If we haven’t met yet: Hi, I’m Sandra!

I grew my Instagram community from zero to 79,000 (and counting) documenting my run streak - running or walking 5km every single day since January 1st, 2019.

I’m a mother, a marathoner, and a force to be reckoned with. I’ve sold thousands of copies of my very own running magazine, called Run Your Life Magazine. I also happen to be in a bigger body.

I started running when I was 42. I started my run streak just before I turned 44, and it changed my life.

So how did it all start? Well, let me start from the beginning…

The Treadmill That Started It All

In the fall of 2017 (I was 42), I decided to buy a used treadmill from Facebook Marketplace, and started walking on it for 10 minutes at a time. While I was moving on the outside, on the inside I was super depressed and disgusted with myself.

My Instagram account was private at the time, and on it I posted some very unflattering pictures of myself, where I intentionally showed my “rolls”. I did this to motivate myself enough to do something about the “rolls”.

I started spending more time on my treadmill - from 30 minutes, to over an hour.

While I was on the treadmill, I started searching for a better variety of workouts via Instagram. Before too long, my Instagram, which was previously something I used to motivate myself to change my body, started to resemble the pages of a running magazine, and became something I used to motivate myself to be a better runner.

The only difference was, I didn't look like any of the runners in any running magazine…

Graduating to Running Outside

In March of 2018 (I had just turned 43), I went outside for a run.

I wore thick leggings, a couple long sleeve shirts, and I wrapped a jacket around my waist for good measure - to minimize the potential of too much “flop” happening around my stomach.

I walked to the trail at the nearby park, and once out of view of traffic, I started running.

It felt great. I felt like a greyhound that was let loose out of a cage. I think my tongue was even hanging out of the side of my mouth!

I was not able to catch my breath, so I slowed down to walk.

I repeated this sad performance a few more times, and completed an impressive total of 7ish kilometres on my very first outdoor run.

It was the best feeling I’ve ever had.

I made it back home and couldn’t believe I had achieved.

So I did what any normal person would do: I signed up for 4 races. Then another 4 races later in the year. I also threw in a marathon for good measure, because why not? I was a runner!

My First Marathon As A Run Streaker

On November 26th, 2018, it was time to run my very first marathon in Seattle.

Waiting at the start line, I thought to myself, “What the heck am I doing here? I don’t belong here. Surely someone will catch me… They’ll all know that I don’t belong here.”

I felt like I was going to puke.

Despite my negative thoughts, 6 hours and 30-something minutes later, I became a Marathoner. I didn’t die, I didn’t sh*t myself, and I didn’t quit. I made it, and I crossed the finish line.

The Start of My Run Streak

By the end of 2018 I was spending quite a bit of time on Instagram, and I saw the word “streak” being thrown around. I thought I would go ahead and start my own.

On New Year's Day, I met up with a friend to run and I blurted out to her, “I’m going to run 5km every day!!!”

When I got home, I decided that for good measure, I should announce the same intention to my 300 followers.

To my surprise, I actually had two other women join me. We kept each other accountable every day by posting, liking and sharing our victories.

After 3 or 4 months, my friends were not able to continue the streak with me. I was on my own.

What happened next was really interesting…

My mind began to want to procrastinate every time I had to run alone (which was most days).

It took me a good 10 to 15 minutes to get motivated to do it; to get dressed, to get my shoes on, and to decide on an outfit that I felt comfortable in.

Before I knew it, 2019 had whizzed by and had somehow kept my streak going.

In that year, I also completed 3 or 4 half marathons, a few 10kms, my first 50km race, an Olympic distance triathlon, and my second Seattle Marathon. I had also worked so hard in 2019 that I improved by Marathon finish time by over 40 minutes.

Big, Big Plans

By the time 2020 rolled around, I had even bigger race plans.

I was going to be the most unprofessional professional runner who ever existed. I was going to finish every race I could get my hands on, and I was going to do it with a smile on my face. I was even going to do a couple of Ironmans. Because why not?

2020 was an interesting year for The Streak. It was the year that my brain kept trying to get the better of me.

My brain would say stuff like, “You finished one whole year of this stupid streak, why try for a second year? Give it up already! You’re not that special!”

2020, as you know, was also the first year of the pandemic. Every race I signed up for that year, including both Ironmans, was canceled.

Since we were locked down for most of the year, I spent a great deal of time building my community on Instagram. By the end of 2020, I had about 3000 followers, and I was so grateful that I had my 5km streak to keep me consistent.

Despite my brain and nervous system trying their best to knock me off my streak, I listened to podcasts and read some interesting books that helped keep me motivated.

One book in particular really punched me in the face: The Body Keeps The Score, by Bessel Van der Kelk.

In the book he talks about 3 ways to heal trauma. One of them changed my life.

“Use your body to have visceral experiences that contradict the helplessness and rage you feel.”

Use my own body to heal? What? How? Oh, you mean keep exercising it! Keep proving the thoughts wrong. Really, that works? Yes, that works!!!

Changing My Neuroplasticity (And Changing My Life)

I realized that every time I completed my Streak, my nervous system lost the battle, and my confidence triumphed.

Every time I completed my Streak, I weakened my protective nervous system and strengthened my resolve.

The excuses were my kryptonite, and the best action for me was to get as far away from them as possible. To take the action, and use my body to disrupt the thought physiologically with movement. To prove to my body that I am the opposite of what it is telling me. To prove to my body that the action I am taking is no longer going to upset me.

I felt like I was starting to build traction. I was developing self confidence and it was breathtaking.

But I still wasn’t quite ready to let it out.

Even though I couldn’t complete in-person races, I kept running. I kept moving. Virtual races became all the rage.

Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of late and lonley nights...

Our basement flooded the night of my daughter’s graduation in May, and we decided to renovate our entire basement. That really put a wrench in my plans. Some days I woke up, went to work, came home to work on renovations, and barely squeezed in a run on my treadmill before bed.

The Year of Instagram

2021, was the year that things fell into place… or at least, it felt like they were starting to.

New questions started popping into my head, like: Was I still doing 5km a day? Why was I still doing it? Why haven’t I lost any weight?

It was such a pivotal year, for so many reasons.

I started making some wonderful connections on Instagram and did a couple of collaborations. I even did a photo shoot! I climbed to the top of a literal and metaphorical mountain with other women who had the same goal as I did: Empowerment and collaboration.

At the time, it was cool to organize your own photoshoot for Instagram.

(One of those photos eventually became the cover for Run Your Life Magazine.)

Instagram Reels were also trendy this year, and everyone was using them to really connect with their audience. Little by little, I let my followers into my world and showed them who I really was. For a while, I thought I was going to be the “funny” runner, or the “emotional” runner, or the “non-stop eating” runner. I really had no idea who I was trying to be, because I was trying to be everything.

Then one day, out of the blue, I announced my exact weight to the 4000ish followers. The video went viral and ultimately hit over 1.5 million views.

I thought to myself: “What the f!&k did you just do!?”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sandra Mikulic•Plus size Runner (@bigfit_i_run)

I told the entire world, including my own kids, that I was 250 pounds.

And then I did it again, and again, and again.

I explained that I hadn’t lost one single pound since starting my run streak, and people in the comments absolutely lost their sh*t.

Why was I exercising if not to lose weight!?

That’s when the pig emojis came rolling in… But I didn’t care! I knew if I was getting troll comments, I had truly“made it.”

Shortly after that, another video hit the 1 million view mark, and I closed out the year with around 10,000 followers - and the grandiose idea to publish a magazine.

Run Your Life Magazine

The idea for Run Your Life Magazine was born in November of 2021, and printed in January of 2022. That’s how quickly I made it happen.

When I made the announcement on Instagram (where else!?) I thought I was going to puke. What if no one bought it?

Magazines are dying (so I was told!), but they hold a special place in my heart. It’s a loose, glossy, physical object you can hold in your hands and flip through casually as you sit with your coffee, tea or glass of wine and lose yourself in the world of possibility.

The idea behind the magazine was to create a forum of contributors that motivate each other and lift one another up.

I would be the vessel that would bring them all together, and provide the space for them to share their dreams, stories, aspirations, ideas and offerings.

Run Your Life isn’t just a magazine. It’s a community of uplifting women extending a support system to one another, and never letting go.

Considering all things - no budget, my first time, no real marketing, and no idea what the heck I was doing - I think I did all right.

I have sold hundreds of copies and got comments of thanks and support and encouragement from women all over the world!

Healing After The High

The magazine came and went. I became quite depressed from February until the Spring of 2022 (despite exercising every day). I don’t know if it was low Vitamin D or just seasonal depression.

Or was it post-magazine depression? Is that even a thing? There is such a thing as “post-marathon depression”, but maybe I was reaching.

And yet, I don’t think I was…

After the initial high wore off, I fell into a valley.

What I eventually realized is that there are always going to be peaks and valleys, and each phase may last longer than the other. Typically they happen after a major event, because the high of the event has worn off. My “major event” was the first issue of Run Your Life.

Once springtime rolled around and the sun started to shine again, I found my smile. It was waiting for me every time I went for a run and I'd turn my camera towards me.

I noticed that my smile was growing bigger and bigger each day.

What was happening? Was this another layer peeling off? Was the sun healing me?

Maybe - but I was also healed by the runs, the walks, and the continuous momentum of showing up for myself day in and day out.

Where I Am Now

So, where am I today?

For starters, I’m on day 1700-and-something of my run streak.

I just published the third issue of Run Your Life Magazine.

And I now have 79,000+ followers on Instagram.

Not everything is as it appears on Instagram, but the moments I can control, I try to. After all, there are so many situations in life we can’t control, but we can choose to control our reactions to their disapproval.

I continue to get negative comments on my Instagram posts about my weight, and I continue to ignore them.

I also continue to show up for myself.

More than anything, I love my readers and followers so much for breathing light into me, and for letting me heal by sharing my journey - and I hope that by doing so, I’ve helped them heal, too.

How My Run Streak Changed My Life