What’s a good running goal for you? This can help you decide

Have you settled on a running goal this year?

Should you…

Run a marathon?

Or aim to run faster than you have before?

So where should you go from here? What’s a good running goal for you? Today, we’ll break it down into several types of running goals to inspire your running this year.

Let’s get started.

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PERSONAL RECORD (PR) RUNNING GOALS

A new personal record goal might be for you if you enjoy a little competition with yourself.

What was your last running personal record?

Was it a distance you’d never run before? Or was it a new fast time you ran for your half marathon?

Maybe now you’d like to:

You can divide these running goals into two—mileage and time targets. 

So let’s talk more about how you’ll reach your new running goal, whether that’s by distance or time. 

If your running goal is to run more and boost your running mileage,

It’s a good idea to assess where your running fitness is today. How much running have you done before? Have you been running regularly in the past few months?

Start where you are to avoid injury from taking on too much before your body is ready for it. 

You will adapt to running more, and it’s best when you can do this gradually—by only increasing your running distance or time by about 10 percent every week. 

What that means is, if you’re running for 4 hours (or 240 minutes) every week, you can add 24 minutes to your total weekly running time.

Or if you’ve been running 10 miles every week, you can safely add an extra 1 mile the following week. 

Running more doesn’t always mean running. Walking, and using walk breaks, are a gentle way for you to get more time on your feet, build strength, and avoid injury. More tips for how to run longer distances here.

If your running goal is to run faster,

Before you jump straight into speedwork to help you run faster, you first need a base level of running fitness to build strength in your musculoskeletal system—your bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. 

You’ll have a higher risk of injury if you don’t have a solid running base. 

A ‘good’ running base is relative and it depends on you—the amount of time you have for running in your schedule, if you’ve been injured in the past, or if you’re prone to running injuries. 

Once you’ve established your running base, you can then introduce some speedwork into your week. 

Because speed sessions demand a lot from you physically, you’ll only do speed runs (such as hill runs, interval runs, and tempo runs) once or twice a week. 

Whether your goal is to run more or run faster, you need to balance it with enough recovery from running. 

Rest allows your muscles to rebuild and absorb the work you’ve done, so it’s okay to walk or take the day off and rest if you ever feel excessively sore or tired after a run. 

PROCESS RUNNING GOALS

Process running goals are the mini goals that boost your chances of reaching your main, ultimate running goal. These mini-steps give you a direction and a way forward, so you know you’re on the right path.

For example, let’s say your goal is to get back into running after an injury.

Your process goals might be:

• Do a walk/ run session three times a week to build your running strength and get back into running.
• Strength training twice a week to become resistant to injury.
• Do a recovery routine to avoid re-injury.

FUN RUNNING GOALS

Do you prefer to focus on running for fun than for distance or time? Fun running goals are equally as motivating, and you can pursue these running goals even as you reach for your distance or time goal. 

Some just for fun running goal ideas:

– Do a trail race

– Run a new route

– Run a destination half marathon

– Run a race for charity

And finally, stay flexible. You’re never stuck with one running goal—if it causes too much stress, change it. Running is a fun endeavor, not a stressful one.

Did this post help you settle on a running goal? The next step is to create a running routine that will move you closer to your goal, and this free download can guide you through building your running habit.