Daily D6 #41: Running Along

The beginning of a new year often brings with it aspirations of change, improvement, and resolutions up the wazoo. I’m not one to yuck anyone’s yum, so if you find that New Year’s resolutions work well for you and your brain, I’m happy for you!

Personally, resolutions seem helpful, but ultimately just give me more opportunities to procrastinate. Something about the build-up to the “start” of a resolution tells my brain that I can keep pushing back the jumping-off point. That, paired with skipping a daily habit meaning I can just stop altogether, New Year’s often result in more frustration than change. Instead, I have been trying to start even smaller with healthy habits I hope to adopt year-round.

For example, I used to be an active runner, completing my first half-marathon in December 2024. After a couple of back-to-back injuries, I stopped for about 10 months. Let me be clear, the injuries didn’t require 10 full months to heal; they were just great excuses to take the easier path.

Back in November, I decided it was time to commit to running again in the easiest way I could think of. I chose to run at least 1 mile every day and see how long I could keep going. It was certainly difficult at the start, but it got easier with each day. Once I surpassed 30+ continuous days, I had another form of motivation: I’ve made it this far; it would be silly to stop now.

I’m happy to report that I’m still going strong at 60+ days in a row. I say all of this to share my experience with developing healthy habits; it doesn’t have to be only once a year, and it’s okay to start simple.