The celebration of the New Year is often about leaving behind old things.
A lot of it is about changing bad habits and building new ones. Admittedly, sometimes these are fair assessments of yourself. After all, only you can really make the changes you seek.
But, not everything we built in 2023 should crumble. That’s why this year I am focusing on carrying forward a habit I started to build at the end of the year.
And that, my friends, is running.
Hey, I know what you’re thinking, “This man ain’t built like a runner.”
Oh trust me, I know.
From leg chafing to my behind jiggling like your grandma’s jello, I know I don’t look the part of a slim, slender, no-meat-on-the-bones runner. Rather, I’m looking more like a pre-hibernation grizzly bear tumbling, stumbling, bumbling along in the backwoods.
Even better, I don’t even really know what I’m doing. I sort of bought some trail running shoes and started shuffling my legs. I even bought one of those vests that holds a couple of water bottles, after one of the employees had to tell me that I was trying on a women’s one by accident. (I appreciate you whispering it to me.) Whoops!
Despite that mishap, I started with lower distances and slowly started doing longer runs. Some beautiful days got the best of me, when I accidentally ran more than I thought I was planning to. And it’s certainly not all running, there’s a lot of walking to go alongside the huffing and puffing, which I truly think could actually blow down a brick house. (Somewhere out there, a trainer is shuddering in disbelief.)
But my point in saying all of this is rather simple: If I can find at least one good thing to carry forward, then I bet you can too.
Obviously, I’m never going to be Scott Jurek. But I have signed up for three races in Squamish and I’m excited and nervous. (Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into.) I’ve never run in an official race before, so I’m hoping to place, at least, DFL.
Maybe after they’re over, I’ll quit and move on to something else. God knows my feet would welcome the break. Or, maybe I’ll sign up for another race. Who knows?
All that really matters is I started a healthy habit (I think?) and I’m trying my best much like anyone else who made it this far into my column. For anyone who looks back on 2023 and only remembers dreariness, I promise you there’s a nugget somewhere in there that’s worth polishing.
Whatever that nugget is, make sure you find it, cherish it, and continue carrying it toward the finish line. (If the nugget you find is actually gold, then maybe just sell it though.)
