Race Outside Your Comfort Zone
Humans are creatures of habit, and runners—often being Type A individuals—fall even more into this category. Too often, runners stick with the same races year in and year out.
This year, mix up the category and location of your races. Are you a runner who typically enters small town 5Ks to open your season? In 2015, try a larger, more competitive race, and perhaps one at a different distance.
Are you used to running races within 20 to 30 minutes of home? Try going to a race 3 to 6 hours away where you spend a night or two. By committing to an event farther away, you make that race a priority. As a coach, I have found that familiarity not only breeds contentness but staleness. Competing in front of (and against) new faces and in new places provides a freshness that can yield surprising performances—and keep things exciting for the new competitive year.
More: Resolve to Be Better in 2015 with These 10 Resolution Runs
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Runners of all ages are leaving traditional road events to seek adventure and enjoyment away from the norm.
From cross country races and "all-comers" track events to ultramarathons and mud runs, running today has evolved from the first running boom of the 1970s. Spicing up your racing schedule is easier than ever.
In 2013, more than 3,000 off-road "trail races" were promoted in North America alone, many of them as short as 5K for those just testing the "off- road" waters. While many traditional road racers fear such events, cross country and trail events can improve balance and coordination, attributes that distance runners often lack.
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