A Runner's New Year

The new year may be celebrated on December 31st at midnight with the raising of glasses and exchanging of kisses for most people but for runners the new year begins months earlier with spring race registration often starting before the first snow has covered the ground to herald in winter.  We sit under our laptops or have fingers poised above our tablets waiting for the moment to click register hoping the website doesn't crash before your entry is complete.  Maybe a few of those spring races are a little more old school and you mail in your entry form only to wait through the process to find out if your a runner or on the wait list.  It can all add to the challenge of a hectic holiday season!

Since I don't have much control over the registration process for the races I want to run, I focus on doing things that will help me minimize the negative effects of those sometimes frustrating processes. 

Information
I make sure I know which races I want to include in my spring schedule and then I understand how their registration process works.  Do I get priority if I have run it before?  Will there be a lottery?  If I get in and can't run can I defer?  Do club members get early registration?  How long will I wait before I know if I am in or not?  Just like I research the race course, aid stations and conditions, I want to understand what it takes to get to run the event.

Focus on the positive
Once I know about the registration process I focus on everything I have that will help my chances of getting to run and I let go of everything else.  I don't complain on line or with running friends about the hoops that I have to run through to get registered.  I can't change it.  I can focus on meeting the requirements.

Get A Plan
I may not get into every race I register for but I will get into some of them so why not get a plan.  Whenever I have a little extra time I get out the calendar and pencil in the races I have/will register for and see how they all fit to help get me to my A race for the spring schedule.  I pencil in what plan B is for races that I might not get to run.  Will I do a long run with friends or plan to find another event to fill any gaps?

Consistency
For me, the best piece of advice on surviving that Runner's New Year is consistency.  While many runners may enjoy a bit of a holiday taper, I try to keep my workouts consistent and maybe even add to them to help stay focused over the holiday season.  It takes creativity but runners are already great at "fitting it in."  Splitting a run, joining a challenge, starting an added cross training element , focusing on clean eating are all things I do over the holiday season to keep my fitness level and my enthusiasm up.

Your Runner's New Year or the holiday season doesn't have to derail your attitude or undermine your fitness.  As in all things it is simply the way we chose to look at it.  Chose to leave these season better than you started it.   

 

 

 

HBBC: 

Want to see a little of what I've been doing? 

Click HERE

Construction Season

 

 

 

While we enjoyed our holiday time with family we got a sudden taste of winter with temperatures in the teens most mornings. 

 

 

The fridge temps did make for some beautiful scenery but they did not keep me from getting out and running with my sister.  Having a little company during a long run can help you forget how big a mistake it was to be a cheapskate and not buy the more expensive tights. 

 

 

Even once the sun was up I was glad I had on every piece of running gear I had brought with me.  And once the runs were done I enjoyed having a burning pellet stove to do all my cross training and stretching in front of. 

 

Four layers off and one to go, I wasn't too frozen to miss out on one exciting running event over the holiday break.  The beginning of 2014 race registration...

 

 

...and I'm in!  The road back to MMT 100 is under construction.  I think it's going to be a rocky, rooty, steep and challenging one.  So a little bit of suffering in the cold will only toughen me up.  Who knows with all the cold hilly running we are doing, my sister might just be ready to do some pacing on the trails by May.