Seasons Change
Do you?
Despite all the snow on the ground and what feels like an every-other-day cycle of freezing rain and ice storms, a new season is just around the corner. I know this because robins and road cyclists – the two sure signs of spring – are both out in force.
Runners too. Every day, I see more and more familiar faces out on their runs. Part of me wants to move our baseball equipment into the mud room and take our ski gear back down to the basement. But I’m a New Englander and I know better.
Besides, I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to winter just yet because the offseason has been very good to me. By not getting sick or injured, I settled into a steady groove whereupon I did a little bit of aerobic work (almost) every day. While we made time in the training schedule for semi-regular workouts, fitness gains were accrued gradually rather than suddenly.
One day I woke up and said to myself, ‘Oh wow, I’m fit. How did that happen?’ Then I looked at my training log and saw it for myself. Five miles on the treadmill here, an hour on the spin bike over there. It all added up. In the long run (pun intended) steady periods of everyday consistency beat sporadic heroic efforts every single time.
For the next few weeks, my primary goal is staying tucked into the offseason groove knowing there will be spring-like days to get out and enjoy before the season’s actual arrival. There will also be winter-like days when treadmills and spin bikes will have to continue filling the gap.
During this interim period, my secondary goal is preparing myself to fully embrace the new season. When spring does finally arrive for real, I don’t want to hold on to the cozy comforts of winter any longer.
What does spring mean for me as a runner and an athlete? What does it look like in terms of training? What are my goals and objectives? What’s my gear situation?
These are all questions to ponder while the snow melts, the robins sing, and the cyclists get out and hammer. Keep an eye out for all of them – especially the cyclists!
This week’s newsletter continues for paid subscribers with a definitive answer to the strength versus mobility question. Plus, the 2026 season is taking shape: Less actual races, more endurance activities.