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It Doesn’t Have to Be a Race Goal

Of course, there are excellent running goals that have nothing to do with race performance but that meet all the criteria for ones that will provide impetus and inspiration.

: Stacey Cramp

For example, every year on January 1, when I write my goals for the year, the first one is “Miss no days to injury.” That’s not just an aspiration. It’s a quantifiable goal that motivates me to do regular body-maintenance work (stretching, strengthening, core work, etc.) so that I’m more resistant to injury. It also helps me to remain mindful of not making stupid training errors, like four hard days in a row, so that I’m not looking back ten days later shaking my head in disgust at the hamstring strain that seemingly came out of nowhere. You might find equal motivation from a goal like “Average 40 miles a week for the year” or “Run at least five days a week for the next three months.”

If you can always state with specificity what your current running goal is, and if that goal is something you picked because it has real meaning to you, then you’ve gone a long way to ensuring consistency in your running.