DOCTOR Ron Snyder, the headmaster of Saipan International School, marked two years of running a mile a day on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Dr. Ron Snyder and his dog Gilligan push to the finish line of the Mt. Tapochao Turkey Trot last month.
Inspired by Run Saipan President Edward Dela Cruz Jr., Snyder started his daily run on Dec. 28, 2020 on Rota.
“The consistency of running a streak was interesting,” Snyder said. Even “on a tiring or busy day…it is…doable but it does take getting into a mindset.”
Running every day is a challenge for Snyder who travels to various places.
“Keeping the streak while traveling is one of the most difficult things, given how long it takes for us to get to places,” he added. “I ran a mile on a treadmill in the Philippines on the way to Australia. I have run a mile at the Guam airport when coming home with my wife from the U.S. But the worst time was in Japan last autumn when I had to run a mile pushing a cart with my carry-on luggage.”
Toward the end of this year, Snyder had his hands full: moving houses, finishing up the semester at school, doing extra work after losing one of his administration team members, helping seniors finish their university applications, the holiday celebrations — all in the midst of putting together the Run Saipan Half Marathon.
“There were days when I was just tired and it was tough to stay motivated,” he said. “This was a more difficult time to keep the streak alive than when I had Covid or even when, after a Christmas party with some seasonal refreshments, I realized I had forgotten to do my mile and had to go out before bedtime.”
Snyder also has chronic Achilles problems from an injury while he was in Africa. At one point, he pulled his hamstring.
“But…running [while] lowering the mileage has actually helped me recover. I worked in plenty of time for stretching and had regular massages but that consistency actually helped me recover more completely, albeit over a longer time.”
Snyder believes that daily running helps improve bone and muscle mass. “It is also something I enjoy. I like taking Gilligan, my dog, out for a run, looking out over the lagoon or shuffling through a jungle trail. I really only started with 30 days in mind. Then that became a goal of 100 days. Then a year. Then two years. Now my goal is to get my ‘comma’ or 1,000 days. After that comes the Forrest Gump Day when I match his run of 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours. Beyond that, who knows?”
Run for PWANY
“I’ll earn my comma…on my sister’s birthday,” Snyder said. “So I’m dedicating my next year to her daughter and am running to support the Prader-Willi Alliance of New York [or PWANY], an organization that is set up to assist people with her disability.”
Snyder has set up a GoFundMe page for anyone who wants to join him in his “Run for PWANY”: https://www.gofundme.com/f/runforpwanyin2023
