Foto: canva.com/halfpoint

Have you set yourself some goals for the new year? Do you want to have more consistency in your training, complete a half marathon or achieve new personal bests? We’ll show you what to focus on so that your good intentions don’t turn into empty promises. 

The sporting year has just begun and motivation is understandably high. We hope you’ve started with plenty of enthusiasm and that it lasts for a long time. To help you train consistently and avoid setbacks, we’d like to highlight what you should pay attention to in the coming weeks. Here are the five biggest pitfalls and the most important tips:

1. Too much, too soon

Caught up in the excitement of the new year, training sessions are often scheduled back to back. Weekly mileage is increased too quickly, or there isn’t enough recovery time after intense sessions. This inevitably leads to problems, as your body is being overloaded too much or too early. 

Tip: Increase your training gradually and make sure you allow enough recovery time between sessions, especially after exerting yourself. During easy runs, it’s better to listen to your body and run a little too slowly rather than too fast.

2. Long runs that are too long

The temptation is strong in the first week of January, or later in the month, to run a bit further than usual. In principle, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, be aware that the risk of injury rises dramatically if the distance of a single run is increased by more than 10% compared to your longest run in the past 30 days

Tip: Long runs are highly recommended for improving performance. Try to include them regularly, but before you head out, apply the 10% rule to determine what makes sense. Example: Your longest run in the last 30 days was 15 kilometres on Christmas Day. The recommended maximum distance would then be 16.5 kilometres.

3. Compensating for missed sessions

If you miss a training session due to a family event or other commitments – whether now or later in the year – you shouldn’t try to compensate for it. This disrupts your rhythm and often leads straight back into the “too much, too soon” trap. 

Tip: Missing a single session will never significantly affect your performance. Instead, focus on maintaining overall consistency in your training and approach it all with the necessary calm and perspective.

4. Running too fast

Around 75–80% of your training sessions should be run at an easy pace – and really easy. Experience shows that many runners fall into the same “middle ground” pace time and again. It’s neither slow enough nor fast enough, but it leaves you tired for your faster sessions, which then suffer in quality.

Tip: Regularly monitor your intensity using the talk test (being able to speak in full sentences), heart rate (below 65% of maximum heart rate) or perceived exertion (“easy”).

5. Ignoring pain

You are successful when you find your individual balance between weekly mileage, the number of training days per week and training intensity. It should be enough to challenge you, but not overload you. Early signs of pain should be seen as a result of training errors and addressed accordingly. Holding back is usually wiser than assuming you can simply continue by adding a few extra stretches or warm-up exercises.

Tip: Train holistically and invest plenty of time in recovery. Ideally, plan your recovery just as carefully as your training sessions. If pain occurs, take it seriously and get to the root of the problem.