The Winter Grind: A Letter to the Off-Season Runner
Remember Where You Are Headed
Stiff legs are tough to get out of bed. Motivation will wane. You will get inside your own head. It’s cold. It’s wet.
These are the moments that define your character. Your teammates are counting on you.
In the darkness, we often find ourselves when no one is watching. Slipping on your shoes, zipping your jacket, quietly opening the door. Step on to the stoop – steam exits your mouth.
Pebbles under your feet as you start to move. The sound of a car starting. A cat darts across the road. You see the moisture floating in the air in the beam of your headlamp.
You did it. You got going. The first step is always the hardest. This is not a cozy place. It’s uncomfortable. It's cold. No one else is awake. Porch lights dart the horizon. Mile after mile you trudge on. The sound of your breath, the swish of your jacket, the rhythm of your shoes—they break the morning silence.
It’s just you, your body, your mind, and your thoughts. This is where champions are built. This is where you sharpen your blade. This is your place; you are where you belong.
The halfway mark gives you reprieve. You are heading back home where you can have a drink, a snack, a shower, and get on with your day. Sitting on the steps as steam pours off your head and face, you feel confident. You did the hard thing.
Rinse and repeat. This is your off-season. Off-season paves the way to warmer days, stands full of chatter, the smell of food trucks.
To line up on meet day is a gift. You have worked so hard and now it’s time to test your mettle. The gun fires. You surge off the line. It's chaotic. Runners on either side are charging, rubbing elbows as you enter the first turn. Your lungs burn, quads scream—but you put in the work.
This is your time. As runners slip in front of you, you remain calm. You are confident. You believe in your body. One step at a time. 400m at a time. Break it into chunks. You settle, tucked behind another runner, stride for stride. You have a rhythm. Pacing yourself for one more lap and then it’s time.
That early morning routine, the grind of the winter workouts—it all plays out in your head. You have more. You have more to give in this moment. The sound of the crowd lifts, adrenaline courses through your veins. Patience.
Just as you enter the bell lap you feel a surge of energy. The ringing of that bell signals that the leaders are on the final 400 meters. You stick to the runners ahead, never losing touch.
As you enter the final straight, you remember your training. The final kick. The push. That day you didn’t want to get out of bed—it all comes back to you.
The drive you had then is the drive you have now. Remember where you are headed.
