My previous running goals have fallen into two different categories. Goals I have about frequency and mileage of training, and goals I have to complete something or beat a certain time on the clock.
The goals that help me improve the most, AND give me the most satisfaction, are the goals that reward me for running a certain number of miles or a certain number of times per week.
Those goals I can complete – they are doable. They get me out of bed in the morning so I can do two four mile runs instead of one eight mile run, they make me prioritize running over folding the laundry (there will ALWAYS be laundry to fold) so that I actually get in my workout and improve my mood and energy levels. They’re awesome.
The goals that sometimes disappoint me are the ones where I hope to achieve a certain time for a certain race. Those goals leave me stressed out the morning of race day, hoping that the weather conditions, hill elevation, and crowding at the start line won’t get in the way of the goal I set for myself.
I’m not saying it doesn’t feel good to get a PR in a race, or finally drop below a number on the time clock that I’ve been shooting for. It does. But I’m starting to realize that these shouldn’t be goals as much as they should be rewards.
Let’s look at it this way – one of my secret desires for 2014 is to run a half marathon in under 2 hours. My last half marathon was 2:16:12, it seemed to me that I could maybe even drop it to under two hours by the next half I’m signed up for in June.
But a conversation with Greg had me thinking – what if that’s not realistic? How disappointed will I be? And besides, that’s not really a goal for the next six months, it’s a goal for something I will do at one race in June. It would need to be the end product of many other goals, ie – increase my weekly mileage, do more speed workouts to drop my pace, keep up with my long runs. THOSE are the real goals, the changes in my weekly behavior that will lead to the possible reward of being able to run a half marathon in under two hours.
My new thinking is this – I will keep that desire close to my heart, but I will set running goals that reward me for training, and think of races as a wonderful opportunity to be rewarded for my hard work. I do not know now, six months away, what time range would be a good goal for my half marathon in June. What I do know is all the things I need to do to get faster – I need to increase my weekly mileage, incorporate hills and speed workouts, and consider some cross training.
By setting goals related to my training, I set myself up to really improve and to stay focused because it feels good to meet a goal of 15 miles a week every week, or at least 3 long runs a month, etc.
By focusing on training goals instead of race-time goals, and then approaching the half marathon with a “let’s see what I can do” approach, and a time window goal created a few weeks ahead of time based on my best long runs, I’ll be much happier than if I set my heart on running that race in a time picked because it sounds cool not because it reflects a logical expectation of my abilities.
So – here it is, the BEST goal I have ever had in my running (after Couch to 5k) was last March, when I decided to start running at least 10 miles a week, every week.
Before that I would run 6 miles some weeks, 8 miles other weeks, maybe even zero to three miles if I wasn’t feeling well. I wasn’t at risk of losing my Couch to 5k ability to run three miles, but I wasn’t improving or getting the benefits of truly regular exercise, either.
When I started running 10 miles a week, and keeping track of it in writing on a calendar on my bureau where I would see it every day, I started to be able to run longer… my mood was more regularly improved by the exercise, and all of a sudden it seemed reasonable to start working towards a 10k and then a half marathon.
I would squeeze in two miles on the treadmill just to hit my 10 mile mark for the week, or push to four miles because 3 would have left me at nine. It was very do-able, but it sometimes inconvenienced me enough for it to feel like a real accomplishment when I totaled up the miles every week. I met my goal for months…. and by July, I was running 10 miles in one run, not just in one week.
I’m still finalizing my goals for 2014 – but I know what my focus will be. It’ll be on how I train, not how I race.
Excellent post!! You left me with some things to think about as I, too am setting my goals for 2014. I also want to get in a sub-2 hour half. My last one was 02:19:18. We have some work to do, but hopefully we can both celebrate this racing reward for all that hard work.
Thanks for the ideas!! Good luck in 2014!! 😀
Good luck to you, too! I’m excited to see what next year brings – my 2013 was a pretty crazy year for running improvements and I have to remember that the journey doesn’t always progress so quickly!
I love this idea of setting a mileage goal per week. What a great idea! And 10 miles seems like a very reasonable goal for me. Thanks for this great post.
Thanks Mary Sue! It made SUCH a huge difference – and for some reason making it 10 instead of 9 was really important, too, because I couldn’t just do three 3 mile runs, I had to run 4 one day, or run 4 days a week sometimes, and so I had the flexibility between running longer or running more frequently, but I was always doing just a little bit of one or the other, which gradually led to 11, 12, and longer mile weeks 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this! You inspire me each and every time you post something new, and this time was no exception! I am thinking about my running goals for this coming year as well, and I’m so glad I read your post before I put much thought or energy into it.
Thanks Kristin! I’d love to hear what you decide on for New Year’s goals 🙂 I’m still working on mine!
Hi…I linked over to your post because someone posted it on the Loop at runners world.com.
I have a big goal for 2014…. it’s a completion goal only; I couldn’t even begin to guess a pace as it’s a technical trail ultra. But…I do know that running miles won’t be enough. On my computer I have taped my mantra for this year “Do the Work.” I know I won’t have trouble logging the miles, but my work (aka all my mini-goals) are core work, hip and upper back strengthening, and regular, disciplined stretching! Just like your goal to “just run the darn 10 miles” took you farther than you expected, I’m hoping “just doing the work” will get me to the finish line. Good luck to you in the coming year!
That’s a REALLY impressive goal! I think it’s brilliant of you to break it down into all of those mini goals, especially since a technical trail ultra is going to be incredibly difficult and require more than the standard running endurance I might be working on for a half marathon. Hope you find some support within the ultra community also – they’re a bunch of really motivated and interesting people who truly love to run!