There were a lot of you who responded to last week’s email, sharing that you’re feeling the pressure to make big goals in the new year.

And damn… this year has started off heavy.

So if you are looking for something a little more gentle right now, I suggest working in some shorties—the kind of runs that get you out the door on days when you might not have gone at all.

It feels important to name that a lot of us are feeling more than just running pressure right now. There’s fear and anxiety around the state of our country, and a real heaviness in watching a lack of concern for human dignity show up in leadership.

This environment makes us sluggish. It makes motivation harder. And it can make the pressure to do big things feel so heavy that it steals the fun from our pursuits.

For me, this feels like a moment to let running be less about achievement and more about steadiness.

Running can be a way to process. To calm the mind. To move some of that anxious energy out of the body.

We’re often a go big or go home culture, and it's easy to feel like we need to stand out and be exceptional.

We get to a place where we need each run to be at least x amount of miles to be worth slipping on the shoes and getting out the door.

If you have a training plan, sure—you’re trying to stick to it.

But if you’re someone who’s trying to get the flow back into your running right now, or find some much-needed peace, I’d dump the go big or go home mentality.

The habit isn’t built by the big days. It’s built by the days you almost didn’t go.

Even if that means starting with what you think of as, too short of a run.

Humans are really good at self-sabotage. We can talk ourselves out of doing the things that are good for us because, in the moment, it doesn’t feel like enough.

We don’t always see how it’s going to build.

You are allowed to do less and still be a runner.

A collection of shorty runs can be the answer to building your rhythm back. It can be a gentle way to build weekly mileage, work toward a goal, and most importantly, it can be a way to bring you a sense of calm and joy.

Because you know what?

A 2-3 mile run is a lot more than a 0 mile run. That’s just good math.

And that’s the difference.

When you “go home,” or rather stay home, instead of getting out for a shorty, you might be missing a lot of helpful goodies along the way.