How To Set Running Goals
First of all, be realistic when setting running goals. I generally have 3 goals for each race. My PR — the time to beat, my middle of the road that I will probably achieve, and my absolutely don’t want to do worse than this. Here are the last 18 months for me and why we need to alter our goals:
- Feb 2014. Training for Napa Marathon. Up to 18 miles. Breathing isn’t good. Decided to dial back since exercise-induced asthma is kicking my butt. I’m exhausted all the time and I’m getting slower. It wasn’t like this the last two times I trained for a marathon.
- March 2014. Half marathon. I ran it ten minutes slower than I wanted. Discouraged, but pushing on. Breathing still isn’t good.
- April-June 2014. Running less. Met with Pulmonologist in June. I have asthma when I’m sitting but would never notice. I only notice it because I’m an athlete. A steroid inhaler was prescribed.
- July-August. Inhaler makes me feel jittery and I hate it. I feel so off. I stop using it. My foot is hurting. It’s getting worse on the ball and in the joint. The chiropractor says my joint looks fine.
- September 2014. Went to the podiatrist. He’s a marathon runner. One of the small bones in the ball of my foot is broken in half and my tendon is strained. X-rays and MRI and I’m not a happy camper. I’ll be taking 6 months off and can only swim.
- October 2014. Ran an amazing 10K on a broken foot. Did great. Knew my foot was going to be awful but I wouldn’t make it worse, so I went for it. A week later I got my lovely boot. It was nice to finish my running season with a bang. Bonding with my boot now.
- October 2014 — March 2015. NO RUNNING!!! Went through the boot, PT, then starting by walking and using zero drop shoes. My progress was so painfully slow. (painful AND slow) I was miserable. The only thing I could do while in the boot was swim but I only went twice in over 4 months. I was angry and discouraged. I gained 12 pounds.
- March-July 2015. Running so slowly it’s awful, only signing up for 5K’s which is actually fun. They’re a distance I haven’t done much of and I’m kind of enjoying myself. I learned to let go of my time to just build my distance. Found a women’s group that runs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:20. We do 4.5 miles every time and it’s hilly but relatively slow speed wise. It’s been fantastic!! Also started back at Reno Running Company’s Sunday store run for my long run. It’s great to see people I know and make new friends. I run with Peggy who is 20 years my senior and an amazing woman. I love running with her.
- July 2015-August 2015. I’ve been building my distance and I’m up to ten miles. Decided to do a half marathon that’s in my area (two hours away), on trails, and a gradual net down. Bizz Johnson Express. I’ve been consistent with my running for two months now, slowly building mileage and not being stressed about my time. Peggy and I (and a lot of other people I know) are running Bizz. We’ll all run it in our own time, but it’ll be great to run my favorite distance again with people I know. A 10K and some fun, cool 5K’s are coming up and I’ve mapped out until the end of the year. Plus I have a few bucket list, travel races on the calendar to shoot for. I’ve lost six of the twelve pounds.
It’s been ten months since I put the boot on. One thing I learned is that we get too caught up in goals — in pushing ourselves — and we lose our joy for running. The bliss of being able to run is gone, replaced by feelings of inadequacy. I was on a team that pushed so hard for getting better, faster times in races and in training so hard I was exhausted and overtrained, but still feeling like I wasn’t doing enough. My time started to get slower as my body was falling apart. Asthma, broken foot, and strained tendon forced me to stop. My body was telling me to slow down but I didn’t listen. I pushed more and as my podiatrist told me — in the end, my body forced me to stop. Although I was angry and discouraged to wear a boot and work through asthma, it was a good thing. My body needed a break and my mind needed to reset. I run because I can decompress, stay in shape, push myself but it’s something that brings me joy. I didn’t realize how miserable I was until I was forced to stop. I love this sport because it’s relatively inexpensive, you can travel easily and maintain training and there is longevity in it. Pushing too hard wasn’t accomplishing anything.
I know logically that as the miles increase and I’m consistent, the speed will come. I also know I’m OK if I don’t PR but will be ecstatic if I do. My priorities have changed in a very healthy, good way and that’s a great thing. I’m considering getting on the trails more like I used to and maybe, possibly, in the future doing a 50K. Regardless of those goals — even if after my half marathon I decided to stick to the 10K — I will be healthy and happy.
Originally published at https://www.momof18.com.
Jenn is Mom of 18, Transformational Coach for Christian women, host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster, Author, Runner, Minimalist, & Healthy Lifestyle Advocate
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