note: athletikaty.com uses affiliate links. I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using links included below.

---

If you know me IRL, you’re well aware that I make spreadsheets for… everything. While I was training for my first NYC Marathon in 2022, I kept track of my workouts in a spreadsheet, and got a little bit too excited by a pair of bar graphs that showed my mileage totals and long run progression as the weeks went by.

In 2023, training for the marathon began in July, right smack in the middle of my off season from work. I had time to put my graphs on steroids, so that’s exactly what I did.

Over on Instagram/Threads, I shared a series that ultimately visualized 19 weeks worth of data points that got me ready for the 26.2 mile party that was the NYC Marathon.

It was the most fun I’ve had creating content in a while. So, over winter break… I did what any sane person would do:

I downloaded every single run worth of data from my Garmin dashboard dating back to April 2017, and started playing around in Google Sheets. Scrolling back to January of 2023, I catalogued the outfits I wore in every post-run selfie I had on Strava.

I like running. I like talking about running. I like sharing what I’m doing, geeking out over gear choices, and sharing where and when I get to take my adventures on the road. So, here we go. Here was January on the run!

I ran 109.82 miles in January 2024.

January & February have historically been my lowest mileage months. I’ve had a tendency to run more fall than Spring races, so I haven’t really felt too much motivation to get outside and freeze in years past.

Seasonal Affect Disorder definitely hits me, and I find that the tougher winters for me in recent years have been the ones where I’ve not gotten as much fresh air. Back when I was working X Games in Aspen, I’d get almost a month of being outside on the mountain. Yeah it was cold, but fresh air kept me happy. Those winters didn’t suck as much.

Last winter was BAD. I was willingly keeping runs indoors under 50 degrees, business travel was crazy busy, and my heart wasn’t in the training for the NYC Half. I ultimately determined that a feeling of obligation vs excitement was no way to go through a training cycle, and I ultimately deferred my entry until 2024.

This year, I signed up for Believe in the Run’s 2024 Winter GRIT, a virtual challenge to see how many miles you could log during one of the cruddiest months of the year. They do a Winter version in January, and a Summer version in July. This was my first time participating, and I set my monthly milestone goal at 100 miles. (My previous high January was 65 miles in 2023.)

I got the time off approved to run the NYC Half in March of this year, and I swore to myself that as long as the roads were clear and safe to run on, I would layer up appropriately and go outside. The challenge of GRIT and the race registration would be enough to get my motor running, and they did.

Not only did I smash my mileage goal, I am proud to say that I ran every single mile OUTDOORS. I even threw the trail shoes and ran *on* the snow for the first time. Speed work I would never, but an easy effort? Why not give it a try.

---

Highs and Lows… Fahrenheit

I do feel like I cheated on the GRIT challenge a little bit when I squeezed in a few miles in Tampa. It felt so strange to run in a tank top. Mid 50s is that weird temperature range that causes you to sweat, but only half evaporate. The chafe factor was real that day.

I’m most proud of the 10K I ran in 17°F. While it’s not the LOWEST temp I’ve ever run in (that honor goes to 10°F), it’s pretty heckin’ cold. I’m grateful that it was a Drop Week in NYC Half training, so I only had to be out there for an hour or so. So, I layered up and actually really enjoyed myself. It was one of my favorite runs of the month.

So, how are you supposed to dress for a run in 17° F? Lots of Layers.

Believe it or not, I was excited for this run. lululemon’s Down For it All Jacket is elite when it comes to keeping me warm while in motion, so I don’t actually get to wear it all that often. Anything over 25°F and I get too hot in that thing.

TOP LAYERS

• Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve Shirt 2.0 – lululemon
• Down For It All Jacket – lululemon

BOTTOM LAYERS

• Fast and Free High-Rise Tight 25” Pockets Updated – lululemon
• Fast and Free Cold Weather Running Pant 28″ (Men’s) – lululemon (Out of stock, Black Friday 2023 purchase)

ACCESSORIES & FOOTWEAR

• Run for it All Ear Warmer – lululemon (Out of stock, Black Friday 2023 purchase)
• Run for it All Neck Warmer – lululemon (Out of stock, Black Friday 2023 purchase)
• Wunder Puff Mittens – lululemon
• Run With Me Gloves – lululemon (2016, Discontinued)
• Ski socks
• On CloudFlyer 4 – I chose a heavier shoe with a more rugged sole in case I had to trudge through any snow

The Running Shoe Rotation: January 2024

Tracking shoe mileage is kind of how the idea of tracking non-physiological data started. TrainingPeaks had a feature that I began using, just so I could get an idea of when I could expect a pair of shoes would run its course and I’d be in the market for a new one. Depending on the athlete and the shoe, they can last anywhere from 200-500+ miles. That range is kind of broad, so I decided to keep tabs and make note of the number when the cushioning on a pair finally felt shot.

I’ve been a Brooks Running girlie since Fleet Feet put me in a pair of the Ghost 5 in 2013. It was a Cinderella moment, and I ran in nothing but Brooks on Brooks on Brooks until I developed slight case of shin splints in 2022, which ended up being aggravated by shoes with a higher heel-toe drop. I detoured away from the Adrenalines & all their higher drop friends to keep my shin in check.

Brooks was lacking a max cushion medium drop option in their lineup at that point in time. On had gifted me some product in 2022 while my TikTok account was on a pretty steady growth trajectory, so I branched out and tried to find any shoe (no matter who made it) that would allow me to train and finish my first marathon.

For Reference…

2021: 873 miles run. 96% of them in Brooks shoes. 10 pairs of shoes worn: 9 Brooks 1 Adidas.

2022: 850 miles run. 14% of them in Brooks. 14 pairs worn across 7 different brands.

2023: 1054 miles run. 39% of them in Brooks. 16 pairs, 7 different brands.

2024: 149 miles to date, 92% of them in Brooks, huge thanks to one shoe: Brooks Ghost Max.

Needless to say, Brooks’ October release of the Ghost Max was exactly what my shin was looking for, and I went right back to what I knew, now that Brooks created what my leg needed.

With the rude discontinuation of the Ricochet, I’ve happily been using the Brooks Levitate 6 as a speed shoe since the summer. It was almost an all-Brooks January, with the exception of the CloudFlyer on that freezing cold day, and lacing up the trail shoes (La Sportiva Bushido II) for the day that I needed traction for running ON the snow.

---

So, which outfit do I actually wear the most?

This entire website began centered around outfits for both working out and life in general, so this was a fun new one. Over the years, the post run Strava selfie became standard, so all it took was a long flight to scroll through my camera roll and jot down what I wore on each run in my trusty Google doc.

I own a veritable mountain of activewear, so I was very curious to keep tabs on what I actually grabbed to run in, when I wasn’t focused on creating content or reviewing a specific piece.

Top 3 by Number of Wears: Shirts

1. Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve Shirt 2.0 – lululemon
2. Swiftly Tech Cropped Long Sleeve Shirt 2.0 – lululemon
3. Swiftly Tech Hooded Half Zip – lululemon (SW18 Limited Edition)

Top 3 by Number of Wears: Tights/Crops

1. Rainier Leggings – Athleta – These remain my gold standard of cold weather run tights
2. Fast and Free High-Rise Tight 25″ – lululemon – The older version are the best, get them before they disappear forever
3. Fast and Free High-Rise Crop – lululemon – RIP F&F 2017-2023 #gonetoosoon

---

On the Run, On the Road

Lastly, we all know my travels take me places. Aside from home sweet home, I got to clock miles in 3 cities: Chicago, Tampa, and Scottsdale.

Even when it’s 37°F and windy and I’m ill-prepared with layers, I’m still going to toughen up for a few miles on the Lakefront Trail. One of my favorite cities to run in, even with the wind blasting in my face.

So yeah. January, how about it? 109.82 miles down toward my goal to 1200 on the year! Excited to see what February brings. Turning this all into a graph-able fun time makes winter suck a little bit less. 🙂

xx

Katy