Of all my purely personal takeaways from the year, this one matters to me enormously. On January 3, 2019, I posted a photo here on Instagram from a run along the boulevard by the metro station (second picture) and set myself a fitness goal for the year: don’t quit. ⠀ It was a modest challenge, but I had always hated running and had never once managed to keep up regular training for more than three months. ⠀ Rationally, you understand that running is the simplest and one of the healthiest forms of exercise. But if you’ve hated it since school, your legs refuse to get out of bed for a morning run. ⠀ Everyone told me that after a while I’d get used to it and start enjoying it, but that never happened. ⠀ And so, with today’s photo from that same boulevard, I’m reporting back. Mission accomplished. I ran three times a week all year. Sometimes twice, but usually three times. The only time I missed runs was when I was under arrest. In fact, the second time I was detained that year (30 days), I ran tiny loops around the exercise yard five times a week. ⠀ I still haven’t reached the point where I’m “running and loving it” (I’m hoping that comes next year), but I already know for sure that if I haven’t run for more than five days, I feel restless and uncomfortable. ⠀ Huge thanks to my coach Elena @el_pshenka for her patience, and to Evgeny Roizman @evgeniyroizman for the example and inspiration. ⠀ For 2020, I’m setting myself goals that are just as simple, and I invite all the same scrawny runners like me to join in: - Don’t quit. - Run 12 parkruns (free Saturday 5 km/3.1 mile runs in parks). ⠀ Come do it with me. Honestly, it’s not hard. One parkrun a month and a short run 2–3 times a week, where the main task is not to push yourself too hard. My main advice: forget about results. You’re not a professional athlete. The moment you step outside in your running shoes and run even a little, you’re the champion of the day. ⠀ Not that long ago, I would have ranked running as the worst sport of all, and now I run and I’m happy. So if I managed it, you definitely can too. 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♀️