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To provide the best training program in the Denver metro-area, in order to help people achieve their goals while keeping in balance with the rest of life's priorities, and staying injury free.

Setting Goals for the New Year

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Setting Goals for the New Year


Being the end of the year it’s time to start thinking about your goals for 2010...  What do you want to achieve?  Are you looking to use the base you’ve gained through the last few months to build towards your first half or full marathon?  Are you shooting for a new personal best, or trying to qualify for Boston?  Taking on a different challenge like an ultra?  Trying to shed 10 more pounds to make those jeans fit?  Or are you simply looking to enjoy your physically fit lifestyle with your teammates?  Whatever your goals may be, it’s best to think short-term (less than 3-months), mid-term (6 months) and long-term (12 months or greater).  And anytime you’re building your goals, consider the following:

  • Put pen to paper to make them “real”.  By actually seeing it (vs. just thinking it), you will be that much more likely to keep it as a priority.  Take it a step further by taping it up on your bathroom mirror, the door of your fridge, etc.  Even if your goals are intrinsic (i.e. having fun and feeling good), vs. extrinsic (i.e., placing in your age group), writing them down will keep you on track to make them happen.

  • Decide if they are realistic.  Setting the bar high is great, but not if it’s completely out of reach.  Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it takes YEARS to fully reach your full potential as a runner.  And sure, we all could log 70+ miles a week and dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to achieving our goals, but is that really doable?  Some people are in a position where they are fortunate enough to go at it 100% and put everything else on the back-burner, but for most of us the stress of a job, family, other activities, and “life” can create barriers.  So make sure you’re taking an honest assessment of what you can actually balance before you commit to taking on too much.  If that means you have to dial it back and stick with halves, and put that quest for Boston or your first tri on hold until you’re a bit more balanced, that’s a better choice than pushing yourself too hard and risking burnout and frustration, additional fatigue, and injury.

  • Discuss your goals with your family.  If you’re single, then you’re only accountable to yourself, but if you have a spouse and kids then you need to make sure that your family is on board with your goals.  Trying to break 4 hours in a marathon is a very admirable goal, but not at the expense of pissing off your wife/husband, especially if there’s too many other family activities and responsibilities you would need to forego!  Plus, your training will be so much more productive and rewarding, knowing that your family is on board and supporting you.

  • Start at your goal date, and think backwards to today.  This will keep you focused on the primary “prize” and will also ensure that you have the proper building-blocks in place to adequately train and prepare yourself.  For example, if you know you want to run your first half in May, start thinking about which race you would like to do, which weekends might work best within the context of balancing work/family, etc.  If you’re trying to do something unique like run your fastest marathon or qualify for Boston, start thinking about which shorter-distance races (5-10km and halves), you should add (or cut!) to enhance your training, if you should add Speedwork, additional cross-training, physiological testing, etc.

  • Think about what additional activities might be required for you to achieve you goals.  The miles you actually log are but one part of the puzzle.  Sleep, nutrition, strength/cross-training, injury management and mental training...  These are all critical components that help you become a stronger, faster, and more consistent athlete.  So make sure you’re tapping into other resources in order to increase your chance for success.  (For a list of our recommended wellness providers who have helped many Runner’s Edge members, click HERE.)

  • Don’t just run...  TRAIN.  When you have a goal you are shooting for, every run should have a purpose.  If that purpose is a scheduled speed workout to improve your cardiovascular capabilities, a Saturday long run to build endurance, or those all-important recovery runs to allow your body the necessary time to repair and rebuild from previous hard workouts, just make sure that you’re not “running just to run”.  Sometimes the purpose of the run may not even be “time-focused” at all and may just be to focus on a particular aspect of your running (stride, turnover, breathing, form), or after a tough day, to finish your run with a better attitude than you began it with.  No matter what though, always give your run a purpose and you will get more out of your training.

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