Creating Solid and Healthy Running Goals for 2012
Back to work, back to normalcy. The holidays are over and I think I need a vacation from the past few weeks, it was another wonderful Christmas and New Year’s with family and friends. I spent my Christmas in Tampa with my family, we had insane 85 degree days and I managed to fit in a 7 mile training run. New Year’s was spent with friends in Nantucket and again was another awesome time. During this trip I was able to shoehorn an 8 mile training run. All is progressing nicely for my first race of 2012, the ING Miami Half.
Last year I posted goals that I had for the year, I find that posting goals for everyone to see gives me more motivation to hit them since they are in the public domain. I’ve been thinking about what I want to accomplish this year as a runner and healthy living advocate and I’ve narrowed them down to a few. Below are my goals for 2012:
1) Ideal running weight: Since I did a fantastic job of overserving myself this holiday
season and not working out as much as I like the “weight” goal is back on my goal list for the first time since 2008. After the marathon I continued to eat like I was training and then went straight into the holiday season. I enjoyed myself, but now it is time to refocus and get back to my ideal running weight.
2) Run seven half marathons: Last year was the year of the marathon where everything lead up to race day in November. I didn’t get a chance to train and run my most favorite distance, the half. This year I plan on running at least seven half’s and will start the first three months with the Miami half in January, the NYC half in March and the Gasparilla half in March.
3) Trail running: I had hopes this year of running the Trans Rockies race but I just don’t have the time in my work schedule to train for this race and take off for three days to compete. I would like to start running a few more trails and eventually enter a trail race. I am eying a 10k in New Jersey in February.
4) Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga: That is yoga four times, my goal for this year- to practice yoga at least 
four times a month.
5) Enjoying the run: During the year there are training runs where I feel tired, sore and just not mentally there. I get agitated before the run and end up fighting myself during it. Putting your training and goals in the public domain sometimes goes the other way- it tricks you into doing things that you probably shouldn’t. This year I am going to focus on enjoying the run- not for anyone else or a time, but for myself. It is my time that I am spending out there and I am going to do it with a clear head and no agenda other than to run. This will likely be the most difficult goal of the year.
So, this year, no PR goals. No time goals. By trying to reach the goals above I feel that I will have the ability this year to have fun, stay healthy and add to my experiences as a runner.
What goals have you set for 2012? Do you set new years resolutions? Did you accomplish your goals from last year? Do you find announcing your goals pushes you further to achieve them? Share some of your goals here.
- Scott
Number five would be a difficult goal, but a great one to maintain a love for the sport. While I do have PR and mileage goals, I think I’ll do some trail training runs without feeling the need to figure out time and mileage. Like you, I have a trail run (or mud run) on my list of goals. They look fun and I think having fun is the best way to stay motivated.
It is tough since for as long as I can remember I have a time goal for each race. I am interested to see if I can manage my competitiveness this year.
Love your 2012 goals! I passed my personal training certification test in December so now my biggest 2012 goal is to put my certification to work. I wish I could drop my current job and train full time but unfortunately that’s not in the cards…so part time will have to do for 2012!
Congrats on getting certified! Good luck with getting things going with it this year.
Getting back down to racing weight is one of my 2012 goals which is combined with setting a new PR in the marathon. I was almost 20lbs lighter when I set my current PR back in ’08.
I smell what you are cooking, and am right there with you. It is simple, the lighter you are the better it is for your speed. Good luck to you.
My goal is to improve my marathon time, 3:20 in Philly in November. I am running my next marathon in May. I have 2 10 km races and a half-marathon lined up before that to help get me ready.
I have a few simple goals for running this year.
1.) STAY HEALTHY!!!! During the last couple years I have had to deal with Achilles tendinopathy a couple of times. Coming into 2011, I was out of commission. I had nearly 3 months of Graston blade, cold laser, and PT to get the tendons feeling good. 2011 was a disappointment with the lowest number of miles I’ve done in many years, with only 1115 miles. For perspective, in 2007 I did 2623 miles.
2.) Get my weight going in the right direction. I’m only half kidding when I say I stepped on the scale this morning and it said “Are you trying to beat the Dow Jones Industrial Average?” I’m about 80 pounds over where I should be. That has to change.
3.) I have 3 races on the calendar this year, and I’d like to do better in all three than I did last time I ran these races. The Merrimack River 10 Mile Trail Race in Andover, MA, the Middlebury Maple Run Half-Marathon in Middlebury Vermont, and the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks, Alaska.
4.) I’d like to get the mileage to at least 1500 this year.
5.) Enjoy running pain free, for the first time since 2007.
Did i meet my goals from last year? Last year was a tale of 2 seasons. The first half of the year I only did about 250 miles. I did much better in the second half. I told myself going into 2011, I wanted to build the mileage slowly, keep the ankles healthy, limit myself to half marathons at the most, and drop some weight. I succeeded in all but the weight loss.
Oh, and in reading your goals for 2012: on trail running, I absolutely love it. I suck at it because I’m a klutz and tend to trip over roots and rocks more than other people do, but I really do love it. It is such a great way to change it up and save a bit of impact on your body. One tip, if you’ve never trail run before, wear bug dope. I came back one night with 4 ticks on my legs. Lesson learned. I never run the trail without bug dope.
Have fun, and I hope you meet your goals this year too.
Out in CA we have a great trail racing series – the XTERRA Trail Run series. They have a bunch of 5-15K races which don’t require much training in advance (though the 15k’s are deadly untrained – speaking from experience). I’m sure they have a series on the East Coast too??
Anyway, my goals are up here: http://themfdre.com/2012/01/02/in-2012-i-will-be-a-rockrapstar/
Looking to do 2000 miles (and stretch for 2012 miles) in 2012!
cheers! run healthy and run hard.
Andrea
I’m in CA too and have looked at those. The elevation (and wildlife!) has scared me from trying one though. It’s a great goal and one I might strive for in 2013.
Great goals! I have only been running a year now and haven’t ever had “goals”. I just wanted to learn to love to run. Now I’ve done two halfs, one 10k and several 5k’s. I think I got my love of running down. My problem now is that my first half was pretty fast and I’m not sure I’ll ever get that again. So for this year, I’d like to incorporate a few runs here and there that I run without any time. Just to go for truly fun. I am so tied to my times that I think it’d be good for me.
Oh and losing weight is the other one, but it’s always there
Great article, I just posted mine today to help keep me motivated. I like your trail running goal, I need to consider that one myself. Good luck and best wishes.
Great goals! I didn’t really set goals this year, just a 12-item “To Do” List for 2012. Like you, I want to spend more time trail running this year, so one of my goals is to do 6 trail races. Luckily there is a local trail series which will help me tick off most of those!
Definitely some solid goals for the year! Make it a great one.