 KM this year will require you to make time for yourself first.

To reach 1000 KM starting tomorrow, you would have to commit to doing approximately 3.44 km per day. This averages out to less than 25 km per week! There are still 42 weeks in the year!! Here are a few different scenarios for you to choose from:

You can walk, jog, or run (or combine):

• 5 km 5 times per week
• 1-10 km long and 3-5 km short per week
• 2-10 km long and 1-5km short per week
• 3.44 km per day for the rest of the year

There are so many endless possibilities and ways for you to reach this goal! When you want something bad enough, you can achieve it! Get a calendar ready!! Write your goals down and start reaching them!

3 ways to reach 1000 km in less than 1 year

Make a commitment today

Committing to reach a goal like this is going to take a lot of work and perseverance. Let’s face it. It won’t happen overnight. You’re not going to see the numbers miraculously jump from ninety-nine to one thousand. You have to start slowly. Set an achievable goal for the week. Set some time for yourself into your schedule and persevere to achieve that goal. Don’t deviate from your own time. You are important too. Commit to yourself and reach your weekly or monthly goal, no matter what! Stay accountable every single day. Log your kilometers on our Leaderboard. Post in our Facebook group. Be a part of our amazing movement! Find friends and family that will help you stay on track!

Stay motivated

There are many ways to stay motivated to reach your goal. If you are registered for A Great Canadian Running Challenge, chances are you have joined our Facebook group. Participants in this group are very motivated and inspiring, and if need be, they will motivate you when you need it the most. Posting about your journey will keep you accountable as well. The support and love participants receive from our group are extraordinary! Find someone to connect with who may help push you to reach your goals. Change things up to stay motivated. Get out of the same old routine. If you are consistently walking, jogging or running every day, change your route or scenery. Change your music. Try listening to podcasts or audiobooks. Don’t let yourself get bored and unmotivated. Find new things that will energize you and help you keep one foot in front of the other!

Get out of your comfort zone

Getting out of your comfort zone isn’t always easy. We all love our comfort zone. It doesn’t require a lot of work or effort to stay in our safe place where we can be cozy and comfortable. Our comfort zone is a behavioural space where we tend to spend most of our time, some of us more than others. It is a space where our behaviours and activities fit a routine and pattern that minimizes our stress and perception of risk. (source) 

A little nightcap. A little Netflix. A little couch potato. It is easy to get stuck in this place. To make changes, we must get out of our comfort zone. It will require a lot of effort and a lot of work. You will need to remember your commitment every day, and before you settle down into your comfort zone, you will have to ask yourself if you’ve achieved your daily goal. It will require you to be persistent and committed to yourself! Change won’t come easy. It is hard work! Put on your gear, even when you don’t want to and step one foot in front of the other. The best way to do this is to just do it. Once your feet hit the pavement or the treadmill, you will not regret it! 

RELATED POST: Workout Excuses Be Gone

The most important thing to remember is that you are worth it! Your health and fitness should be a top priority in your life so that you can become the best version of yourself. It has been proven over and over again that regular exercise and healthy eating re-vitalizes you! To have more energy, health, happiness and vitality, we must focus on ourselves, set goals and aim high!

Do not worry about how everyone else is doing!! Everyone is on their own journey. Make your journey yours. Don’t get discouraged by how far others are getting. If you focus on your end goal, then your own results will be amazing too!!

I believe that everyone has the inner strength needed to accomplish any goal! You must find that power within yourself to live your best life!

If you’re still not convinced that you can reach 1000 KM in less than a year, you can start by registering for 500 KM and see where that leads you! Be a part of the movement that has everyone moving! Small steps turn into big goals!