5k Every Day in the Month of May 2020

This has been a hard season for all of us... but it is time for some really good news...

You are officially invited to join me in running (and / or walking) at least a 5k Every Day in the Month of May!

Oh yes! It is that magical time of year again.

The month of May is nearly upon us, and with the dawning of a new May comes yet another “5k Every Day in the Month of May” challenge!

Friend, consider yourself to be officially invited to participate.

This year is going to be even biggerer, betterer, and awesomer than ever before! Jeff Polen Music has once again partnered with Vertical Runner of Wooster to make the challenge even more legit and exciting, but we are also excited to be adding another partner for this year's event: Better Life Coffee

Yay!

[cue thunderclaps and dancing ninjas]

A little bit of history...

In 2016, I decided to run at least a 5k every day in the month of May. It was thrilling and fulfilling. When I started, I had no idea how helpful running would be to me on an emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual level, but it became such an important part of my sanity and well-being. 

I would say that running was my savior, but that’s not true. Jesus is my savior, and in His mercy and grace He used running in my life to help me through a very difficult season. 

Praise God!

In 2017, I decided to do it again! In fact, I personally never stopped. I ended up running at least a 5k every day for 399 days in a row (before trading out my 5k regimen for full marathon training).

A little over a dozen people joined me for the 5k Every Day in the Month of May challenge in 2017, and it was awesome to know that others were making the journey with me. I also added a bonus challenge: reading 3 chapters of the New Testament each day. We started in Matthew 1 and ended in Acts 4.

At the end of the challenge, we had 16 runners / walkers finish the #5kMay2017 challenge, and 11 people stuck to the daily Bible reading Bonus Challenge.

In 2018, more than 100 people joined me on the 5k Every Day in the Month of May journey!

In 2019, we reached nearly 200! I also added a daily podcast that participants could subscribe to. Each daily podcast included the 3 chapters of scripture for that day, some songs I have written and recorded throughout the years, and some good old fashioned inspiration to help along the way!

You may be wondering... how could the #5kMay2020 Challenge get any better than that?!

Great question...

We will be adding an additional BONUS CHALLENGE this year!

I love how the 5k Every Day in the Month of May challenge has pushed people to do things they never thought possible, and it brings together a community of fellow encouragers to help along the way. It is amazing to see people set a goal for running or walking at least 3.1 miles every day for an entire month. That made me wonder, how far could we go in a single day?

New to 2020, I will be adding the "5kMayhem BONUS CHALLENGE". On Saturday, May 30, from 6:30am to 6:30pm, we will attempt to run or walk at least a 5k every hour on the half hour! If you finish the challenge, you will have run or walked 37.2 miles!

I think you can, I think you can, I think you can...

It is going to be an amazing day, and I really believe that people are going to surprise themselves with what they are able to accomplish. But that is just a BONUS CHALLENGE. Let's keep the main challenge in focus for now.

How can you officially join in the fun? It’s simple (not easy, but simple). 

1. Commit to running / walking at least 3.1 miles (5k) each day in May. I will personally be running at least 3.1 miles each day and will be making some of those runs public, which means that you can physically join me! But whether you run with me or not, the commitment is to run / walk at least 3.1 miles every day in May.

I am asking that each 5k be an intentional WALK or RUN. Wearing a Fitbit throughout the day and counting non-intentional, cumulative miles that were collected throughout the day misses the spirit of the challenge. 

2. (optional) Along with running / walking 3.1 miles every day in May, I will also be reading 3 chapters of scripture every day. I will start on May 1 with Matthew 1 and will read 3 chapters every day, getting all the way to Acts 4 by the end of the month. I will be blogging each day about my run, as well as sharing what God is teaching me (either through the run or through the scripture reading, or both). I am inviting you to join me! The challenge is to read at least 3 chapters of scripture every day as we walk our way through the Gospels and into the book of Acts. 

I will be uploading a daily podcast that you can download and listen to while you do your daily 5k. The podcast will actually include the 3 chapters of scripture for that day, some songs I have written and recorded, and some good old fashioned inspiration to help you along the way!

3. (optional) Challenge yourself with the #5kMayhem event on Saturday, May 30. More information will be given closer to May 30, but I will definitely be challenging myself to run at least a 5k every hour from 6:30am to 6:30pm. Anyone who completes this challenge will win a free bag of coffee from Better Life Coffee. After all of that effort, you're going to need it!

4. Interact with the daily blog!! To let me know that you are tracking with me, check in each day on my blog (posted at www.jeffpolenmusic.com) to let me know how your 5k went and / or what God was teaching you through the daily Bible reading. 

I am REQUIRING everyone who is participating in hopes of receiving a prize to check in on May 1, May 15, May 30, and June 1. If you miss the check-in on those dates, you will forfeit your prize. There will be a specific blog post on each of those days called, "CHECK IN". You will need to follow the simple instructions on those pages to stay in the challenge. Don't miss them! They will be posted to the blog at www.jeffpolenmusic.com.

5. Claim your awesome prize!! Anyone who completes the 5k portion of the challenge will get a pretty cool T-shirt saying that they survived the “5k Every Day in the Month of May” challenge! 

You DO need to check in on June 1 to claim your prize(s). The final CHECK IN will be posted to the blog at www.jeffpolenmusic.com.

Be sure to register before May 1 so you can be sure to hit the ground running (do you see what I did there?).

This year we are once again all official and stuff! In fact, Vertical Runner of Wooster may even throw in a discount for #5kMay2020 participants, so you can get hooked up with some great new gear to help you conquer the challenge.

Let’s do this! The challenge has officially been issued and you are officially invited. Get registered, take the next few days to get mentally prepared, and let the month of May begin!

-Jeff Polen, Jeff Polen Music