This challenge sparked something new in me, and I am very thankful. I am constantly trying to better understand this connection between running and mental health- a connection beyond physical appearance and a rush of endorphins. I am so grateful to be able to move my body- and there is no better way to express my gratitude than by moving it each and everyday. As it turns out, the action of moving my body, especially outside, is good for my mental health because it allows me to feel connected to the Earth in such a primal and simplistic way. What I didnвЂ™t realize until I began this challenge was that running and my mental health is so much deeper and innate than that. I always knew that running was good for my mental health, but I only thought this was because running makes me stronger and more fit, which gives me confidence, which in turn, means I have good mental health. For someone who struggles with their mental health, especially during the colder months, I decided to plan ahead. I knew that the beginning of Winter is always tough for me. Firstly, this challenge kept me accountable and running- even on days I didnвЂ™t feel like running. This challenge did exactly what I wanted it to do which was two things. This meant that the rest of the challenge incorporated multiple 20km and 15km runs. I decided to change my challenge to simply 1000km in 100 days. I am not going to lie and say the thought of quitting didnвЂ™t cross my mind- but the voice was so small and weak it was almost as if it was never an option. Before I knew it, I had racked up 80-90kms worth of missed runs. The next month saw a few days off here and a few days off there. After a few days off, I was back on the trails. I avoided a trip to the ER when I woke up the next day in significantly less pain. I consider myself to have a moderately high pain tolerance, and I literally struggled to make it from school to home. One random day, my foot cramped up in the middle of the day, and I could barely walk let alone run. I was going consistent and strong until the beginning of November.

The challenge I set for myself on September 24th, 2018 is officially completed! The original plan was to run 10km everyday for 100 days- for a total of 1000km.

100 day running challenge