NUMBER ONE GOAL TO IMPROVE RUNNING

2016 effort captured by EARNED RUNS BIBS Taken by PKSenagore December 23, 2016. All rights reserved.

FITNESS GOALS FOR 2017 REVEALED The first task for runners who wish to improve their running and remain active and healthy in 2017 is to identify overall goals. A recent Coach Jay Johnson newsletter (to receive it you must be a subscriber, but it’s free) recommended setting 3 goals. Shana Verstegen put together a slideshow ‘list-icle’ for Active.com that may encourage BOTH women and men to formulate and follow a strength building plan, and setting this up as one of the targets they'll aim to hit in the upcoming year.

I am going to go with ONLY TWO goals, figuring that I’ll do what I love to do (run races and work to speed up), following a similar path as in 2016. Every year I also resolve to improve my nutrition in such a way as to replace fat mass with lean muscle, so it's more of a life plan, considering how easy it is to lay down fat. 

My NUMBER ONE goal is to LIFT WEIGHTS regularly to BUILD STRENGTH. Up until this time I have only used body-weight exercises for this purpose, and only 1 day/week, skipping weeks frequently. This year I want to up my game for all the reasons given in this article. The increased strength should help increase my race pace as well.
 
Although the title of Verstegen's article  is “Top 10 Reasons Women Should Hit the Weights”, the reasons also apply to men runners and walkers and include: speeding metabolism; protecting knees; strengthening bones;  improving posture, body shape, and movement; increasing independence and athleticism; boosting mood; and a ‘mystery’ last benefit.
 
Many runners, regardless of gender, would rather lace up the shoes and run, braving terrible outdoor weather than walk into the gym for the purpose of lifting weights. Part of my reluctance is not having a plan I LIKE that fits beginner level (actually I’m almost sub-beginner level).  Another source of reluctance is the embarrassment of having to pick up the 5-10 pound weights and moving awkwardly through an unfamiliar routine when everyone else is working smoothly with 15-20 and higher pound weights. HOWEVER, THERE WILL BE MORE NEWBIES IN THE GYM than at any other time of the year, so it’s a perfect time to bond with them and become buddies.
 
The next step in formulating a plan will be to determine where/when to incorporate the weight work into a schedule, so that I persevere long enough to see results. From my experience the thrill of seeing improvement can power me to continue following the plan over the next months and even the entire year.  I’ve got the remainder of the weekend to work on this.
 
The final step will be to design a specific routine. My target date for starting is January 7.  The traditional religious Holiday Season (through the Twelve Days of Christmas) can be stretched to January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings. Consider yourself as being within the ‘legitimate’ holiday year-end planning period if you need time beyond December 31 to work on goal setting.
 
My NUMBER TWO goal is to complete a PERSONAL EPIC ADVENTURE. Designing this event and the training plan and schedule will take a bit of time and effort. For the purpose of defining 2017 goals, I’ve at least accomplished this step.

Good luck with your personal goal planning!
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/top-10-reasons-women-should-hit-the-weights
 
http://www.coachjayjohnson.com/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/06/three-kings-day-celebration-history-and-traditions-behind-el-dia-de-los-reyes_n_2412379.html