A Reflection: January as a Sunday Afternoon
by GRP Runner William McGovern
Calendars are curious things. The turning over of a new year, month, week, even day, can hold a significant amount of power over our psyches. The new leaf suggests a chance to shake things up, break out of old habits, and go after long planned goals. New Year’s always has a sense of promise to it and January can be a great time to begin tackling resolutions thought up during the long nights of December. But for all the significance of turning the page on the new year, the calendar is also arbitrary. The weather does not know the difference between December 31st and January 1st and neither do our bodies. New Year’s Day could as easily happen in midsummer as midwinter. In fact, it does happen in summer for half of the world. But for those of us in the northern hemisphere, New Year’s comes at one of the most challenging times for runners.
January might bring the new year, but it also brings cold days, long nights, and in recent years, more slush than I would like. Pushing through those challenges can be rewarding, but it is also physically and mentally taxing. This year, I have been approaching January differently. While chatting about resolutions a friend recently argued, “January is a Sunday afternoon. It’s not a time to start new goals. It’s a time to get cozy, settle into the couch, and rest up for the week ahead.” While I don’t necessarily agree with the couch bit, I think they’re onto something. So instead of tackling new mileage goals and resolving to drag myself to the gym every day, I’ve been trying to approach January as I would a post-long run Sunday afternoon. So, if this winter, you want to take some time to rest on your laurels, do what comes naturally and set up the year ahead. Here are some tips for doing so.
Work on your flexibility
After a good, hard effort it is critical to let the body and brain loosen up a bit. The Sunday afternoon stretching session is important for recovering from your long run and preparing for the coming week. In the same way, January is a great time to let the rigidity go and embrace mental flexibility. This might seem counterintuitive when January is often associated with a puritanical commitment to breaking old habits and setting new ones. However, the fickle weather of this month will force even the tightest runner to bend a little and I would prefer to bend than to break. Flexibility is also important for mental fatigue. There are times when it is important to train your mind and will to be unshakable. But those times are during peak training and the last few miles of a race, not January when most races are months away, and the weather is determined to undermine you. This is the time for giving yourself some slack. Be willing to adjust workouts on the fly, find alternative ways of getting a workout in if running conditions are bad, and if the weather is simply too dangerous to be out on the roads, accept the day off with gratitude and make some hot chocolate.
Focus on the effort not the stats
I have trained with a GPS watch for so long I barely remember not having one. And thanks to Strava, I now know my weekly mileage to the hundredth in addition to my pace, elevation gain, and heart rate. There is no doubt these are great tools for keeping track of progress and monitoring goals, but numbers can also be misleading and January running defies comparison. There is no pace conversion for sliding along snowy sidewalks or battling through a sleet storm. This January, I’ve been focusing less on the data and more on the effort. One way is by letting my body dictate my mileage. I have been guilty in the past of putting the cart before the horse when it comes to mileage and fitness. It is easy to think that a certain number of weekly miles translates to a particular race time. But if your body is not ready for the mileage your brain thinks you need to hit, you will often burn out or get injured. With times and paces out the window, January is a good time to let mileage go too. Focus instead on how your body is recovering from the week’s stimulus and make alterations as you go.
Embrace cross-training
Winter is a great time for cross training. If you are fortunate enough to live somewhere with snow, try out Nordic skiing. Getting on skis is a great way to build some strength and has the added benefit of getting you away from the roads while the running trails are snowed under. I also like to get in the pool in January. When the days are so dark that 5:00pm feels like midnight, there is something reassuring about the consistency of the pool. 5:00pm in the pool in January feels like 5:00pm in the pool in June. By the time summer rolls around that sameness might drive you crazy, but in January it can be a lot easier to get in the pool than to lace up your shoes for another run in the dark. The no-days-off die-hards might blanche at the idea of dropping a run for a cross training session, but the strength and durability gains from cross training will pay dividends down the line.
Set goals
The best part of a post-long run Sunday afternoon is lying on the couch, putting your legs up and planning what to do with the fitness you just gained. Take the time to think about the year ahead. Pick some races or events that excite you or make plans to visit some trails you have never run on. If you have already set goals, indulge in some daydreaming about warmer days and big training blocks. Focus your training on building the strength and durability you will need when those sunnier days come.
The sun will come back
I have made much in this article about the difficulties of January training, but there is also one key point of optimism. Every day of January brings with it a little more sun. By mid-February, the days will be lengthening noticeably, and the sun will be high enough in the sky to bring a taste of spring to the air. This January I have been trying to take a lesson from the slow return of the sun. Fitness does not happen all at once. You cannot catch it unawares by suddenly jumping up in mileage or going to the gym five days a week. It comes gradually as the result of patience, consistency, and time. I have fallen prey many times to the siren song of the new year only to be crushed against the icy roads of winter. This year I recommend taking a step back, finding some flexibility, and letting your training increase naturally with the sun.