5k Every Day in the Month of May 2022

Back by popular demand… (as if it were not going to be back even if everyone hated it…)

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.  (My condolences…)

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 and Better Life Coffee to make the challenge even more legit, exciting, and caffeinated.

Yay!

[cue thunderclaps and dancing ninjas]

A RATHER LONG BACKGROUND STORY THAT YOU CAN SKIP THROUGH IF YOU JUST SIMPLY DON’T CARE AND / OR WANT TO GET ON WITH THE SIGN-UP…

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).

I offered a free “Finisher’s T-Shirt” to anyone who successfully completed the 5k Every Day in the Month of May challenge, and a little over a dozen people joined me for the #5kMay2017 challenge.  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!

In 2020, we had 750 participants and nearly 450 people finished the challenge.  Wowie Wow Wow!!  (That was a LOT of T-shirts to send out… but we loved it.)  We also introduced the epic #5kMayhem Bonus Challenge, and I brought all kinds of awesome guests onto the daily podcast.  It was an amazing year for the #5kMay challenge.

We had over 600 people join us again in 2021, which I thought was pretty awesome (seeing as how the world was finally opening up again after all of the COVID lock-downs, and people were busier than they were in May 2020).

Now you may be wondering… how could the #5kMay2022 Challenge get any better?!

Great question… I honestly don’t know how it could get any better!

But with God all things are possible…

I think this year will be at least as awesome as last year.  With your involvement, it will surely be even betterer!

Our biggest goal for 2022 is to see EVEN MORE people reach their goal of running and / or walking at least a 5k every day in the month of May!  We believe in you!  You can do this!

THE MAIN CHALLENGE:

The main challenge is simple.  If you sign up, you are committing to run (and / or walk) at least a 5k (3.1 miles) every single day in the month of May 2022.  If you complete the challenge and follow the simple rules, you will receive a FREE FINISHER’S T-SHIRT.

*Please note that this is a running (and / or walking) challenge* Treadmill running (and / or walking) is perfectly acceptable (even if I personally despise the dreadmill, myself, I know that some people love it).  Bike riding, canoeing, rollerskating, horseback riding, video gaming, pretending to run, and any other form of not actually running (and / or walking) does not count for this challenge.  If you are super in to those other activities, awesome!  Perhaps there is a challenge out there just for you… but this is not it.

*Please note that this is an intentional, daily workout challenge* Wearing a Fitbit throughout the day and counting non-intentional, cumulative miles while you were at work or just going through your typical day misses the spirit of the challenge.  We want to see you rise to the challenge of going over and above your typical daily steps by setting out for an intentional, daily workout.  As such, we do not count “roll-over miles”.  In other words, it is not acceptable, for the purpose of this particular challenge, to run a 10k on Monday so that you can take Tuesday off.  Nor is it acceptable to just go out and run 21.7 miles on Sunday to make up for all of the miles you missed Monday through Saturday.

*Please note that there are FOUR official CHECK-IN days* 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.coml

THE BONUS CHALLENGES:

We will be offering the same “BONUS CHALLENGES” as last year, but you will be excited to know that we have also added a new BONUS CHALLENGE to #5kMay2022.

*Bonus Challenge #1 - Scripture reading* Along with running (and / or walking) 3.1 miles every day in May, join me in reading 3 chapters of scripture every day.  We 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.  To make this bonus challenge easier for you, I will be uploading a daily podcast that you can download and listen to while you do your daily 5k.  The podcast will include the 3 chapters or scripture for that day (along with some colorful commentary), some songs I have written and recorded throughout the years, and some good old fashioned inspiration to help you along the way!  There is no physical prize for completing this bonus challenge, but I believe the spiritual benefit is worth it!

*Bonus Challenge #2 - #5kMayhem* 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.  All of the inspiring moments along the way caused me to pause and wonder… how far could we go in a single day?  To answer this question, we created an ultra epic bonus challenge… #5kMayhem!!

On Saturday, May 28, 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.  Just like in past years, I really believe that people are going to surprise themselves with what they are able to accomplish in a single day committed to running and / or walking.  If you complete the #5kMayhem Bonus Challenge, in addition to the #5kMay2022 main challenge, we will send your a super cool patch to celebrate your insanity victory!

*Bonus Challenge #3 - Daily Fun Photo Challenge* This is going to be fun!  Each day I will issue a “Daily Fun Photo Challenge” on my blog (which will also go to Facebook).  To engage with this challenge, simply do what the challenge says and snap a pic to prove you did it.  Then upload that photo to the Facebook group, in the comments section on my blog, on Strava, or wherever you want to… and interact with the rest of the Daily Fun Photo Challenge people as much as you like as they do the same.  The goal of this bonus challenge is to keep it funky and fresh each day as we spice up our daily run (and / or walk) and virtually interact with other #5kMayers.  There is no physical prize for completing this Bonus Challenge, but I believe it will enhance your overall enjoyment of #5kMay2022 by approximately 13%.

QUICK RECAP OF WHAT YOU’RE SIGNING UP FOR AND HOW TO COMPLETE THE CHALLENGE(s)  It’s simple (not easy, but simple).

1. Commit to running (and / or walking) at least 3.1 miles (5k) each day in May
2. (optional) Along with running / walking 3.1 miles every day in May, read (or listen to) 3 chapters of scripture every day
3. (optional) Challenge yourself with the #5kMayhem event on Saturday, May 28
4. (optional) Engage in the Daily Fun Photo Challenge
5. Check in on May 1, May 15, May 30, and June 1 on the corresponding “CHECK-IN” blog posts at www.jeffpolenmusic.com
6. Realize that there is no number 6
7. Claim your awesome prize(s)!!

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 #5kMay2022 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