We are facing a brand-new year. Twelve clean-slated months ready to be lived. 365 crisp calendar pages waiting to be filled with experiences, memories, and achievements. The time has come not only to have our goals ready but also to set up a plan to realize them.
If you, like most of us procrastinators, are not thoroughly prepared for 2026, please read below to follow a structure and get there before the final countdown of 2025.
âș Reflect on what happened in 2025 — To know where you are going, you must know where you are coming from. Understanding what made the previous year a success, less than that, or even a miserable failure, is the key to making the necessary adjustments. Adjustments will be needed to maintain the same trajectory or to find new paths to reach that elusive road to success. So, take your time to look back, reminisce, identify, understand, and realize before you take any steps towards defining what you want from your running in 2026.
âș Set up your 2026 goals now — Do not procrastinate. Figure out what you want from your running this year. Goals may be time-related (first 5K under 25), distance-related (finally getting to 1000), social (I want to make like-minded friends), health-related (losing those last few pounds), or a combination of everything. Adjustments and detours are expected, but to adjust and recenter, you must have a clear path to your destination.
âș Register for the races — If your goal is performance-related in a specific race, time, or distance, register for a race right now as soon as you are done reading this post. Nothing will get you more focused than having a date with destiny in your calendar. I know of no focusing tool sharper than spending the money on an upcoming race. And if your goal race hasnât opened registration yet, register for another race so you can stay active and focused until the day comes.
âșVenture outside your comfort zone — Running is a sport that, beyond the health and social benefits, can teach us so much about who we are and how the bounds of our limits are far beyond what we thought possible. So, donât get comfy just on what you know. Set up an extravagant short-term goal to keep your training fresh and varied. If you like marathons and halves, push for the fastest 5K you can. If you like the shorter distances, set up a trial date for your fastest mile ever. The options are endless: run an ultra, venture into a trail, force yourself to run slower, etc. Your imagination is the limit.
âș Embrace failure — Failing is part of the process, and eventually, you will fail. You get up, dust off, figure out what happened, reassess, and keep moving forward. If you learned something from it, it is not a failure. And when you donât get what you originally set out for, you get experience, which could be even more valuable than the original goal.
âș Remember you are doing this for fun — Unless your familyâs economic survival depends on your running performance, you are just running because you like it. So, make sure everything you do contributes to the enjoyment and extension of your running journey, and the satisfaction of achieving your goals while keeping yourself injury-free.
My sincere wish for you in 2026, my dear reader, is a year of endless, injury-free miles and PRs in all your distances. May you plan properly to accomplish it all.
A couple of weeks ago, I was running a local 10K, and approaching Mile 3, I noticed a runner ahead of me, maybe in his early 40s. He caught my eye because of his weird running form. As I got closer, I saw that his left shoelace was undone. So, as I reached him, I did what a normal runner would do: âHey, your shoelaces are undoneâ.
This shouldn’t happen. Ever! (Image by ChatGPT)
As I passed him, he replied with some level of exasperation: âYeah, I know! Thatâs why I am opening my leg to the left, so I donât trip.â I shrugged my shoulders and kept running my race. My job was done. The guy thanked me, and that was that. I guess he must not have kissed the ground, since I didnât see or hear any emergency vehicles on the road.
There are so many wrong things with the scene. I completed the race in a tad over one hour, so it is not like this runner was going for any earth-shattering world records. And even if he was going for a PR, this was not helping. How could someone decide the risk of tripping and falling on the asphalt with 2000 runners behind was not worth 30 seconds of your finishing time? How much saved time is worth getting injured, as you decided to change your mechanics to adjust your unlaced shoe?
I was wondering what kind of runner does not perform the most basic checks on their equipment before a race. And thus, here you are reading a blog post on the subject.
The scope of this post is not to teach you how to tie your shoes properly. There are too many ways to get into the top 10 here. And by now you should know how to tie your shoes.
Unless you have the finish line in plain sight, the right way to approach this situation is to step to the side, stop, redo shoelaces properly, both shoes, and then resume activity.
At the bare minimum, you should verify you have tied a double knot. And if the remaining lace is too long and is jumping all over the place, which will eventually make it looser, take the extra string and place it between the shoeâs tongue and laces. That will keep it secure for the duration of your run.
For every single run, not just a race, it is your responsibility to perform a basic check on all your equipment. How about these situations:
âș Imagine a shortstop with broken leather straps in his gloveâs pocket when he is fielding a line drive and the winning run is on third base.
âș Imagine a referee at a soccer game checking the overtime in a championship match to find the watch has run out of battery.
âș Imagine a swimmer in the middle of a 400 combined with her swimming goggles hanging from her neck.
âș Imagine yourself in your goal race, pushing for a PR, and your shoelaces are undone.
30 extra seconds will pay off in the long run (Photo: Tirachard Kumtano, Pexels)
And as we talk about shoelaces, understand that this is a generic reference to all your running equipment. All of it.
âș The time to realize your shortsâ elastic band wonât hold is not when you are 5 miles away from your car.
âș The time to realize you donât have enough safety pins to attach your bib for tomorrowâs race is not right before you go to bed.
âș The time to figure out the sole of your shoe is separating is not when you still have 10 miles to go in your marathon.
âș The time to figure out that gel is expired is not when it is in your mouth just when you are counting on those extra calories.
âș The time to discover your headlamp has run out of battery is not in the middle of your night run.
We must own it. It is our responsibility to ensure that all our equipment is in good condition to perform the task at hand. And if it is not, assume that the only one to blame is yourself. Learn from it and make sure it never happens again.
Any stories you would like to share about basic equipment failures? Please do so in the comment box below.
I have been fascinated lately by the Impostor Syndrome. It permeates into many aspects of many lives, including mine. I can’t deny that at certain times I’ve felt it as a coach, but then I see my body of work, and it subsides. As I was listening to Jacinda Ardern’s audiobook recently, I was struck by her honesty: even she questioned her readiness when she became New Zealand’s Prime Minister.
If you run you are a runner. No other qualification is needed. (Image by CoPilot)
The term “impostor syndrome” was coined by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in the late 1970s. It is a psychological pattern where high-achieving individuals feel like frauds, doubting their accomplishments and fearing exposure as an incompetent “fake” despite external evidence of their success.
The term is so ubiquitous that in 2020, it was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Impostor syndrome can affect workers searching for a new job, scientists on the verge of mankind changing discoveries and even successful heads of state such as Ms. Ardern. So, we can’t be surprised when it hits the common weekend warrior like you or me.
What runner hasn’t experimented with self-doubt, attributing success to luck, while knowing they’ve worked hard for that PR? Who hasn’t doubted being ready for a race, knowing that unless there’s a catastrophic failure, our goal is almost guaranteed? The problem is not just that impostor syndrome messes up your goals, but it also leads to anxiety, overwork, and eventually burnout.
I meet so many runners who introduce themselves apologizing for being too slow, or stating they are not serious runners because they’ve never run more than a 10K. So many come to you with the “I’m a runner, but⊔ approach.
You don’t need to be good enough to play with Brian May, of Queen, to be a guitar player. You don’t need to have a Nobel to pour your thoughts into paper and be a writer. You don’t need to hold a world record to be a runner. If you run, you are a runner.
Owning all the running gear is not what qualifies you as a runner (Image by Grok)
It is not about the medals: Your value as a runner is not given by the size of your medal collection. Your buddy who has 100 medals may have been running for 20 years. If you have been running for three years, you are not yet there.
It is not about the distances: A runner completing their first 5K is not on the same level as a runner participating it’s 10th 100-miler, of course. Yet, in that statement, there is one noun repeated twice in that affirmation: Runner. The difference is experience, distance, maybe pace, but not the label that defines them while running.
It is not about the walking breaks: There is no rule stating that you will be disqualified from a race if you walk. There is no physiological condition that will negate the benefits from your run just because you took a walking break. There is even a running technique called run/walk that allows you to combine intervals of both disciplines if you can’t or don’t want to run the whole way.
It is not about the speed: Don’t diminish your runner status by labeling yourself a “jogger” just because you believe you are too slow. There is nothing wrong or pejorative about the label, unless you are using it to downgrade yourself. You can only do what is best for you. If that is a sub-3 marathon, so be it. If that is a sub-6 marathon, so be it, too. Did you ever consider that everyone gets the same medal?
It is not about the gear: You may not have the latest Garmin watch, so what? You may not have the latest polypropylene-wicked fabrics, so what? Having just one pair of running shoes does not diminish your “runner” credentials. Even though shoe rotation is good practice, no set number of pairs qualifies you as a real runner. I take that back. There is a number: 1.
It is not about the absence of struggle: You may have 100+ marathons, be an accomplished ultramarathoner, or even have multiple Olympic medals. That doesn’t guarantee a smooth ride to the finish line. Quite the contrary. Struggling during training is good, as it guarantees that when you get to that dark and difficult place in a race, you are ready to overcome and push forward. The struggle is what makes it special.
Let’s enjoy the runner we are right now. We must not fall into the temptation of trying to be the runner we should be five years from now today. Like Teddy Roosevelt said: “Comparison is the thief of joy”. And we run for joy. If not, we would already be practicing another sport.
Please let me know your thoughts on impostor syndrome in the comment box below.
Back in June, I watched online as Faith Kipyegon unsuccessfully tried becoming the worldâs first sub-4 miler woman. The event was one of those multi-million-dollar circus shows put on by Nike to test human physical limitations. It was elaborate enough that, just like Eliud Kipchogeâs Sub-2 in 2019, it would not have counted as a world record should she succeed.
Athletics and the principle of diminishing returns (Image by ChatGPT)
Kipchoge needed to improve his marathon time by 100 seconds, and he did, finishing 19 seconds ahead of his previous record. Kipyegon needed to shave about 8 seconds (7.65) to achieve her goal, but she ended up about 6.5 seconds short. Even with the circus, space technology, support, and male pacing, she couldnât do it.
The failed attempt got me thinking about a basic concept in economics that easily applies to running: the principle of diminishing returns. In economics, this means that ff you improve one variable while keeping all the others constant, the incremental output gained from each extra unit will eventually fall. In other words, building a skyscraper in one day wonât be solved with more workers.
The same principle applies in athletics. Dr. George Sheehan, one of the greatest running writers, put it this way: âThe first mile is the most helpful one as far as conditioning goes. Each succeeding one gives less and less benefit than the one before. Runners who work more and more are working for less and less. [âŠ] It doesnât take much to get 90% fitness, only a few miles a day. But it takes progressively more and more training as you get closer to your ultimate potential. At the highest levels, you are putting in a huge investment for a very small return. It is the small gains what makes the difference between winning and losing.â
Think about it, itâs obvious. If not, it would be a matter of time and more miles before we all became elite athletes and broke world records. We all have a limit, and while reaching it is feasible, it requires a tremendous amount of work.
I recently heard Coach Steve Magness share a story where Shalane Flanagan told him something along the lines of, âThe difference between being in 2:30 marathon shape and 2:20 is astronomical.â For you and me, average, mid-to-back-of-the-pack marathoners, a 10-minute improvement may be a diligent training cycle away. For elites in a Marathon Major, this same result guarantees them peeing in a cup to verify cheating.
Nice background, Coach! But how does this apply to me, the average weekend warrior?
It is about training smarter, not harder (Image by ChatGPT)
I am glad you asked! The point of this introduction is for the reader to understand that the curve of progress in running flattens as we improve. It is a reality we canât solve with harder training. Progress is not a linear proposition.
And, while achieving the last 10% requires an astronomical effort, it is feasible. It is about figuring out what works for you. Just because Jacob Ingebrigtsen uses the Norwegian double threshold method doesnât mean it is the solution youâve been looking for. He is in such shape that this is the only type of training that will extract the extra hundredths of a second needed to break a world record. This training may land you, my dear average-runner reader, on the injury list.
Working around the principle of diminishing returns to reach your apex requires smarter training. Not just harder. As gains slow, finding that sweet spot between effort and recovery is the magic sauce. It may mean varying your workouts, adjusting intensity levels, or prioritizing recovery and nutrition more seriously. As we improve, we must tune into our bodyâs signals, such as fatigue, soreness, or lack of motivation. These can guide adjustments before you hit a training (or overtraining) wall. If in doubt, a training plan tailored exclusively for you may help you progress without burning out.
In conclusion, In athletics, more is not necessarily better. Most of what elite runners do to squeeze that last sliver of greatness out of their performance does not apply to you. We are all limitless, sure, but not in all areas of our human performance, athletics being one of them. Letâs work hard to reach our goals, but not at the expense of burning out.
What are your thoughts on this principle? I will read and answer your comments.
Back in April 2021, I published a guest blog post titled âRunning With Lymphomaâ, written by Annamarie McCormickHowell. The content is self-explanatory. Ten days ago, I received an email from Jen M, a runner with lymphoma who found the post and asked if I could put her in contact with the author. This made me wonder about Annamarieâs journey since then, so I invited her for an update.
Thank you again for the opportunity! Jen told me how long and hard she searched to find a person, a study, any data on people who run through lymphoma or R-CHOP, and the article you published is the only tangible thing she was able to find. I had no idea there wasn’t a larger body of humans doing precisely what I did, so I appreciate you connecting us!!
Life looks different than it did back on the day of my Chemotherapy Half Marathon, though some things remain the same, primarily, the daily morning run.
After cancer, nothing returns to normal, though I did notice a few weeks after R-CHOP, I had the sensation that I imagine to be akin to blood dopingâhaving the appropriate number of white and red blood cells again made me feel unstoppable, as the chemo drugs slowly exited my system. I was able to run more, sustain paces, and even dabble in a few local races! After a few months, the novelty wore off a bit when I plateaued. I felt disappointment, followed by immediate guilt: I was alive, and my cancer wasnât. How could I possibly be dissatisfied with something as trivial as running when I had managed to survive such an experience?
Winning the womenâs race and 2nd overall at the 18.12 Challenge earlier this summer!
It was then that the universe gave me the greatest gift: a coach who saw not who I was in that moment, but who I could be. The indomitable April approached my training with expertise, confidence, and solidarity. Her lack of doubt in my abilities and body made up for ALL the doubt I was feeling. She literally ran into my life and began to push me in the most loving, challenging, unforeseen ways.
We started focusing on macronutrients, as I had lost a good amount of muscle mass to the chemo, and started training for short distancesâ specifically the 5K, with repeats like I had never performed before in my life. A few months later I felt like a new person, not the person I was before cancer, but someone who had transformed all those brand new âbaby cellsâ after chemo into an athlete I didnât know I could become. I began lifting heavy and loading my muscles and tendons as much as I could handle. I ran every workout April wrote for me, even the ones I looked at and thought âThere is NO wayâŠâ
Since then, I have run a multitude of races and distances, including a marathon PR at Chicago in 2022, surprised and shocked by the amazing community support I received, spearheaded by my incredible coach. Today I am a stronger runner than I have ever been- before or after cancer. It hasnât been easy, linear, or without setbacks, but no oneâs running journey is predictable.
My previous blog post about cancer started with my 32nd birthday run, and this one will close with my 37th birthday run: this year I ran 37 happy, healthy, strong miles in this post-cancer body.
Coach Annamarie McCormick-Howell is an RRCA Certified Running Coach and an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer. She lives in Sackets Harbor, NY. You can follow her on Instagram at @amcchowell or reach her via email at amccormickhowell@yahoo.com.
It took me a while to understand it, but with maturity, I finally did. Training consists of two separate and different elements: Work and recovery. They are equally important, and they complement each other. Their symbiosis confirms the Aristotelian saying that the whole is more than the sum of the parts.
Recently, I heard that the second element is labeled as The Invisible Training.
It got me thinking about a classic Emil Zatopek quote where he states: âWhat you do when the stadium is full is important, but what you do when the stadium is empty is a thousand times more important.â
For us amateur weekend warriors, a standing ovation at an Olympic stadium is no more than a pleasant dream. Yet, well into the XXI Century, each one of us has the equivalent of our own Olympic stadium, and we have become addicted to that standing ovation of kudos Strava, followers on Facebook, and likes on Instagram. These may be cool for many, but they wonât get you any better.
As Zatopek (a 4-time Olympic gold medalist and multi-world record breaker) said, that is not the key to success. It is what we do outside the limelight that counts. A thousand times more.
âș It is the strength training that will help you get stronger, more resilient, have a better form, and make you injury resistant.
âș it is the physical therapy you do to take care of your bones, muscles, and soft tissues. Not just face-to-face with a professional, but as a prehab to avoid a recurring injury.
âș It is your daily nutrition that allows your body enough of the good stuff to repair itself and be appropriately fueled for your activity.
âș It is the hydration throughout the day that will allow you to sustain a hard run even in the harshest of weather conditions.
âș It is the scheduled recovery for your body to adapt to the stress we have put it through and accepting that sometimes it will require more time.
âș It is understanding that sleep is the champion of recovery tools in your arsenal and that lack of sleep is not a badge of honor.
âș It is accumulating knowledge about the sport and the function of your body, which will allow you to understand whatâs happening and why.
âș It is the evaluation of your training, especially when you have bonked or screwed up, and accepting it as an opportunity to learn and build experience.
âș It is living a balanced life, one where your job, your family, and your friends wonât be neglected, and end up resenting you and your running.
âș It is allowing yourself to have fun outside your running life. Keeping it all in perspective and always remembering why you are doing this.
These are just ten of hundreds of parameters of what is encompassed within the realm of invisible training.
In summary, everything you do while you are not running is equally essential to the running time.
Yes, it all sounds intuitive, simple, even obvious. But weâve all fallen into the trap of only accepting hard work as worthwhile training. And to many, an injury has taught us how wrong we were. My wish is that this brief writing will help avoid the injury part for you, dear reader.
Share your thoughts in the box below so other runners may benefit from your experience.
