Signed up for our New Year’s program? Read this!

Okay, everybody.  If you’ve been following along with our New Year’s program, you should be wrapping up Week Three.

This week can be tough.  It isn’t because the intensity is unmanageable or the distance is too long.  It’s just because you’re in that tricky training grey area where you’ve been working out long enough to be challenged, but not long enough to have really turned it into a lifestyle.

At some point you’ll turn the corner where running becomes less of an undertaking and more a part of your healthy, everyday routine.  Our job — as in, the job of the whole New Year’s group — is to make sure everybody has a chance to get there.

If you’re afraid that you’re beginning to struggle and feel your New Year’s goal is in jeopardy, here are three quick scenarios and what you can do about them.

If you’ve missed a workout or two.  Sure, it’s Friday.  But that doesn’t mean your week is sunk.  If you’ve started to miss workouts this week, there’s no better time than right now to bring yourself back on track.  Get out there and run today.  Head out this weekend if you need to.  Whatever it takes, if you make a get-well plan to be back on track by Monday, you can pick up next week right where you need to be — with your 2012 finish line in plain sight.  Don’t let missing a day or two throw you off your whole program!  Your training routine doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to get you from week to week.

If you’ve missed a week.  If you’ve missed a week, please, please (please!) don’t let the New Year’s goal be a reason to stop now.  January 1 is a fun, timely benchmark that has rallied a ton of great people together.  But hey, New Year’s only really matters to financial accountants and Times Square clean-up crews.  Who cares if you finish in mid-January instead?  The real crime is if you let worrying about a calendar date convince you to throw in the towel altogether.  There is no time like today.  Open up your app, jump back in where you left off, and make it happen in your own timeframe.  If you feel like you need to redo a week, go for it.  Whatever works.

If you’re going strong.  Congratulations on sticking with the program!  Consider yourself a role model.  We want to hear from you!  Please tell us about how you’re doing and share your progress.  Post on our Facebook wall.  Tweet us on Twitter.  Leave comments on the blog.  One runner’s success is another’s inspiration.  Please make some noise out there!

We hope you’re all feeling good about your New Year’s goals.  Just remember, you’re never alone.  Keep checking the blog.  Read your weekly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.  If you don’t have an account — make one!  What better reason is there?   There’s tons of great information out there, not to mention an amazing community that wants nothing more than to see more people make it from the couch to running a 5K.  We’re pulling for you!  Let’s be sure to see you again for Week Four!