Why—and How—I #ResolveToRun in 2019
What are your running goals for 2019? Michael Capiraso, the president and CEO of New York Road Runners, has a #ResolveToRun plan for the new year, based on the fun and fulfillment he found through running in 2018. Learn how you can set goals for your running that motivate and inspire you all year long.
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? They can be a great opportunity to review the past 12 months and set goals for the year ahead. Because running is so measurable, running resolutions can be very targeted, but they also give us a chance to dream big and explore!
Last January, having run a personal best at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon followed by my first-ever ultra at the NYRR NYC 60K, my #ResolveToRun goal for 2018 was to explore the new—new running experiences, new distances, new routes, new training groups, and new running partners. I wanted to make running an adventure, and this seemed the best way to do that. Often you’ll find new opportunities are right in front of us just waiting for us to give them a try.
We’re fortunate in NYC to have so many ways to find adventure through running. In our races, I ran new race distances at the TCS New York City Marathon Training Series 12M and 15M. I visited our new NYRR Open Run sites, and completed most of our new NYRR Virtual Racing events—free opportunities to run with us anywhere in the world at distances from the mile to the marathon. I visited Rising New York Road Runners schools and ran with kids all over NYC, checked out new NYRR Running Routes in the five boroughs, and jumped into workouts with NYRR Group Training and Team for Kids. I also did my marathon training using the NYRR Virtual Training program.
I realize I’m super lucky that running is part of my job. And I’m grateful that I didn’t battle significant injuries this year—for which I can thank the free yoga and stretching classes at the NYRR RUNCENTER, a core-strengthening routine from the experts at Hospital for Special Surgery, and occasionally acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic for prevention and recovery. Still, I’m surprised that my 2018 mileage on Strava was 30% higher than in 2017. Another surprise is that I ran personal records at nine distances: 5K, 4 miles, 5 miles, 10K, 15K, 10 miles, half-marathon (13.1 miles), marathon (26.2 miles), and 60K (37.2 miles). The increased mileage and new PRs weren’t my #ResolveToRun goals for 2018—they seemed to just happen as I opened up to exploring new experiences that running has to offer in our great city.
For 2019, my #ResolveToRun goal is to keep enjoying the variety and adventure of running while also training for my 28th consecutive New York City Marathon. If that means more miles and faster race times, great, but I really just want to look back on another year of more new running experiences.
How about you? I hope that we at New York Road Runners can help and inspire you to #ResolveToRun all year long. Check out everything we have on offer—races, programs, classes, group runs, and more—and join us today!