Schroeder’s streak

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, most people found themselves cooped up in their homes avoiding spending too much time outside.

For Owatonna’s Larry Schroeder, that was not an appealing option.

Instead, the Postville, Iowa, native and former wrestler decided to take advantage of the empty streets and trails by beginning a daily running streak.

“When COVID hit, everything began to change – and trust me, we’re not big fans of change,” said Schroeder with a laugh. “Not being able to go to work and not being able to do a lot of stuff, I realized that running was one thing that I could still control in my life. So, I decided to begin the streak.”

According to Schroeder, the idea for his running streak – which includes running a minimum distance of one mile a day – actually came from an article he read in Runner’s World magazine.

“I read about a guy in Miami who had just reached a streak of running seven miles a day for 48 years. As I read that and realized that I had been running for 15 years now competitively, I began to think about starting a streak of my own as a way of being able to kind of compete with myself daily,” said Schroeder.

According to Schroeder, running has always been a part of his life from the early days of his athletic career to the present.

As a wrestler, he found running fundamental to staying in shape and maintaining conditioning for matches.

Nowadays, running is a way to compete and push himself, with one of Schroeder’s favorite hobbies being competing in races with his daughter, Kenzie.

“You know I don’t necessarily have a goal-based mindset where I think like, ‘Oh, I want to hit 15 years straight.’ But what I do want is to be able to run with my daughter for as long as possible. Whether or not I keep the streak up.”

Possibly the greatest lesson that Schroeder said he has learned from the beginning of his streak 1,056 days ago is the importance of discipline.

As could be expected from a physically and mentally demanding task such as running long distances, there are days when continuing the streak becomes hard.

“Getting yourself into that mindset to keep going is key – especially on those days when life can be a little bit hard, and you really don’t want to go out there. When I can, I try to get out there as early as possible and knock it out. Once I do, the rest of the day is a piece of cake.”

While he understands that his running streak is a demanding task that many people may not be ready to jump into right away, Schroeder did offer advice to those seeking to take the first step.

“I think that the best advice is that you don’t have to be extreme. You just have to be consistent. Don’t compare yourself to others. Learn what you can tolerate and make it a habit. You just have to find the courage to take the first step. After that, you just have to keep looking forward and never behind.”