Redefining My Resolution
The promise of a new year always injects some temporary optimism into my routine. I was an old-fashioned resolution-setter for years, and more recently jumped on the bandwagon of choosing an intention or a single word to provide focus for the months ahead. This year I’m trying something new, and it seems to be working.
I’m not striving for a total lifestyle overhaul, but repeating last year’s mistakes is a non-starter as I continue to create my running roadmap for 2025. I’m proud of what I accomplished in 2024. However the time and energy constraints that came from navigating new motherhood left me clinging to a single piece of the training and performance puzzle (running, of course!), and I threw everything else under the couch to collect dust bunnies. That approach worked well enough to complete two road marathons, a trail marathon, and a traverse of the Grand Canyon via the 42-mile epic adventure Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim. But it did not result in maximum running enjoyment and frankly left me feeling pretty lackluster about most of my efforts. I showed up to my races barely healthy and deeply fatigued, resulting in performances that were ok but not representative of my potential. Cardiovascularly, I was pretty fit, but my structural integrity was lacking. I could complete a quality long run on a Sunday, hitting paces I was happy with, but then not recover until Wednesday or Thursday, thus losing half of each training week. Stopping at any point in a long run resulted in centenarian-like hobbling as I tried to get back up to speed. I was doing the hard endurance work but none of the ancillary tasks necessary to keep me healthy.
Like most endurance junkies I find it’s not the aerobic exercise that’s hard, it’s everything else. And the reality is that the “everything else” is what’s going to feed my running goals. Zooming out and looking long term,I know that there are a few key habits that will enable me to make progress this year, both in the short and long term. So for 2025, I’ve opted for a new approach to the typical resolution. I knew I wanted to commit to doing something every day, but I also knew it didn’t have to be the same thing every day. I decided on a menu of three things that I know will be beneficial long term: yoga, foam rolling, and meditation. Each day I get to decide: Which one speaks to me today? Which do I have the most time for? Which am I most looking forward to doing? If I have the time and energy to do more than one, I certainly can; there’s no maximum. So far this year I’ve honored the minimum of one per day. Most often, I ease into my day by doing about 10 min. of yoga before I run. A few sun salutations along with whatever else my muscles and joints are asking for, and I’m on my way. I’m finding that I feel much better much sooner in my run. Sometimes the quiet predawn darkness lulls me into a meditation, especially if my mind has been racing or I’m in a funk. Foam rolling is the best choice if I have a little bit more time and feel a specific niggle I want to address. Each has its place in my healthy running toolbox, but no single one is so vital as to necessitate daily execution. Another advantage to this approach is that I can still have a small success even on days that I’m too sick to exercise, which is an unfortunate reality I’ve encountered twice in the past two months.
If this approach feels too squishy, I get it. I’m usually one to set a goal and adopt a “no excuses” mentality. Years ago I decided to start meditating and at one point I’d logged a 1,500-day streak on the meditation app Headspace. Over about seven years, I missed a whopping three or four days. When starting a new habit or learning a new skill, daily practice is the best way to ensure success. Stopping to hem and haw allows the space to find reasons to skip it, and inconsistency is the death knell of a new routine. But what if you’re not exactly a beginner anymore?
For several reasons, including the realities of life with a toddler and the wisdom that comes with aging, I’m recalibrating how I will reach the milestones I set for this year, and giving myself a bit more leeway when I need to pivot to address life’s curveballs. I’m not setting specific time goals to live and die by for my big races, but trying to reach each event healthy in mind, body, and spirit. At this point in my endurance journey, I’m attempting to measure success by whether or not I feel limited by injuries or extreme fatigue, not by how I place or how far off of my PR I am. I believe that I’ll perform well if I stay healthy, but health and enjoyment rather than performance are my primary goals.
The year is still fresh and I have a lot of miles and intensity to pile on, but so far this seems to be a great framework. Picking one of three things daily is specific enough to hold me accountable but forgiving enough to work within the constraints of my life, kind of a resolution “sweet spot” that’s motivating me to prioritize habits I would otherwise ignore. Building in a bit of accountability to bust out my foam roller or strike a pigeon pose is giving me confidence that I’ll reach this year’s start lines healthy.