STRESSED ABOUT HOW YOU’RE GOING TO FIT IN YOUR TRAINING AS THE BUSY FESTIVE SEASON DRAWS NEAR? USE OUR CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE AND TRAINING PLAN TO ENSURE YOU GET YOUR RUNS TICKED OFF, IN TIME FOR A VINO…

December training survival guide

WORDS: LAURA FOUNTAIN

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. But there are few times in the calendar when the delicate balance of managing your social life and your training plan come into conflict as much as they do in those final few weeks of December. Whether you celebrate it or not, the Christmas and New Year period can disrupt your training. From gym closures and cancelled club training sessions to more invitations to the pub, Christmas comes at the worst time of the year for runners. Just as many of us are gearing up to start training towards a spring half or full marathon, there arrives a flurry of invitations to parties and the pressing need to head to the shops for a different type of endurance event: Christmas shopping. It’s tempting to let your training slip during December, telling yourself that you’ll get back into the groove once January comes around. But now is the time to be building your base fitness and to get a jumpstart on your spring training. Those January miles will feel a lot easier if you put in a bit of work now. Here’s your December training survival guide, so you can have your Christmas cake and eat it too.