5 Best New Years Resolutions For New Runners

While the saying ‘New Year, New Me’ can feel overused, it still holds a lot of meaning. For many people, the start of a new year often means a brand-new outlook and perspective. Along with this comes New Year's Resolutions. 

New Year's Resolutions are personal goals and personal promises that individuals set themselves at the start of a new year. These resolutions are often set with the intention of furthering a certain aspect of their life whether that be fitness, health, or pursuing a passion. 

Exercise-based resolutions typically account for around 50% of all resolutions. Of these exercise-based goals, a huge portion of them involve running, which boomed in 2024. That is why we have put together this article which looks at the best resolutions for individuals wanting to get into running or further their progress. 

Why Is Running Such A Popular New Year's Resolution?

There are so many different reasons why getting into running is such a popular New Year resolution. The number one reason is that it is a cost-effective form of exercise that can get you back into nature. All you need is a pair of running shoes, some comfortable workout clothes,  and the motivation to get out on a run. And maybe a break in the weather!

Another reason behind the popularity of running when it comes to New Year's resolutions is the fact that it is a relatively low-impact sport, especially for beginners. Gentle jogs and runs provide individuals with so many incredible health benefits and do not put too much stress onto the body when staying at a slow and steady pace. 

Benefits Of Running

Last, but certainly not least, another reason behind its popularity is the incredible amount of health benefits that it offers individuals. Whether it is mental health, physical health, or general health, running offers so many incredible benefits including, but not limited to; 

• Strengthens your body 
• Improves fitness & cardiovascular health 
• Strengthens your mind
• Improves muscle & joint strength 
• Reduces stress 
• It gets you outside 

But that is not all. Check out our article on 7 of the most unexpected benefits of running.

5 Best New Years Resolutions For Beginner Runners

Get Out The Door & Run 

While this seems like such a simple resolution, you would be amazed at how difficult this really is when you are still a beginner. In fact, one of the hardest parts about running, in the beginning, is actually putting on your running shoes and heading out the door or onto the treadmill to begin your run. 

While this ‘fear’ of running takes a while to subside, we can assure you that the more you run, the easier it gets. When you start to really feel the ‘run bug’, getting out of the door goes from being one of the hardest parts of the sport to the easiest. 

To make this resolution as easy as possible, it is important to start out at a comfortable level for you. Make your first two weeks of running slow, steady, and short. This way you will not be overworking your body or experiencing DOMS that can significantly decrease your motivation for running. 

Set A Manageable Running Schedule 

Another New Year's resolution for beginner runners to help them progress is to set a running schedule that is manageable. By manageable we are not just talking about physically. A consistent schedule needs to fit perfectly with your life. In doing this, you will be eliminating the chance of having plans pop up or being too busy to run. 

At the end of the day, the only way to get better at running is to run more. Setting out a schedule allows you to know exactly what days you are running and exactly how far you will be running on each of these days. Not only does this help to keep structure to your routine, but it will also help to make your running load seem far more manageable. 

One of the best ways in which you can do this is by getting a training plan which is tailored to you, your life, and your running goals. We work with Runna, the #1 run coach app, who provide fully customised training plans which are put together by world-class coaches. 

Join A Run Club 

Another resolution, which is now becoming far easier to achieve, is to join a run club. In 2024 run clubs have made an incredible resurgence. In fact, many people are referring to run clubs as the new nightclubs. This is because they offer an incredible environment where you can socialise and meet new people, all while getting out and being active. Run clubs also provide a more secure environment for runners in the seasons where darkness falls early. 

Run clubs are so popular because they provide runners with such a huge amount of benefits. These benefits include: 

• Motivation - A vast majority of runners will tell you that running with a group is far more motivating than running alone. Let's face it, running alone on a cold and rainy day can be tough. By adding a group of runners, you can significantly boost your morale and motivation, making it a far more enjoyable experience. 
  
  
• Accountability - Similarly to motivation, running with a group of people as opposed to alone helps to keep you accountable. On those nights when you don't want to run, alone it is far too easy to just listen to those negative thoughts. However, the motivation and camaraderie of a run club help to keep you accountable. 
  
  
• Improvement - When in a run club you are surrounded by so many different runners with so many different abilities. Being surrounded by runners who are better than you will only make you better. They can give you valuable advice on form, training, and so much more that will help you become an overall better runner. 

Track Your Progress 

One of the most common things to halt the development of a runner is not tracking progress. Tracking progress allows runners to know exactly how they are developing and to better understand the areas in which they need to improve. 

In addition to this, tracking runs and progress allows runners to spot things that can be halting their progress, such as fatigue. This can then show the runner that they are overworking their body and therefore need to take recovery more seriously in order to continue to get better. 

When using a training platform such as Runna, all of your training will be stored in their app. This means that each week you can look back at your runs, your heart rates, your fatigue and more to help you make a more informed decision on rest, recovery, and the upcoming week's plan. 

Sign Up For An Event

Lastly, one of the most amazing and rewarding New Year's running resolutions that you can set for yourself is to run in an event. It does not matter the distance, it can be a 5k, 10k, half marathon or even a marathon. The distance really does not matter. Running these events is all about the experience and proving to yourself that you can do what you put your mind to. 

Here at realbuzz, we work with many of the biggest running events across the world to provide runners like you with guaranteed entry. All you have to do is choose one of our incredible charity partners to run for and make your miles mean more. 

Checkout The Amazing Events That We Work With