The year 2025 has started and many individuals seem to think if they need a starting date to change something in their lives, the New Year is as good as any for a starting point. Other dates might include their birthday or a special date such as graduating from school, a new job promotion or the day they were married. For many the day they got married was a day that changed a lot of things from a previous normal routine. But, the tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions is the one mentioned the most from comic strips, news articles, television news or conversation with friends. Most resolutions seem to be on health-related issues. Whether it is to stop smoking, or to lose some weight or start a fitness program, the area of health is one topic a large number of people make resolutions for. For individuals that are runners, or a person that wants to start running, the resolution is narrowed down to one activity.
One of the most popular resolutions for runners is, “This is the year I will run a marathon.” Running a marathon puts you in a very select group of runners, and only a small percentage of runners ever run a marathon. The training that goes into running 26.2 miles is a big step from that normal routine run around the neighborhood and entering a few 5K races in town. Building up to run a distance of 20 miles in a training run takes a few months to do. Making the resolution in the first part of January is one thing but actually doing the marathon probably won’t happen for another 10 or 11 months. That is a long time to keep a resolution. I mention this as for most people a resolution is probably good for a month before it is forgotten. Marathon “season” usually starts in October and runs through the year to February. From January through September is the gradual buildup of longer runs and adding some faster pace to those runs. One of the best ways to actually do a marathon is to find another runner that has made the same resolution. Having someone to run with on those long runs really makes it more enjoyable. The other benefit is that during the summer months, the thought of doing the marathon distance begins to fade away and having a friend waiting for you for a long run often keeps you on track. I remember one morning where I really did not want to run but knew my partner was there waiting for me, and it got me out the door. It turns out he didn’t want to run that morning either but felt he needed to show up because I would be there. Since we were there and dressed to run, we went ahead and had a great run. That is especially true for those long training runs later in your preparation. The best part of actually keeping your resolution to run a marathon is the feeling you have after the race. One nice part of running a marathon is it seems the one question asked of runners is, “Have you ever run a marathon?” Now your answer can be, “Yes, I have run a marathon.”
If you are a marathon runner already the resolution probably deals with how fast you want to run a marathon. Over half of runners in a marathon finish in over four hours. Breaking that four-hour time might be the resolution goal. The other question asked of marathon runners is, “Have you ever run the Boston Marathon?” At least that was one of the first questions I was asked after my first marathon. The fact that I would have to run a minute faster per mile for 26 miles was one of those resolutions I would never make. But, after a few more marathons over the next few years, the making a resolution to run the Boston Marathon was a real possibility. And actually running the Boston Marathon was one of my best kept resolutions.
If the marathon resolution is not a priority, then running a set number of 5K or 10K races in town might be a good resolution to make. I hear runners tell me that, “I just run for fun and how fast I run is not important.” I hear that from walkers in 5K races. Yet when they see the finish clock and realize this race might be the fastest time they have ever run, the pace picks up, and they might even do a slow jog to beat that time. When I hear the “I just run for fun” comment, I like to watch them as they near the finish line. It might be a slow time, but it is still their fastest time. I had one runner tell me she wanted to break 45 minutes for a 5K. That is a 15-minute mile pace. A little training and that is a resolution that can be completed. So, make those resolutions runners and keep the fun of running a priority with a goal.
