As January comes to a close, I hope that whether it was here in the newsletter or over on Instagram, we helped you navigate what is often one of the most challenging months of the year for adult runners chasing big goals. January comes with a lot of noise. Pressure to start the year perfectly, run streaks, disrupted routines, weather, school closures, and the lingering effects of the holidays all compete for your attention.

 

As we move into February, the goal is not perfection. It is consistency you can build on. Peak fitness is still ahead, and the work you are doing now is laying the foundation for the months to come. Keep trusting the process and let’s carry this momentum forward.

 

Also, the Running Explained Podcast is back today. Be sure to check out our first episode of the season, and head over to Instagram to see some of the guests we have coming up next month. I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

-Nick K

Every January, motivation shows up loud and confident. New goals. New plans. New energy.  And then February arrives. The weather is still unpredictable. The excitement has faded. The runs are no longer novel. This is usually when runners start asking, “Why does this feel harder now?” or “How do I get my motivation back?”

 

Here’s the honest answer.
Motivation was never meant to carry your training.

 

Motivation is emotional. It’s reactive. It depends on how rested you are, how busy life feels, how the run went yesterday, and what else is competing for your attention. That makes it unreliable. You can’t build consistency on something that changes day to day.

 

Habits, on the other hand, don’t require excitement. They don’t ask you to feel ready. They simply ask you to show up.

 

When a habit is established, the run happens before the debate starts. You don’t negotiate with yourself about whether today is a good day. You already decided weeks ago that this is what you do.

 

This is why experienced runners don’t rely on motivation. They rely on systems. They run at the same time most days. They have default routes. They know what an easy day looks like without overthinking it. They don’t need a perfect setup, just a familiar one.

 

The goal of February training isn’t to feel fired up. It’s to reduce friction. Every decision you remove makes consistency easier.

What time do I run? Already decided.
What pace is easy? Already defined.
What if the weather is bad? I have a backup plan.

When motivation dips, habits step in and carry the load.

 

This doesn’t mean you stop caring or stop setting goals. It means you stop depending on emotion to do work that requires repetition. Progress comes from the accumulation of ordinary days, not from the handful of days when everything feels perfect.

 

If you’re struggling right now, ask yourself this instead of “How do I get motivated?”

 

What is one decision I can remove from my running this month?

 

You don’t need more motivation to keep going. You need fewer obstacles between you and the door. February is where habits are built.
And habits are what last long after motivation fades.

 

-Nick K Baltimore, MD

 

By February, many runners start looking for reassurance. They want proof the training is working. They want a workout that confirms fitness is improving. They say “I needed this”. They want numbers that say they are on the right track.

 

As a coach, this is one of the most important moments of the training cycle to slow things down mentally, even if the training itself is still moving forward.

 

February is not a testing month.
It is a trust-building month.

 

Early-season training is designed to accumulate consistency, not to prove readiness. When athletes look for constant confirmation through pace checks, race simulations, or all-out efforts, habits begin to suffer. Easy days get faster. Workouts creep harder. Recovery gets compromised. Consistency starts to wobble.

 

 

When a training plan is written well, it does not ask you to prove fitness every week. It asks you to repeat manageable work, recover from it, and show up again. This repetition is what builds durable habits. The confidence comes later.

 

One of the most common coaching conversations I have in February sounds like this:  “I hit the paces, but it didn’t feel easy enough. Should I be worried?”

The answer is usually no.

 

Fitness does not reveal itself cleanly in the middle of a training block. Fatigue masks progress. Weather adds variability. Life stress shows up in ways we cannot always measure. None of that means the work is not landing.

 

Trust the process enough to let easy days stay easy.
Trust workouts that feel controlled instead of heroic.
Trust that showing up consistently is doing more for your future self than forcing a breakthrough today.

 

From a coaching perspective, habits fall apart fastest when runners feel like every week needs to deliver proof. That mindset turns training into a performance instead of a practice. Practices are repeatable. Performances are exhausting.

 

If you are building habits that stick, ask yourself this question this month:
 

The strongest runners are not the ones who test the most. They are the ones who trust long enough to let the work compound.

 

Proof will come.
Right now, your job is to show up, repeat the work, and let February do what it is meant to do.

 

Nick Klastava, Baltimore, MD

 

Are you ready to make your running routine last beyond January? In this episode of the Running Explained podcast, Amanda Katz and Nick Klastava share eight proven strategies to help you stay on track. Here's a sneak peek:

Tune in for more insights and start your year with a strong, sustainable running routine!

👉LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

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What question do you want the Running Explained team to answer in next week's newsletter mailbag? You tell us! Is there another question you'd like us to answer in a future issue? Send us a note!

We asked, you answered. This week’s question is, “Should I repeat the same training block again?” Let’s dive into it.

 

When it comes to repeating training blocks, there is absolutely a time and place for them. During the off-season or base-building phase, having a repeatable block you can rely on can be incredibly helpful. These types of blocks provide structure as you recover from a race and rebuild your aerobic base before transitioning into more specific training. Familiar training during this phase can be grounding and effective.

 

When it comes to race-specific training blocks, however, repeating the exact same block can be one reason runners start to feel stagnant. One of the primary goals of training is to continue addressing your individual weaknesses as a runner. For example, if you are strong in short intervals but struggle with longer tempo efforts, your next block should lean into developing that weakness rather than avoiding it.

 

Training should also stay engaging. Repeating the same workouts over and over can lead to both physical and mental plateaus. Variety helps keep training stimulating while introducing new stressors that encourage adaptation.

 

The goal of each new training block is to create growth through thoughtful variation. That does not mean every workout or long run needs to be completely new. It is often beneficial to repeat certain key workouts so you can compare effort, execution, and progression. At the same time, small changes such as adjusting the duration, altering the structure, or shifting the timing of workouts can provide a new training stimulus.

 

If you follow a structured training plan and have completed a full block, it may also be a good time to move to the next level of the plan. This allows your training to evolve alongside your fitness and keeps progress moving forward.

 

 

-Nick K Baltimore, MD

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