3 Holiday Training Tips to Keep You on Track During the Holidays
Keep things moving with these 3 holiday training tips
The chances of your 3M Half Marathon training plan going out of the window increase during the holidays. Maybe your family will visit and overrun your house. Perhaps you’ll travel this year and won’t have access to all of your gear and normal routes. Either way, there’s going to be food! Don’t let these factors interfere with your training. Focus on the task at hand and remember your ultimate goal: the 3M Half Marathon finish line. Follow these holiday training tips and keep your training momentum rolling strong.
Start early
This is often the quietest and most relaxing time of the day during the holidays. This is true if you’re traveling or people are visiting you. You don’t have to entertain and responsibilities are fewer. Also, you’re not stuffed from eating delicious food… yet! Take this time for yourself and knock out your training run early. It’s the best way to begin your day. Plus, you can eat more to replace the calories you burn. Pro tip: don’t forget to foam roll!
Invite someone to join you
We’re big believers in accountability. You might not have your normal running partner or group to hold you to account. So ask another friend or family member to join you. The cool thing about this is they don’t have to go as far as you’re going. They can if they want to, but the important thing is that they start with you. Getting out of bed is often the hardest part of a long run. Hold each other accountable. Chances increase that you’ll complete your workout once you get started whether they’re with you the entire time or not.
Prepare ahead of time
This is a big one especially if you’re traveling or “giving up your room” to incoming family. Following your routine as much as possible makes it more likely that you’ll make your training run. If your normal routine is altered, do all you can to make it as normal as possible. Make sure you have all your gear, a rain jacket, nutrition/hydration, and of course your shoes. Take a second pair of shoes in case the others get wet. That way you can train in the rain! Pro tip: if traveling, research routes you can (like trails) and locate the local track.
Training during the holidays isn’t impossible, just a little harder. Runners are creatures of habit who don’t like change, especially during training. These holiday training tips will keep your training on track while still enjoying time with friends and family. Plus, this is the perfect excuse to replace all the calories you’ll burn! Do you have a holiday training tip that keeps you on schedule? Let us know what it is on Facebook or Twitter.
