A new year means an opportunity to set new running goal. It’s a great opportunity to clean the slate from the previous year. What are your running goals for this year and how do you keep them? We will cover a few ideas of how to stay motivated throughout the year.
A Running Goal you Won’t Forget
I always suggest starting with a reflection. A new year is a time to reflect on the past 12 months of running. What went well, what didn’t, and what do you want to improve on? It could be the frequency of how much you run, how fast you run, how far you run, or maybe you are interested to get someone else into running.
Here are a few techniques you can follow to stay on track:
- Use Gamification: Apple and many other fitness platforms use this technique heavily. The concept is turn workouts into a game-based system, where you keep track of points or participate in a game. Being part of the Apple ecosystem, my goal is to achieve that move ring goal daily.
- Use Social media: Sharing your progress via social media can create a competitive space that will help drive accountability. Apps like Strava could be a great way to share your progress with your friends and motivate you. Or you can post to social media after workouts.
- Create a fitness jar: A fitness jar can be a unique way to celebrate progress. Set a goal or two and use the jar to keep your progress on-track. Each time you achieve the goal for your run, add money or marble to the jar. If you skip a workout, don’t add anything. When you achieve your overall goal, use the money to celebrate with something special.
- Do it for Charity: Sign up for a cause that you care about and set goals for that event. I’ve run for charities in the past, and it is extremely motiving to know you are running for something bigger.
- Listen on the go: Find an audio book, podcast, or new music to listen to when you run to make it more enjoyable. This could fulfill a dual purpose of personal productivity and exercise at the same time.
Setting a Goal is Not Required
A new year is usually the time where new goals are set. If you don’t have a meaningful goal that will challenge you and push you to be successful there may not be a good reason to set one. You should set goals because you believe in what you are trying to achieve and not because it’s a new year.
I have not set any new goals for the upcoming year. There are things I know I want to accomplish at some point in my running career, but the timing is not right. My goal this year are to continue running frequently at lower mileage to stay healthy and to train for a half marathon later in the year. I plan to continue incorporating more strength training into my routine. I wish you the best of luck with your goals and hope you have a great running year!