Most people wait until January 1st to think about fresh starts, but as runners, physicians, and busy professionals, we know that change doesn’t follow a calendar.
In this episode of the Mindful Marathon Podcast, I’m inviting you to rethink December as a powerful time for reflection, reset, and intentional goal setting. Inspired by the energy of the season (and fresh off an incredible year-end goal setting workshop), this episode is a mini goal-setting episode to help you close out 2025 feeling grounded and step into 2026 with clarity.
In this episode, we cover:


Why traditional New Year’s resolutions don’t work, especially for runners with very full lives


The data behind why resolutions fail (and what actually works instead)


A guided reflection to identify 3 running or fitness wins from 2025


Understanding why those wins happened so you can repeat what works


Examining what didn’t work this year without judgment


Two forward-focused prompts to help you decide what you want more of and less of in 2026


The power of choosing a single word for the year as an anchor for your running, training, and life


How my word for 2025 - REACH - created ripple effects across sport, medicine, and my run coaching business


This episode is a shortened version of the type of goal-setting work we did in my recent Running Resolutions workshop. If this reflection feels good and you’re craving a deeper, more strategic way to set your 2026 running goals, I’m making the workshop replay available for a limited time.
If you want to work through the full exercises in the companion workbook and head into 2026 with clarity and a plan, you can get access to it by registering here: https://mindful-marathon.com/workshop
And, I’d love to hear from you:
What’s your word for 2026? Share it with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Mindful.Marathon
To work with Coach Michelle, head to her website and click on Contact Me: https://www.mindful-marathon.com
*** The information contained in this podcast is intended to serve as educational information and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should consult your primary care physician before undertaking any fitness regimen or exercise, which can pose serious health risks if undertaken or performed improperly. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in the videos is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/advanced practice provider. ***

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