February 20, 2026
Lenten Reflections #4
I absolutely love running and used to do it almost every day. After a long run, I would read Runner’s World Magazine from cover to cover. I’ll never forget an article from 2010 about running streaks. It was about an elderly man in his 70s who would wake up every morning and run 10 miles, rain, snow, or sun. Ten miles. Every day. No breaks. That’s a streaker.
This month, encouraged by my sweet daughter, I am working on my own streak.
Enter Duolingo.
Unlike my natural drive to run daily, Duolingo has a little green, galloping owl that makes happy, squeaky sounds that are super motivating. Some days I feel like I’ve reached Mensa level in IQ, but instead, I simply earn one more point.
Bless me Father…
For 28 days, I’ve been consistent with my language lessons… until last night.
This morning, I woke up to find that darn Duolingo owl with droopy, depressed eyes and a big, fat band-aid holding it together. The forlorn owl, seemingly lost without its language partner.
I quickly learned that if you skip a day on your streak to becoming a Duo-linguist, the app will smother you in guilt. Good guilt.
Good, healthy, Catholic guilt.
Luckily, my penance was simple: a review and three extra lessons. I threw in a few Hail Marys for good measure.
What I Learned:
I thought I’d better do some research and understand a little more about streaks. Dr. Kay Milman, a behavioral scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, said streaks work for two reasons: potential gain, “because there’s something bright and shiny that they can reach for. There’s a prize, in a sense, that’s making you more motivated to get a thing done.” The second is loss aversion, where the pain of losing something is more intense than the joy of gaining it.
I also learned that consistency – in Duolingo and life – is priceless. Whether it’s showing up on time (every time) wherever you’re headed, following through on what you said you would do (like writing), or consistently praying. Every day, even when you don’t need something from God immediately.
Prayer is truly private—a pure communication from one’s heart to God.
No streak matters more than the power of prayer.
Thanks for joining me.
I’m so grateful you’re here,
Lucretia
runonmom.com 