It is so understandable that after the ordeal that is the Christmas break we just want to hibernate for the rest of January, with very little motivation and the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ mantra not quite working out.
It’s only three days in and your healthy eating has gone out the window, the drive thru McDonalds order finds its way to you and the gym membership is yet to be used. Uni deadlines draw closer and you’re just dreading looking at the reading list for next term (that you say you’ve started, but haven’t even looked at!). All in all, January is a difficult month. Everyone under the sun has a cold, lectures are filled with blowing noses and trying to stifle coughs, and we just want it to be Pancake day already.
But, I have some news for you that will change your mind completely about January. Well, maybe not completely, but it has definitely helped me add some structure to the in-between days; the days where lectures haven’t started yet but deadlines are still creeping up on us, where there is no routine but we still need to be implementing one as we still need to be productive, but just don’t have the energy or desire to be. And my news is… You need to enter a half marathon.
I know, it sounds ridiculous. It also probably makes you hate me, and I hate myself a bit too. Especially on those cold Monday mornings; my sore throat is screaming at me to stay in bed, and the sheer force it takes for me to get out of my warm duvet, into running clothes and onto the cold, windy street to do a 3 mile run before uni is extreme. But, I have to say, I have never had such a productive January. Doing exercise in the morning, and being forced to because I have entered a race, means my whole day is set up already.
Running helps wake you up better than any coffee you can grab from Costa, and guess what? It’s free! My mind feels healthier, I am way more chatty in seminars on a Monday morning (to the dismay of my classmates who I’m sure would much rather I just shut up).
What entering a race does, is it forces you to do it. It’s not like a gym membership, which can be ignored, left in your purse to gather dust and ultimately have little impact on your life. A race is a fast approaching deadline, it is not something you can ignore, and it is something you absolutely have to train for to prevent any risk of seriously injuring / embarrassing yourself on race day. It is that push you need on those Monday mornings when all you want to do is sleep and mumble through the seminars and get straight back into bed and watch the new Taylor Swift documentary or binge Sex Ed – both still excellent choices might I add. Entering a race literally pushes you out the door and makes you train, and that is exactly the force you need to start the year right.
What running regularly does, is not only helps your routine but your mindset. No longer do I feel like I have my Christmas belly for all of January – it’s already gone! Running 12 miles a week works wonders, who knew?! And even better, I can eat what I want because I’m burning it off. Ultimately, it is a happier lifestyle, you’re mentally healthier, your brain is happier, your body is achy (in a good way!), and you’re sleeping well with the knowledge that you’re pushing yourself and seeing results quickly.
A half marathon, ultimately, is a massive achievement, and what a better way to start the year. You need 12 weeks to train for it, so enter it now and get it done by early May. Your 2020 will be your most productive year yet, I promise!