A Runner's Resolution

Just Another Runner’s Perspective January 2025 Written By Gale Fischer

 A Runner’s Resolution

“Cheer to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”

—-Oprah Winfrey

With the arrival of the New Year, there are many among us who reflect on what changes can be made to improve life. This is the season of the resolution. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a New Year’s Resolution is a promise to do something differently in the New Year.  For many in the running community, creating goals for the New Year that align with their hobby becomes a natural transition from December to January. Although a goal does not always equate to a resolution there are times when a runner may resolve to do something different in terms of running for the New Year. 

Although running may lend itself to resolutions, the tradition of making a change as the calendar rolls around to January is common among all in our society. Positive changes can occur at any time, but wiping the slate clean and creating a plan to make constructive modifications to one’s life makes sense this time of year. 

Resolutions often center around improvements in physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health. This might include intentionally removing unhealthy practices or choices from everyday life. Examples include some resolving to eliminate the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, or fast food from everyday or long-term use. The opposite can occur with the approach of not eliminating things, but adding habits that enhance a healthy lifestyle. Examples of this might include aspiring to eat fruits and vegetables every day, consume more water, or get more sleep every night. Often times a resolution involves a combination of shedding bad habits while implementing new ones simultaneously. 

In an attempt to improve physical fitness, many individuals will resolve to incorporate an exercise routine including running, swimming, or walking. Modern fitness technology has exploded in recent years with smartwatches providing immediate and ongoing feedback and potential motivation, giving individuals access to tracking workouts and daily steps while providing instant gratification. Gyms will often feed into this frenzy, offering membership discounts for those who sign on as a new year begins. 

The holiday season typically gives ample access for all to indulge in unhealthy habits with higher than-normal sugary food and alcohol consumption associated with multiple parties and gatherings packed into a four-week period of time. This sometimes becomes another factor in making a clean change in diet and exercise as the season winds down. Although transitions are not restricted to flipping the calendar from December to January, the New Year seems like a natural time to start fresh and evaluate what to do differently going forward whether these changes are resolutions or just simple adjustments to daily habits.

The addition of running as a New Year’s resolution to one’s routine might provide the push from couch potato to transition to runner. Recently I made a resolution that is the opposite of this scenario. For almost a year, my running has suffered due to pain in my shin. Entering 2024 the discomfort in my leg, when running forced me to the sidelines for several weeks. I attempted a return to my sport in February and struggled through limited activity for two months when I was diagnosed with a stress reaction. Finally, in August I resumed running again. The pain was still present but seemed more manageable. Gradually, I built my consistency and continued running with minimal to moderate discomfort each mile. Things were not getting better but they were not getting worse either. I saw a sports med doctor a few days after Christmas. He encouraged me to take a break from running for an extended period of time to allow the stress reaction to heal completely. After consulting with my physical therapist a few days later I decided that it was time to take a longer break. I went out for six miles on December 31 to round out the year of running and haven’t run since.

My decision was a dilemma for me. I felt that the running wasn’t making things worse but at the same time as much as I craved each mile I desired equally to run without any pain. Many in our community begin their running journey with a New Year’s Resolution. For these individuals, work and family commitments have created hectic schedules with physical activity being pushed to the side. Making the time run consistently becomes the positive change in the lives of these individuals to begin the New Year. My current approa i the opposite of what many strive for with my resolution to put a halt to running for the first four months of 2025. The reasoning is the same as most resolutions with implementing a positive change to improve in some way. My New Year’s resolution is not to abandon running altogether but to leave temporarily in hopes of making it more beneficial to my life when I return.

As you read this we are well into the New Year. This doesn’t mean however that it’s too late to make a New Year’s resolution. Making revisions in day-to-day life can be something positive for all. If you desire to implement changes to make any area of your life better make that goal, hash out a plan, and implement it. It doesn’t matter if you want to improve your physical health, your mental well-being, your relationship with a loved one, or your spiritual journey. Your resolution might be a traditional one, but it could be something completely different. January offers a great transition for doing this, but any time of the year is a great time to resolve to better your life.