It's often said that it takes 21 days to form a habit. I decided to take the experiment a little further. My challenge? 150 kilometers. And the discipline required to run 5 kilometers every day for 30 consecutive days. No exceptions, no rest days, regardless of the weather or my level of fatigue.

Initially, I thought this would be purely a physical challenge. I was wrong. This month of running turned out to be a brutal and beautiful lesson on two essential pillars of success: consistency and discipline are necessary to run 150 kilometers.

Here's what I learned from this adventure.

3 tips to keep you going

If you'd like to try something similar (whether in sports, writing or a pro project), here's what saved me:

1. Preparing the environment: Every evening, I took out my running clothes for the next day. Eliminating start-up friction is crucial.
2. The 10-minute rule: When I had no desire to go, I'd tell myself: «Just run for 10 minutes. If you want to stop after that, you can.» Spoiler alert: once you get going, you never stop. This discipline helped me maintain my goal of 150 kilometers.
3. Listening to your body: Consistency doesn't mean recklessness. I took the time to stretch and sleep more to compensate for the lack of rest days.

Assessment after 3 weeks

Physically, I feel tougher, «drier». But the real change is mental.

Keeping this promise to myself has boosted my confidence. I now know that I am capable of sticking to a difficult path, even when enthusiasm wanes. This discipline, forged in the present, now transfers to my projects that demand the rigor of a 150-kilometer marathon.

Racing was just the means. Mental transformation was the goal.

And you, what challenge do you put off due to a lack of consistency? Perhaps a 150-kilometer discipline test will surprise you?