The holiday season can be a challenging time for runners to maintain their training schedule. With all the festive celebrations, family gatherings, and travel that often comes with the season, it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to stick to your usual training routine.
However, with a little planning and flexibility, it's feasible to continue with your running over the Christmas period. Importantly, we want all Runnas to be have fun and enjoy training with us, on a plan that suits their schedule!
Here are a few tips for adjusting your training during the holidays:
Make Use of Holiday Mode
Adding a holiday or vacation (for our U.S. Runnas!) makes balancing your running and resting a breeze. By using the 'Add Holiday' feature, you'll be able to choose the sessions you'll like to keep on your schedule, or opt to hang up the shoes altogether over the festive period.
If you're on a distance-based run plan, adding a holiday into your schedule will help you by bringing a de-load week forwards to the week of Christmas and then carry on when you're ready to pick things back up!
Plan Ahead With Your Training Calendar
If you know you will be busy over the holidays, try to plan your training sessions in advance with your training calendar. This might mean getting up a little earlier to fit in a run before the rest of the household is awake, or setting aside time in the evening after the festivities have died down.
By pencilling in your training in advance, you can make sure you have the time and energy to complete your workouts.
Make the most of your surroundings
If you are traveling over the holidays, try to make the most of your surroundings and incorporate some running into your vacation. This might mean going for a run along the beach, on a scenic trail in the hills, or through a new city. Exploring a new place on foot can be a great way to see the sights and get in a workout at the same time.
Don’t forget about recovery
The holiday season can be a stressful time, and it’s important to make sure you are taking care of your body and allowing it to recover properly. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and eating well. If you are feeling particularly tired or stressed, it might be worth taking a rest day or doing a gentler workout, such as yoga or Pilates.
We're on hand to help through the Support tab over Christmas period (though response times may be a bit slower than usual) so just send us a message if you have any questions at any point. Most importantly, enjoy this time! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from Team Runna!