After running 1,000 miles in the calendar year of 2020, I felt like I had a pretty good template to build upon for 2021, but, of course, that did not mean that there was nothing else to learn about running (or about myself) in a year where I wanted to build upon that 1,000 mile-mark from 2020.

Several things stood with me–in 2021–that I hope to highlight, here, including the following seven points:

1. Keep Moving and Standing:

After running an even 1,000 miles in 2020, somewhat misguidedly, I thought it was a good idea to spend the last few weeks of December 2020 not being overly active. You may have guessed what happened next: When I started running again during the first full week of January 2021, I had to deal with the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and losing a fair bit of the running capacity I had previously built over the past twelve months. Because of this, I decided that as I finished my 2021 running season in mid-December, that I wanted to stay active by doing regular brisk walking; steps-tracking (on my Fitbit); and being more cognizant to do less sitting and more standing over the holiday break from work, and I am hoping that will pay-off in the new year. Additionally, I have been utilizing my stand-up desk at work quite a bit, too, so I will look to continue with that throughout 2022. But above all, getting in steps and opportunities to stand–during the running off-season–should help stave-off muscle soreness and maintain some of the built-up running capacity for those of us who are active–or aspiring–runners. In 2021, I learned that what we do–or do not do–in the running off-season–however long that may be–may be just about as important as what we do during the running season.

2. Ramp-Up Sooner:

For the past few years–including 2021–I would start off each new year with running somewhere between 10-15 miles a week, stay around that area for a few weeks, then slowly keep building up from there (adding an extra half-mile or mile many weeks). While that has worked OK in the past, I see value in starting off with a higher weekly mileage mark in the first quarter of the year for three reasons. One: to build a strong, solid base for the year; two–at least in Michigan–the winter weather makes it tough to do a lot of outdoor sports (and I am not ready to go back to the gym anytime soon, with the COVID issues that are lingering), so it probably makes more sense to log more running miles in year’s earliest months; and three: to provide a little bit of a buffer for later in the year (in case I want to take a week off from running, here and there, or every eight weeks or so). I typically reach my peak-mileage weeks in the fall (this year, it was the last full week of September, with a weekly high-mark of 32.00 miles), but the fall is also my busiest, most stressful work time of the year, so, even from that standpoint, it makes more sense to try to get in more miles in the winter months. Maybe you have a work season that is particularly busy, too, and you may want to consider doing something similar in 2022.

3. Mix in Some Slower Runs:

I will admit: I struggle with this idea quite a bit. It’s probably a half-fear and half-pride kind of thing. What I mean is, in the past, I have worried that if I mix in some slower runs, then it will be harder to push myself for the next run (and even sort of feels like I am taking a step back), and it is also a pride thing because I want to always run at my best level. Even though I know these are irrational thoughts and feelings–based on common running knowledge and my own training from running Cross Country in high school–I know that I need to give myself permission to incorporate some regular slower runs into the weekly running routine, as it can limit, or even eliminate, some of the physical wear-and-tear from running off our legs a bit. If this is not something you have to regularly battle yourself over, consider that a good thing.

4. Keep the Running Routine Consistent (With Regular Time Off and Feeding Your Body What It Needs):

In 2021, I did not take a running week off until the week of August 29th–and I paid a heavy price for that. After logging somewhere between 750-800 miles, I started to experience painful IT (Iliotibial) band issues that delivered a sharp pain every time that my left leg connected with the ground. Previous to all of this, I had no leg pain, and just sort of told myself I should just keep going. Running eight months straight–with no weeks off–meant that once the IT band pain occurred, it lingered, and lingered, and lingered. I was dealing with painful IT band issues from mid-August through mid-November. So, I decided to increase my tart cherry juice consumption and just tried to push through the pain. By mid-November, the pain subsided, and I was able to ramp back up, and then ramp back down, to close out the running year. But the lesson was learned: Take a week, or at least a few days off, from running every couple to few months, and keep drinking tart cherry juice–yes, I am 100% serous about the tart cheery juice thing!

5. Listen to Your Body (Repeat Point From 2020):

This point might seem rather obvious, but it was something that I struggled with mightily in 2021–if I am being completely honest. When the lingering IT band pain first came about, I thought if I took a week off from running to begin the month of September, that I would be able to come back the next week mostly, or fully, healed–and it just did not happen that way. After that week off, I resumed running and the IT band pain came back with a fury. The more I ran, the worse it got. I was constantly thinking that my chances of hitting my mileage goal for 2021 (1,050 miles–a 5% increase from 2020) were slowly diminishing with each and every passing day and week. Oftentimes, with pain and injuries, the worst thing that athletes can do is to come back too early–it was no different for me. I endured fits and starts throughout much of the fall and was not able to run any competitive races. It was incredibly frustrating and vexing. If I had it to do all over again, I would have taken at least a couple weeks in a row off from running–maybe even a month. But the take-away point is to listen to our bodies and to become better at knowing our physical limits.

6. Experiment and Tinker With Training and Running Routines Near the End of Your Running Season:

Once my IT band pain slowly subsided, I decided to try some different approaches to my running routine (to keep things fresh and to trial-run some new things for 2022). I decided to run more days each week, but with fewer miles; I decided to run at a couple different locations that I was not accustomed to running at; and I decided to run at earlier parts of the day. None of these things, alone, were revolutionary, but in tandem, they helped to keep me more mentally and physically freshened. Plus, towards the end of the season, if something went wrong (injuries, etc.), then I could gut-out the last several dozen miles, knowing that I could finally see the “finish-line.” While I am a firm believer of sticking to routines in life (with running and many other things), I also know that it can do wonders to sometimes try out different strategies or approaches–and to add different wrinkles–to our training and running routines. The end of the running season may be a perfect time to do such a thing.

7. Honoring the Mental Side of Running:

Finally, looking back at 2021, the thing I learned most from back-to-back 1,000+ mile years was how important the mental component to running truly is–things like: how runners are quite accustomed to dealing with soreness; physical pain; and, sometimes, running through injuries. The hardest part, though, for me, was dealing with the mental exhaustion of running at the same time as trying to work through the lingering leg pains for much of the fall running season. 2021 taught me to honor and respect the mental side of running with much more devotion. Running my last 200-250 miles for the 2021 year was an exercise in frustration; doubt; exhaustion; moments of passing confidence and optimism; and, in the end, relief (mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually).

2022 is now very close at hand (or, by the time you read this, already here). May you reach–no, exceed–all of your running and life goals for this new year–best wishes!

Rooting for you in 2022!

–The Blue-Collar Counselor/Runner