By Kyle Merber
January 3, 2024
At first, I was a bit disappointed when my Strava year in review indicated that I averaged a few meters short of five miles each day. And it didn’t feel like I had missed 38 days on the calendar. But my training log has a better memory than me, I guess. In terms of form, looking in the mirror, I don’t completely hate what I see – God bless decent genetics! But when it comes down to function, any slight pace infusion after a few down weeks and my heart rate tells a different story.
Each of our relationships with running will continue to evolve throughout our lives, and highs and lows always come with the territory of this dumb/wonderful hobby/passion. But I was struck by how much work it took this year to maintain a happy balance in my now decades-old running relationship. There were predictable consequences to having a toddler, such as 5 AM wake-up calls. My long commute into the city a few days a week certainly cuts into my mileage. And isn’t it ironic that covering the sport more directly results in having less time to participate in it yourself?
This next year won’t necessarily be easier, but I feel better equipped to handle the dissonance between real-life and the fantasy training camp that comprised my 20s. While I used to abide by mildly insulting made-up maxims such as, ‘anything less than 30 minutes doesn’t count as a run’ or ‘only joggers listen to music’ I have grown wiser (and less judgmental) in my old age. And I have learned a thing or two about running – and motivation – when you’re not a competitive runner anymore, but also enjoying being at least marginally fit.
My problem – and not to say you’ve got a problem, but this is quite possibly your problem too – is that while I’m by no means slow now, I used to be fast! And with each passing year it becomes more difficult to hold onto that version of myself. It is especially difficult when so much of my identity is wrapped up in the fact that I am was fast. I’m just way less motivated by trying to dampen the atrophy of fitness than I was training to unlock new achievements.
To avoid regressing to the point where I’m forced to start from scratch, should I decide I need to race another marathon in the future for blogging purposes/self-fulfillment , I have developed a few strategies that I am happy to share. We’ll name it, “Kyle’s 7 Tips For Holding Onto A Little Fitness From Five Years Ago”:
1. No run is too short. I call them ‘pajama runs’ because they don’t require putting on your clothes. If I only have 20 minutes, then why waste five of them squeezing into tights? Just put your shoes on and run around the block a few times.
2. Take advantage of company. A solo run of four to six miles generally scratches the itch for me. But when I have friends to run with or the time to do more then these are my days to steal as much fitness as possible.
3. Lean into the weather. Running in the cold, snow, and dark sucks. I hibernate for the winter and my expectations are the bear minimum (get it?). I know I’ll add on the miles when the sun comes back out.
4. Get to the track. I may leave the house with no plans, but if I run to the track then I can normally guilt myself into doing some sort of workout. It might be a singular sub-five minute mile or it might be 6 x 400 @ 2015 10K pace.
5. Pick a race. It might just be a company fun run, though having something on the calendar once a year will extend your shelf life. Adjust your expectations and swallow that ego. The rapid improvement curve the first few weeks of “training” is a great reminder of how much fun the sport side of running is.
6. Get your ass kicked. Getting dropped on someone else’s easy run will restart the engine. You can also kick your own ass – that sub-five mile I mentioned above… when you feel the ghost of your pre-pubescent 14-year-old self outkicking you down the homestretch, you might find yourself driven to put him back in his place.
7. Don’t take two days off. When you start dreading the act, don’t force it. But once you start taking multiple rest days in a row then it miigghhht just be out of laziness.
This is at least how I have been approaching things. And if you are currently in your prime, reading this pathetic list of excuses and don’t think your time will come – just wait! You’ll be doing cul-de-sac loops wearing sweatpants with a phone in your hand listening to financial news podcasts on speaker phone before you know it.
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
