Your Best Year Yet
Call them resolutions, adjustments, or refinements. Either way, a new year presents us with a chance to reflect on our running experiences of the previous twelve months, and hopefully find some opportunities to make the coming year better. We can’t say this is the list for you, but it’s probably where many of us could spend some time to make 2024 our best ever.
Make Self-Care Part of the Routine:
Self-centered as it sounds, it’s an area we admittedly need some due diligence. Self-care doesn’t mean selfish. But if you want to keep running, you’ll want to to do more than run going forward. Incorporate rest days into your training schedule to allow your body to recover. Prioritize sleep to support overall health and recovery. Consider how to add stretching, yoga, or massage to enhance flexibility and reduce muscle tension.
Focus on Specific Improvement:
Set specific and measurable running goals for the new year, like achieving a personal best in a certain distance, pushing yourself to a new distance, or completing a challenging race. Have a plan or seek guidance from a running coach to make sure you’re on track. Check-in on your progress regularly and celebrate small victories along the way. Add a paper or online training log to the equation for easy measurement.
Embrace Change in Your Body and Performance:
Understand that your body will naturally change over time. Yep, that means you’ll get slower, and need longer to recover from intense workouts. Adapt your training and nutrition accordingly. Explore cross-training activities to complement your running routine, prevent monotony and injury. Embrace the concept of periodization in training; you can’t be “race ready” every weekend. Allow for variations in intensity and volume to stay active for the long run, and prioritize warm-up and cool-down routines to reduce the risk of injuries.
Get Serious About Safety:
Invest in proper running gear, including reflective clothing and high-visibility accessories, especially if you run in low-light conditions. There never seems to be enough daylight this time of year. Be mindful of your surroundings, and consider running with a buddy or run group. Let someone know your route and estimated return time. If you don’t have an ID on you when you’re running, consider this your friendly reminder.
Be Grateful for the Opportunity to Run:
Reflect on the positive impact running has had on your life, both physically and mentally. We should all be grateful for the ability to engage in such a fulfilling and healthy activity—even on the bad days and in the worst weather. If you’ve ever been sidelined with injury or illness, you know what it feels like when all you want to do is run, but can’t. If you can’t run, consider how you’ll share your love for running with others. Could you coach, mentor, or volunteer? A running-adjacent opportunity is a rewarding way to keep your spirits up while you’re unable to run.