On November 1, Mark Dowdle, 26, ran one mile. The next day, on November 2, he ran two. But earlier in the week he had run 29, 30, and 31 miles, to round out October. He’s currently just over halfway through a project he calls, “Calendar Club,” where his mileage is determined by the day of the month.
As Dowdle enters into the darker, colder months of the year, he admits that some things are going to be tougher. But he’s excited for it, and generally thinks winter is the best time to run. Dowdle lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, so he definitely knows a thing or two about cold-weather running. “The second half really is going to be challenging because most of the runs are going to be in the dark,” Dowdle told Runner’s World. “The days are going to be cold with a lot of snow, but that’s where it gets fun. A challenge is meant to be challenging.”
Dowdle started the project on May 1. His halfway stats put him at 3,000 miles. While he always reaches at least the mileage of the day, sometimes he goes over. On July 31, he ran 57-miles, his longest run so far. His toughest run was on July 25—there was smoke in the air from the Canadian wildfires, and he started too late in the day to enjoy the miles. “It was brutal,” Dowdle said. “Those are the days that I’m very appreciative of my girlfriend Lucy, because she rode a bike and was right by my side for those four or five hours.”
As a way to celebrate a new month, Dowdle often runs a beer mile each time he flips a page on the calendar. For October 1, his beer mile time was 6:32. “The beer mile on the first of the month has been really fun for me because it’s ignited this competitive spirit. Like, how fast can I get my time?” Dowdle usually shares the beer mile and some of the other shorter runs with friends. He considers the time he gets to share with friends while running to be absolute gifts.
Dowdle said he’s been asked many times if on the days when he only has to run a few miles he misses the long runs. “No, definitely not. I have a lot of catching up to do with other aspects of my life that I need to take care of during those first couple weeks of the month.” Dowdle fully enjoys the days when running doesn’t take so much time. “I know after doing it for 6 months what the ‘dark hole’ of days 18-30 feel like, so I really like to honor the days when I only have to go out for 20 minutes.”
So far his most memorable run was a seventh place finish in the Duluth 50K on October 21. But what he’s enjoyed the most about the whole project is the community that he’s found, and the impact that he’s had on others. “I realized that some people might not be able to connect with what I’m doing. Like, some runners can’t see themselves running a marathon and I’m doing six in the last six days of the month. So what I’ve tried to push for is to help people set their new distance PRs along the way.” Dowdle challenges his friends and his social media followers to push themselves, even if it’s not six marathons in a row. “That's been a really cool thing for me.”
And Dowdle himself has been inspired by other runners, such as James “the Iron Cowboy” Lawrence, Robbie Balenger, and Candice Burt, who recently ran 200 ultramarathons in 200 days. “There are so many people that I draw on. I would not be here without them inspiring and taking the lead on their own goals.”
Dowdle travels quite a bit for work, so he’s able to run and explore new routes that way, but when he’s home, he usually sticks to the same roads, even though it does get boring at times. “I always think, I could drive 20 minutes to a different part of the city to run, but then I think, or I could spend that time running, and it never feels worth it to get in the car to run.”
One of the biggest challenges for Dowdle has been eating. “At the end of the month I’m eating all day, and then I’m tired because I’m eating. It also feels like there’s just not enough time to make all the food I need to eat. Eating and getting enough calories is probably the biggest challenge, but I’m trying to get better at it.”
Dowdle doesn’t listen to music when he runs, but does occasionally listen to podcasts. And he also uses the time to catch up on phone calls. “My parents live in the Chicago area, so I tend to use my running time to make phone calls home to mom and dad or to other people in my family.” While Dowdle does love to race and push himself, most of his longer end-of-the-month runs are easy miles at a conversational pace.
One of Dowdle’s favorite things about this challenge is the realization that there are so many creative ways to be involved with the sport. “There are so many other ways to be a runner than just racing. I love to see all the creative challenges and projects other people come up with.” Dowdle hopes that when people hear about his challenge, that they come up with their own motivation to run and explore the world.
Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.
