Running My Age in Miles - A Birthday Tradition

You Do What Exactly?

27th Birthday

I do exactly what it sounds like. This isn't a play on words or a catchy phrase meant to trick the listener. Every year, for my birthday, I run one mile for every year that I have been alive. That's it! Nothing fancy or particularly exciting, just one really long run on February 11th. But hey, I guess in this case that is better than the alternative, which is not getting to run at all.

How Did You Wind Up Doing That?

I wish I had some inspiring or harrowing origin story to share with you, but the reality is that this tradition was born out of convenience. On my 21st birthday, I woke up to do my long run which just so happened to be 20 miles. I figured that I might as well run the additional mile and get to say that I ran 21 miles for my 21st birthday. Trust me, I am well aware that this is not exactly the typical way that someone celebrates their 21st birthday, but I'm alright with that. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. In the past, this was something that I was insecure about, sometimes even ashamed of and desperately tried to hide. Now? I own it. I'm me and try as I might, I just don't march well to anyone else's drum except mine. Sure, my tune is a little bit different than most, okay maybe a lot different, but I like to think that just adds a little bit of excitement to my life!

28th Birthday

For the first couple of years, I continued to run my age on my birthday for fairly trivial reasons. It just seemed like a fun thing to do and since I was nearly always training for something anyways, it was fairly easy to incorporate this birthday run into my training plan. Things started to change for me as I prepared for what I called my "marathon birthday." I was turning 26 and was planning on running 26.2 miles on that day. Yes, I obviously had to do the extra .2 of a mile because it would've eaten me alive if I came up just a hair short of a full marathon. I knew that every year after this birthday, I would be technically running an ultramarathon. I thought a lot about whether or not that was something that mattered to me, something that was important enough for me to endure that kind of distance on my birthday each year going forward. For the first time, I really started to explore my "why." Not the why I had when I ran 21 miles or 22 miles, but the why I had for wanting to run 27 miles the following year. I have continued to contemplate my why as these past few birthdays have approached. Since starting this tradition, I have run my birthday miles in all sorts of conditions across three different states. I have run in the desert, on a treadmill in the rec room of a crappy college apartment, along a freezing cold bike path near my hometown, in a surprise snowstorm, on the beach of the Oregon coast, and I've even participated in a trail race mid-birthday miles. I have experienced quite a lot on my birthday runs. Why do I feel the need to continue?

My Why

I know what it means to give up, to give less than my best, to miss out on opportunities, and to live with regret. I spent years of my life living in a way that was inauthentic and small. I made room for others, but squeezed my most genuine self out of the picture, only a sliver of the real me visible along the margins. It was miserable and I never want to live that way again. As I contemplated why I wanted to not just run my age for my 26th birthday, my 27th birthday, and now my 28th birthday, I kept coming back to this idea. The pain of not living authentically and my commitment to never letting myself regress to that state. I want to live as the best version of myself and without regret.

Running is not just a form of exercise or a hobby. For me, running is a means by which I explore the highest and lowest points of life, feeling the entire spectrum of human emotion. While running, I have processed my past, meditated on my present, and made plans for my future. I have experienced pain, heartbreak, and disappointment. I have felt joy, excitement, and wonder. I have cried and cheered and laughed. I have felt intense loneliness and the power of community. In so many ways, running is a beautiful metaphor for life. Many people talk about how running a 100 mile race is akin to living a life in one day. Now, I haven't run a 100 miler...yet!...but I have reveled at the overlap between daily life and the experience of being a runner.

23rd Birthday

So, why did I continue this tradition after my marathon birthday? Why am I already looking forward to my 29 miles for age 29 next year? I love this yearly tradition because it is an annual moment of intentional intersection between my life as a runner and as a human being. Over the years, I have come to realize that by running my age in miles every year, I am committing to always believing in myself, maintaining my physical health to the best of my ability, remaining curious, and never ceasing to set goals and tackle new challenges. Sure, I have run ultramarathons before, so running 28 miles this past Sunday was not a new distance PR for me. However, it was a new distance PR for me for February 11th. Every year, on my birthday (give or take a day depending on logistical considerations) I run one mile further than I have ever run on my birthday before. One of my biggest fears is to lose my desire to challenge myself as I get older. I never want to feel stagnant. Content and happy? Absolutely! But stagnant, stuck, or trapped? No! I refuse to live a life dominated by thoughts of "can't" and "impossible."

I say all of this with a healthy dose of realism. I know that there are endless factors outside of my control that can and will impact my ability to continue this tradition. I am aware that at some point, running my age in miles may be physically impossible, for one reason or another. But while I am able, I am committed to upholding this tradition for as long as I can. For it is a gift to be able to run and to waste that gift would be a tragedy. To give anything less my most authentic and best self would be to sacrifice who I could become. That is not a sacrifice I am willing to make.

What are you going to do when you're 50?

26th Birthday

Ahhh, the age old question! Whenever someone learns that I run my age in miles every year for my birthday, they usually do one of two things. They either grimace in a "that sounds like a truly terrible way to spend your birthday" kind of way or they ask some variation of this question. And I get it. Really, I do. Back to old "marching to the beat of my own drum thing," I understand that this isn't a typical way to spend a birthday. But it still causes me to pause. Over the years, I've spent a lot of time pondering this question, trying to figure out where it comes from and what people really mean when they ask it. As a side note, if you have ever asked me this, please don't feel bad. I have never been offended or upset by it. Honestly, I've just been thankful that you were interested enough to ask.

Anyways, here is my response to this question...

I hope that I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can run 50 miles for my 50th birthday. There are many things that could stand in the way of that happening, but I am determined to do everything I can to put myself on the 50 mile starting line on February 11, 2046. Yes, it will take me a long time to run that distance, but I don't care. To be able to endure a 50 mile run full of ups and downs at age 50 is something that I aspire to be able to do. Running 50 miles on my birthday won't be a burden or a massive waste of time. It will be a gift, one that I will be immeasurably thankful for. Every year I want to go one mile farther, push myself just a little bit more. Aging is a gift, one that also comes with challenges and an inescapable decline in physical ability. Eventually my body will have had enough, but it is my intention to ensure that my heart and mind never do. I plan to get the absolute most out of myself for as long as I am lucky enough to get to experience this terrifyingly beautiful thing called life. And for the record, I also aspire to be able to run 60 miles at 60 and 70 miles at 70. Call me whatever you want, but I have always envisioned myself eating funfetti cake and dancing at my 100th birthday party, so I have many birthday runs to look forward to. At least I hope so.

What Is Most Important?

25th Birthday

Amongst all of the miles and the plans and the contemplations mid-long run on a rainy Saturday, one common theme has become clear to me. Each year is a gift. Each run is a gift. In the past I have taken these things for granted, and on occasion, I still do. On my birthday, I love carving out time to be thankful that I have lived another year full of experiences, the good, the bad, and the ugly. For a moment, I intentionally pause in gratitude for the fact that I still have a body that can run and a mind, heart, and soul that wants to. I wasted invaluable time in the past and I challenge myself every day to not do that anymore. Runner or not, I hope you find a way to make the most of your life each year and appreciate the fact that you are celebrating another birthday. That is what this tradition is for me. It serves as a reminder for something that I once lost sight of and try desperately to always hold onto now. Life is precious and I plan to make the most of it, being the best me I can be.