My Goals:
I have a range of short-term and long-term goals to help to keep me motivated, but to also ensure that my training is effective and I am progressing towards my aims of running a marathon to the best of my ability.
Short-Term:
At present my short-term goals (within the next 12 months) are:
- Run 5k non-stop (currently my closest is 4.7km in 40 minutes)
- Run 5k in under 35 minutes
- Run 60 minute non-stop
- Run 10k non-stop
- Run 10k in under 1:15
- Complete a half marathon
- Run 1000km in 2017 (currently at 228)
- Lose another stone (currently 11 stone 4, started at 12 stone 7)
- Complete my first obstacle course run (scheduled for May 21st 2017)
- Join a local running club
Long-Term:
My long-term goals are:
- Complete a marathon
- Push average pace to 6:30 min / km
- Complete an ultra
- Run a sub-5 hour marathon
- Run 5k in under 30 minutes
- Run 10k in under an hour
- Complete Spartan Tri-fecta
- Complete all 4 Wolf runs in a year
- Complete Tough Mudder
Currently, my main aim is to improve my non-stop running time, as this also ensures that my race times improve as I’m doing more running than walking. The next big milestone for my non-stop running is 5k, I came close at 4.7k but didn’t have enough in the tank at the time. I’m hoping to reach the 5k non-stop mark and also 45 minute mark in the same run, and then the next target is the 60 minute non-stop.
In order to reach my goal times, I plan to improve endurance to ensure that I am running instead of walking, and I will start to work on speed work as my endurance improves. I will also start to add more variation to my running and start including High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and hill repeats.
I have entered a virtual challenge which requires me to run 1000km over the course of 2017, and I am currently sitting behind on 228km due to having a few weeks off from running because of illnesses and bugs. To be on target, I should have completed 294km and then be running 21km a week, but I am 66km behind, so will have to make up the difference throughout the year, and hope I avoid injury and illness.
My current, most important long-term goal is to complete a marathon; even if it is at a snail’s pace, I just want to get it completed and under my belt, and then I have a record to beat with each successive marathon (unless I then decide I never want to do a marathon ever again, which I highly doubt!).
UPDATE – 15th May 2017