By the time you get to reading this, we’ll be just weeks away from ringing in a new year. Yikes. Whether you’d prefer to take a hard pass on revisiting any events of the past year, this is still a great point on the calendar to plan how you can improve your running in 2025. We’ll go first.
Ditch the “Same Old, Same Old”
Most of us love routine. Heck, the very foundation of most training programs is routine! But the yin to routine’s yang can sometimes mean boredom or burnout. Your challenge – if you choose to accept it – is to take on a new race distance, try a new running club, add a strength or track workout to your schedule, or even simply change your usual running path. The options to shake it up a little are practically endless, and you’ll be a better, more experienced runner for it.
Commit Early
Skip the stress of scrambling to find an “in” to that sold out event, or those FOMO feelings when you’re the one who missed out on the fun. Many big events have already opened their 2025 registration portals at the lowest prices they’ll be all year. (Yes, that includes the 2025 Novant Health Charlotte Marathon.) Committing – and registering early – will help you plan the rest of your year around your big event(s), and save you a couple of bucks and a lot of worry, too.
Pay it Forward
Even the smallest events count on volunteers to help make them happen. Naturally, the bigger the event, the more volunteers it takes to provide a fun, safe, and rewarding experience for every runner. You’d be surprised how easy it is, too. You don’t need any special skills. You don’t even need to have raced or run an event to volunteer. If you’re not sure where to start, go to most any event’s website and look for the “volunteer” button or tab.
Make Some New Running Friends
Not that there’s anything wrong with your current running friends, mind you. But running with some new folks – even every once in a while – can enhance your motivation and accountability, expose you to new running routes, new training plans, and new conversations, or even new books or shows to check out. One of the 70+ Charlotte area run clubs is a great place to start.
Invest in Yourself
As the miles and the minutes add up, you begin to realize you’ve invested a little bit of time in your running at this point. That investment pays off when you can run farther, faster, and more comfortably than you did when you started. Consider investing further in yourself and your running by hiring a coach, an athletic trainer, or a nutritionist to help take your running and your health to the next level.
Being a “better” runner in the new year is really a very personal definition. It doesn’t have to mean faster or farther. Got plans for 2025? What can we add to this list?? Let us know by sending a note to ed@runcharlotte.com.
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