Most New Year Resolutions last until the second Friday in January. I didn’t make a resolution this year.
My youngest daughter didn’t like it when I joked that my resolution was to run a marathon in those years when a marathon or ultra was a given for me. There is also a backlash against January social media posts listing resolutions.
Are writing goals for the year different from making resolutions? Not really. Resolutions have a history of being difficult to maintain, and thus, they are easy to stop only a week into the year.
I’ve written my goals for the year. They are measurable, realistic, and attainable.
Then, in the first six days of the year, the largest snowfall in many years hit Northern Virginia, followed by an extended period of below-freezing temperatures that has reduced melting.
When they rebuilt the Chatham Bridge, VDOT included a 10-foot wide path on the south side, barricaded from the travel lanes. On the south side, the railing blocks the path from direct sunshine for radiant melting. As VDOT cleared the bridge, the plows threw all the snow onto the path. Eight days after the storm, the path is still not runnable as it has not been cleared. A simple snow blower throwing the snow into the river would work. But who would do that? Neither the city nor county have taken care of the path in their jurisdiction, and VDOT only clears roads.
VDOT is doing design work to repair the Falmouth Bridge. The bridge structure is not wide enough for a dedicated pedestrian lane. They have enough space for five feet of sidewalks. It would be nice to put the five feet all on the north side of the bridge. The plows will still throw snow on the sidewalk, but hopefully, the sun will melt the snow faster. With the cold temperatures, the current sidewalk is still not walkable. Last Thursday, there were pedestrians walking in the roadway, slowing traffic.
My typical running routes take me into the city, crossing either of the bridges. With the current conditions, I’m stuck in Stafford County. Fortunately, Stafford Parks cleared the Pratt Park loop and the Belmont Ferry Farm trail. Getting to the park and trail is still a challenge. With cold and snow, my running motivation has waned.
By the way if I could cross the bridges, the city has cleared the Canal Path and Heritage Trail..
Unmotivated and waiting for snow, I had pizza delivered during the Commanders/Cowboys game on January 5. I may do that a couple of times a year, usually after a long race.
On January 11, six days after the snow, I got up early for the FARC group run. I slogged across the Chatham Bridge and ran for about 70 minutes. Lacking resolution, I decided that morning was the perfect time to get a donut from Paul’s. It’s another thing I do about 3 times a year. On a Saturday morning, the store is typically packed out the door. It was either the snow or January resolutions where the wait line was one person. I don’t remember going in January before that day.
The current Uber Eats commercial touts that watching football is all about eating food, including Jerry eating rice; the Commanders’ wild card game was no exception; I had a large bag of chips with cheese dip.
I still weigh myself once a week. Sometime in December, I was back under 160 after my reduced mileage in 2024. I’ll weigh myself again this Friday. Will it motivate me to stop eating?
Every morning, I whine about the cold, wind, and ice. I still get out for three or four miles. Perhaps when the bridges get cleared, I’ll get a long run in. That might cure some of my withdrawals and eating to fill the void. What if I had a resolution?
One thing is for sure: I’ve already registered for the Historic Half and the 50th Marine Corps Marathon. Is my resolution to finish a marathon in 2025?