Show HN: Ten years of running every day, visualized

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Motivation & Psychology of the Streak

  • OP describes the streak evolving from a short-term challenge into part of their identity; after a few months to a year it becomes “impossible to stop.”
  • Several commenters say daily requirements remove decision fatigue: “no days off” feels easier than constantly renegotiating motivation.
  • Others warn that this can blur into obsession or addiction, comparing it to OCD or disordered exercise, and note the difficulty of ramping down without quitting entirely.

Health, Illness, Injury, and Recovery

  • OP has run through flu, stress fractures, and after a cardiac ablation (with explicit “very slow, very short” constraints and medical discussion).
  • Many runners in the thread call this dangerous: emphasize risks of myocarditis/heart infection when exercising during viral illness, and potential long‑term joint or overuse damage.
  • Counterpoints:
    • For someone conditioned, a very easy 1‑mile jog can be equivalent to a short brisk walk.
    • Light activity during mild illness might not be clearly harmful; evidence is described as sparse.
  • Strong agreement that rest and recovery are critical for performance and long‑term health; some present lab numbers (e.g., low testosterone) as evidence of overtraining plus calorie restriction gone wrong.

Distance, “1 Mile Counts,” and Is It Worth It?

  • OP often uses 1‑mile “streak saver” days and treadmill runs; some see this as clever gamification, others as pointless or not a “real” run.
  • Several respond that:
    • 1 mile is more than most people ever do.
    • Short daily efforts still confer health benefits (studies cited for 10–15 minutes/day).
    • The psychological role (habit continuity) may matter more than marginal fitness gains.

Logistics: Travel, Time Zones, and Antarctica

  • Discussion about running on all continents, including Antarctic outdoor runs and treadmills at research stations.
  • Time‑zone and date‑line puzzles: people debate whether streaks should follow calendar days or personal 24‑hour cycles; examples include routing layovers to preserve streaks or “declaring” lost days nonexistent.
  • Practical constraint: needing only ~15 minutes per day makes squeezing runs around flights and life events more feasible.

Running Advice for Beginners

  • Common themes:
    • Start very slow and short; walking breaks are fine.
    • Stay mostly in heart‑rate zone 2; many beginners overexert and burn out.
    • Trail running or softer surfaces can reduce impact; strength work (squats, lunges) supports knees.
    • Expect bad days; consistency over years beats short intense phases.

Data, Tools, and Visualizations

  • OP’s site is widely praised for minimalist black‑and‑white design, bespoke SVG charts, and playful stats (countries, surfaces, time of day).
  • Data comes primarily from Strava plus phones, GPS watches, and Apple Watch; some scripts are ad hoc and not easily open‑sourced.
  • Commenters note a few minor bugs (e.g., mislabeled 5K/5‑mile time, missing day due to a bug).
  • Others share their own long‑term running dashboards and GitHub projects for similar visualizations, and request metric/imperial toggles.