Goal Setting and Dream Chasing in Running
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
When you think of goal setting in running, you typically may think of qualifying times, specific races, or a really far distance. Goals are typically based on measurable stats, progress that can be tracked in mileage or splits. However, goals are not always cut and dry. In fact, when making goals for running, whether it be for training in general or when making a plan for race day, there are so many factors to take into account - and so many steps to be proud of along the way.
When I first started running, my goals were pretty cut and dry. I had no idea what a “fast marathon” pace was; what a smart and strategic training plan looked like; and if we are being really real here, quite frankly, had no idea what I was doing. I ran eight to ten miles a day consistently, did zero strength work, took minimal rest days (some things never change), and laced up my sneakers day in and day out just hoping for the best.
It wasn’t until I had run a few marathons and had some experience with the distance under my belt that I really started focusing on goals for myself. I wanted to run under a four hour marathon, even though I had no idea what that really meant in terms of arbitrary marathon “accomplishments.” I wanted to run four marathons a year—a goal that was mainly perpetuated by my somewhat addictive personality and my newfound obsession with marathons and finish lines. However, that was where the initial goals ended for me. Social media wasn’t a thing back then, and I had no friends who were into distance running to compare myself to. And to be honest, this was a beautiful thing. The goals I was setting for myself were truly based on my own ambitions and what I thought was realistic for my own body; I wasn’t comparing myself to strangers on the internet.
A major problem I see with running culture these days is the comparison aspect of it all. And, as the saying goes, comparison truly is the thief of joy. As runners on social media, if you follow other runners on social media, or on Strava, all we see are other people’s stats, and the highlight reel version of their training. Most people are not highlighting their missed runs, their slower paces, their DNFs, the negatives of the sport. Running influencers are literally getting paid to show off their cool outfits, their fast splits, all of which are the product of most of them making running their job. Meanwhile, I am training the everyday runner - the one that is juggling work, family, life, friends, other commitments… you know, the real life stuff. The people who are waking up at 4am to get a run in before getting their kids off to school. The ones that have to do their long runs as “double sessions” on the weekends because they have a job that requires them to work Saturdays and Sundays. The ones who are brand new to the sport and are just trying to figure out what kind of running shoes to wear. And for them, goals look very different.
So let’s talk goals, and realistic goal setting. For those runners just starting out, it is super important to set multiple goals. I usually think of running goals in terms of an A goal, a B goal, and a C goal. For newer runners, maybe the A goal is to run a marathon. But what if this runner wants to eventually run 26.2 miles, but has never run a 5k without stopping? Or maybe has never even run one mile without stopping? This is where the B, the C, and maybe even the DEFGHIJKL goals come into play. While the A goal can be the eventual full marathon, the B goal should be to run a half marathon first. And the C goal should be to run a 5k before the half, etc. Why is it super important to set multiple achievable, tiered goals? Because progress in running can never be tracked linearly. If we are only focusing on one big, “far-away” goal, we can forget about the important steps in between, and often times forget to celebrate the small wins along the way. For that runner who has never run 3.1 miles before without stopping, if they are laser-focused on only the long-term goal of the marathon, they may forget to be proud of themselves for running each distance PR, or fastest split, or any of the little yet significant benchmarks along the way.
And what about the seasoned runner, the one who is going for a big PR in a half or full marathon, for instance? While they may have already hit their big training milestones while working towards other races, the multiple goal theory can absolutely be applied on race day.
Let’s say this experienced runner is trying to run a sub three hour marathon. That will absolutely be the A goal. So what are the B and C goals? The B goal for this race could be a backup plan for if the race strategy goes awry. If their former PR was a three hour, 10 min marathon, maybe the B goal if the A goal becomes unattainable is to get a new PR, even if that means a 3:09:59. And the C goal (or D, or E, or F) could be to just cross the finish line proud of themselves and healthy.
The same rules apply to the experienced runner as the newer runner; running is a VERY challenging sport. And if we only focus on one big goal, it’s very easy to forget to be proud of ourselves for doing a very, very difficult thing.
In the many, many PR marathon attempts I’ve failed (sometimes epically) following my still-standing 2:58:08 PR of 2016, there were many times in which I got so down on myself for not accomplishing the main mission of the time on the clock at the finish line that I forgot to take in the full picture: I had just run 26.2 miles. My body had done a really hard thing.
Or, let’s use the example from one of my running clients who ran the Miami Marathon this past weekend. We had an abbreviated training cycle, and had honestly just nailed his fueling plan two weeks before the race. He had been training in the frigid temps of the northeast, and the temperature at the start line of the race was a balmy 70+ degrees with high humidity. On our last call before race day, I reminded him to have multiple goals, because the climate change was not looking promising for a PR day.
After he finished the race, his first text to me was a photo with him with his medal, with the words: “We did it! It was ugly, the entire plan blew up, there were moments that I hated myself. But we did it.”
And my response? “Look at that medal. YOU DID IT! Marathoning is not pretty, and you should be very proud of yourself. That medal is sick and you just did 26.2 miles. Sounds like an incredible morning to me!”
And his response? “I appreciate that very much! That’s what I am going to focus on.”
The problem with marathon running? It’s very easy to look at the measurables. The stats, the standings, the splits, the big goals. But it’s also very easy to forget that the sport is very hard, and there are so many other ways to measure progress. Instead of going solely by the numbers, start looking at the full experience. If you set yourself up to always be proud of something, it’s very hard to let yourself down.
Xo