QT: It’s Absolutely Possible to End the Year Strategically

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In case you’re not paying attention, the end of the year is fast approaching.

Indeed.

So how do you go about finishing off the year strategically, from a running perspective?

The short answer is, it depends…

Factors to Consider

Looking ahead to the last few weeks of the year, I feel like there are a few common situations for most runners.

• Finishing the year strong.
• Training for an early January race.
• Looking ahead to next year.

Of course, there is also the end of the year/holiday season shenanigans to consider.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the three big situations to consider.

Finish the Year Strong

Working on a big goal? Maybe closing in on your annual mileage goal for this year?

Then going hard for the last three weeks of the year is more than logical.

That said, don’t forget that if you push pretty hard at the end of the year you are likely going to need to pull back a bit to start the new year.

There’s nothing wrong with that trade-off, to be sure.

But it’s worth keeping in mind as you charge toward the finish line.

January Race Day

On the surface, this might seem pretty straightforward.

You’ve got a race approaching. You’ve got your plan in place. Follow the plan.

In reality, this may be a bit more convoluted.

This time of year, it’s pretty hard to stick to your training plan perfectly.

What are the key runs that have to happen?

Make sure those are a priority and try to be a little less Type-A about the rest of your runs, eh?

Not saying you can’t/shouldn’t try to stick to your plan as much as possible.

Just saying you might have to take Elsa’s advice for a few runs during this training cycle.

And if you do?

It’ll be ok. I promise.

An Eye to the Future

Anyone else already looking ahead to next year?

If you’ve been thinking about next year’s goals, and some are starting to come into focus for you, use the time between now and the ball dropping to set yourself up for a strong start to the year.

Maybe that means a bit of downtime. Maybe you need to start building back up.

Either way, anything you can do now to help future you be successful is time well spent.

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Today’s Episode is Sponsored By: Amino Co

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Holiday Shenanigans

The other factor to keep in mind between now and January are the holidays.

Will you be traveling? Are family coming to your place? Working like crazy? Got some vacation time that needs to be used?

There are a whole host of variables at play this time of the year, and your running routine is likely to be impacted.

Keep in mind that sometimes all you can do is all you can do.

No matter which of the above camps you find yourself in this year, just do the best you can do.

Will things be perfect as the New Year closes in?

Do the best you can, adjust as needed, and with a little luck things will work themselves out between now and the end of the year.

Of course, doing your best to end the year strategically is only going to help things work themselves out too…

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End the year strategically based on what you need to do between now and the New Year. #runchat Click To Tweet

What is Your Strategy for Your Last Few Weeks of Running This Year?

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