Runners love making commitments to themselves about getting
better—better form, better training, better diet, better times. But just like
everyone else making resolutions for the new year, it’s easy for runners to
overcommit, making for disappointment later in the year when we can’t quite
meet our ambitious January goals. Here are some tips on how to rein ourselves
in, stay realistic, and be successful new-and-improved runners in 2013.
Think positive.
It is easier to add something good to our lives than take
away something negative. For example, if you want to have healthier eating,
committing to 3 servings of fresh veggies a day can be easier than saying
you’ll stop eating French fries. The fresh veggies will naturally displace
things like fries, and you don’t feel like you’re “slipping” if you do eat
something you want to limit. With running, think about, say, adding proper
warmup/cooldown to your workouts, rather than not running if you are injured
(hopefully, you will avoid injury in the first place.)
Set goals.
This may sound obvious, but what it really means is that
goals need to be namable and tangible. Having something solid to work toward
keeps us motivated against the often monotonous day-to-day of running. Your
efforts will feel much more meaningful when there is an end state to imagine
and anticipate.
Prioritize.
Even when we see many areas for improvement, it simply isn’t
possible to address everything at once. You’ll be disappointed if you take on
too much, and more likely to give up. What’s really important to you—this year? Make an exhaustive list of
everything you’d like to change or accomplish. Then, pick only the most
important. One major goal for a year can be combined with mini goals that will
support it. For example, set a PR goal for a major race toward the end of the
year, and pick training approaches to focus on each quarter, such as
introducing speed work or improving form.
Be specific.
As runners, we’re lucky to have easily measurable
performance goals based on time. But it’s important to have specific,
measurable goals across the board. That means “I will start doing speed work”
doesn’t cut it. Instead, try “I will do a speed session at the track once a
week”. Hint: reading up on speed work, having a coach, and/or following a
specific training program can help with goals. Check out Hal Higdon and
McMillan Running for ideas.
Don’t go it alone.
Running can be a solitary sport, and that is often why we
were drawn to it in the first place. It creates opportunities for personal
reflection and enjoyment, and doesn’t require anyone or anything much to
partake. However, the more you focus on improving your running, the more
important it is to have support from others. If you know your running partner
is waiting, you’ll be much more likely to head out at 5:30 am in the dark and
cold. Running with a group can accrue even more benefits—camaraderie, along
with advice and encouragement based on a broad range of running experience and
philosophies. Just be prepared to learn a lot about people’s shoe and recovery
beverage choices!
Be consistent.
A regular training calendar helps us get out the door and
get that workout in, even when we might not want to. If Tuesday means track,
you need to go to the track! The calendar is a demanding mistress—and a
comforting, familiar one, of course. This is where specific set times to run
workouts with others helps, as well.
Change it up.
While consistency week to week ensures we run, an unchanging
march of the same workouts will bore us to death. Try heading out a different
direction for your neighborhood easy runs. Schedule a weekly trail run, but
explore different trails each time. Swap out speed sessions at the track with
fartlek running or hill workouts. Remember that running is supposed to be fun,
and enjoy yourself!
