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Preparing your running goals for 2024

·3 mins
training

Last year, I listed a few goals for myself when it comes to training and running. In my opinion, it’s important to move towards a goal rather than not having one. Here is my list for this year, and why you should start one.

Keep your goals detailed #

People often give up on their New Year resolutions because it can be hard to keep ourselves motivated over time. It’s easy to say “I will start running” or “I will run more”, but after a few weeks, we lose this motivation, and want to stay home and do something else.

The best way to keep yourself accountable is to make a list of well-defined challenges as soon as possible. For instance, changing “I will start running” to “I will run every Sunday at 8 am for 15 min, for 3 months”. This sounds much easier to stick with it because you know when and where, and for how long.

Make your goals realistic #

It’s important to keep your running goals realistic. If you have never run and want to accomplish an ultra-marathon, it will be very hard for you to keep up with the training, and might lose your motivation quickly.

However, if it’s about signing up for a 10km running race, that is much more doable and you can adapt accordingly.

Plan your races early #

Preparing for a race takes time depending on your level of fitness. For a marathon, it can take from 3 to 6 months to get ready. So if you are planning to race in 2024, you should quickly sign up and plan for it.

If you have multiple races, that’s great, but you should also plan for the recovery in between. I wouldn’t advise doing 2 marathons in less than one month for instance. I did it once, and it wasn’t pretty.

Goal keeps yourself motivated #

I’m often asked where I get my motivation to go train. Part of it comes from the plan already laid out. If I have a training plan for a race, I will easily follow it and rarely ask myself too many questions.

However, if I don’t have a training plan or a race to prepare for, then it’s easy to find excuses to not exercise: the weather is not good, I don’t feel like it, and so on.

It doesn’t mean you need to plan every detail, but it will prevent you from finding excuses for yourself.

Challenge friends and family #

Your goals don’t have to be limited to yourself. Why not invite a friend or a family member to it? It can be easier to stay motivated and committed to your goals if you are not alone in it.

Signing up for a gym membership? Try to bring a friend (or make one there), so you’ll have somebody to go with.

To finish, here are my 2024 goals:

  • Complete a Major Marathon (Tokyo 2024)
  • Participate in an ultra race
  • Get a Personal Best on a half marathon

Let’s get yours ready and plan for your best run 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️