The Runaround: Resolving to run

I don’t know who is in charge of posting on the signboard outside the New York State Police bunker in Somers, but as a runner I appreciate their latest message: WINTER IS A SEASON FOR RECOVERY AND PREPARATION.

I like that the sign doesn’t broadcast any nonsense about New Year’s resolutions. For runners, as for anyone attempting pretty much any endeavor, resolutions are an everyday event, not an annual exercise.

Each morning, whether it’s January or July, a runner needs to make a new resolution to push away from her, his, or their bed, couch, or desk and get out the door. For those days when we don’t succeed, it helps to have framed our resolution as a mundane daily enterprise. This keeps the stakes low and lessens the need to agonize when things don’t work out.

Missed a workout? No problem. Tomorrow brings a clean slate and another chance to push the rock back up the hill.

Think Small

Another thing I do to keep moving in the right direction is reminding myself that a little can be a lot.

Some days, life gets in the way of the perfect workout, often in the form of a time crunch. Once in a while I have to admit defeat and let go of my plan to run for the day. But there are other days when I can shake off the all-or-nothing mentality and turn these frustrating obstacles into opportunities.

If I am pressed for time and have, say, only a half hour between Zoom meetings, I can slip in a 20-minute out and back. Going by my watch, I’ll give myself exactly 10 minutes to jog any which way. At the 10-minute mark I’ll do a hard 180 and head back to base. Extra points if I make it back in 9. Yes, at the front and back ends, lightning-fast wardrobe changes and bathroom breaks are required, but that’s just part of the exercise.

Be Practical

Other days, if I am swamped with errands, I might try to knock off some of my chores with a utility run.

A few days before Christmas, I went with my wife to Target for some last-minute holiday shopping. After unloading the overstuffed shopping cart at the car, I did a quick backseat change into my running togs from the Go Bag I always keep in the trunk, grabbed a couple of overdue library books, tied four dirty dress shirts around my waist, and started to jog 3 miles north on Bedford Road to the cleaners and library in Katonah while my wife drove off in the other direction to do more shopping.

Forty minutes later she pulled up outside the library as I was making a final sprint to the drop box. It wasn’t a competition but I gave myself the win.

Executing goofy little filler runs like this makes me feel a whole lot better than giving in to the slings and arrows that come my way. And sometimes putting the emphasis on fun is a whole lot more valuable than any fitness benefit.

Change Things Up

Which brings me to the last thing in my gym back of tricks: Refresh and reinvent. I am a creature of habit. Repetition is my friend, until it becomes my enemy.

To keep up my resolve to run, there’s no better way to stay motivated than watching for ways to knock myself out of the ruts I’m in. If I always go left at that stop sign, it’s time to go right. If I’m used to running my favorite 4-mile trail loop in the clear light of day, I need to pop on a headlamp and run it in the dark. If I feel like I am drifting aimlessly from workout to workout, that’s a sign I am ready to register for a race or set a short-term challenge.

Of course, there are some days when none of these techniques help me at all. Days when the wheels come off and all I want to do is stay home, pull the shades, and watch TV.

Maybe on those days I can call 911 and ask for that wise sign-posting state trooper from Somers to come talk to me about recovery and preparation and help me resolve to run all over again.

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