After doing only a short, almost symbolic run in November, running completely fell by the wayside in December. Not a single kilometer. No “just a quick one,” no stopping halfway with a guilty conscience — simply nothing.
Looking back, I see this with both a smile and a sense of regret. Regret, because anyone who runs regularly knows how quickly fitness, rhythm, and that familiar feeling of lightness fade away. Two or three weeks off is one thing. A full month is a different story. You feel it later — in your legs, in your breathing, and in your head.
But there’s also the smile, because I understand why it happened. Anyone running a small business during the Christmas season knows the reality: packed order books, long days, short nights. In times like that, priorities inevitably shift. It’s no longer about training plans or personal routines — it’s about keeping the business running. Full stop.
And yes, in theory there might have been the occasional time slot here and there. But running isn’t just about finding 45 minutes in your calendar. It also requires mental space. And in December, that was completely gone. Anyone who has come home utterly drained knows this feeling: you can force yourself out the door, but it rarely makes sense.
So I accepted that this simply wasn’t the right time. No drama, no self-deception. Everything has its season.
January is a fresh start. Not heroic, not chasing old personal bests. Just calm, controlled runs, building back slowly and patiently. The body remembers. It always does.
The hardest step isn’t the first fast kilometer — it’s the first slow one. But that’s the one that really counts.
