The end of the holiday season and year is upon us, and while we look adoringly at our kids ripping apart their Christmas wrapping or the sugarplum fairies dance in our heads, a year full of races awaits us in the new year.
Planning out a race calendar is probably one of my most favorite post-holiday feasting activities. It’s low impact, makes me feel instantly in shape after all the gluttony, and satisfies the type-a planner within.
If you are getting ready to prep your 2014 calendar, keep some of these things in mind:
- Taking time to balance goals, finances, distances, and races that sound fun.
- Make some decisions on bigger races before the New Year so you can take advantage of early bird discounts.
- ‘Like’ favorite races on Facebook so I can be the first to know about discount codes.
- Make a list of all the races you signed up for and all the races that you potentially would like to do and their registration fees.
- Touch base with friends and family about the races they’re doing. Strength in numbers!
- Taking a hard look at the calendar to make sure I am not “overbooking” yourself, I almost signed up for two halfs a week apart. No thanks!
- Looking for races that are taking place the same time we are going somewhere on a vacation. A great way to see a city you’re visiting.
What I love most about taking time to sit down and plot out the new year is that it allows you to clean the slate. Think about where you’ve been and where you want to go, put the pen to paper, and commit to the goals you want to see become a reality. The years can bleed into one and sometimes it’s therapeutic to practice this ritual of rebuilding the calendar. Maybe the new goal is to go faster, run longer, or do some more “fun runs” – whatever it may be.
The best part about this magical moment it that you can sit down and dream of scenic runs, awesome aid stations, and fabulous goodie bags – is that for a moment, you are just dealing with the finish line. So as you think about planning out the year ahead, may your legs be rested, your registration fees be little, and many new and exciting races pop up in your search.