Are you yet to book in for your first race? Or have you just completed your spring marathon or an 'A' race, and feeling like you're in limbo?
You spend weeks and months training for a race, you follow a new routine and make sacrifices, and then in one day, it's all over. You can go from being on a high to feeling a bit bluesy, once that you've finished a race. You might even feel a bit lost now that you don't have the same structure in your day around your running workouts.
Or, maybe you've just taken up running and don't know yet what goals to set or how to structure your training?
If you're feeling a bit lost and don't know how to choose your next running goal, this article is for you. In it, we've compiled our top tips to help you plan the next big thing, or simply get started with running and learn to be consistent.
Because we know all too well that we all run better when we have something to aim for. Setting a running goal will help you have a purpose, get you out the door every day and, ultimately, give you something to achieve and celebrate at the end of your plan.
How to pick SMART goals
To set your running goals, you should make sure they're SMART. That means they should be:
Specific, e.g., to train for a half-marathon
Measurable, e.g., booking yourself into a race in 12 weeks time, or planning to time yourself
Achievable, e.g., you wouldn't want to jump straight from a 5k to training for an ultramarathon
Relevant, e.g., if you’re looking to build your endurance, do not follow a 5k plan
Time-based, e.g., set yourself the goal of achieving it in the next 8, 10, 12 or 16 weeks
You can have a few running goals in parallel, for example:
Run 3 times per week or more
Reach your weekly, monthly, or yearly mileage goals
Go for weekly trail runs
Run a sub-2 hour half-marathon, and so on
At Runna, we've built many different training plans, because we want to support you no matter what goal you choose to do. Below we’ll share with you five of our most popular goals.
Get fit and get into running
New to running? Just finished a Couch to 5k plan and not sure what to do next? Going for occasional runs but want to bring more structure into your training?
To level up your running game and get fitter, you need to get out of the door a few times per week and do a mix of easy runs, speed runs, and long runs.
These will help you improve as a runner and, most importantly, instill the healthy habit of regularly running and challenging yourself. Try our new-to-running plan or 5K improvement plan to get started with your running journey today.
Recommended running goals: Build a weekly running routine, progressively increase your mileage, run a 5k, finish a 10k
Recommended training plans: New to running, maintenance, faster 5k, 10k
Build your endurance
Ever since the first marathon, endurance running has captivated people all across the world. Every year, millions of people train for their first half-marathon or marathon to test their limits, raise money for charity, or to cross it off their bucket list.
Training for and running a half-marathon, marathon or ultramarathon is a great challenge and recognized as a huge achievement, but it definitely requires commitment and determination.
The best way to prepare for a long-distance race and build your endurance is to get a tailored training plan that'll adapt to your preferences, experience level, and current performance, and will bring structure to your training efforts.
Recommended running goals: Finish a half-marathon, marathon, or ultramarathon; set a new PR; build a consistent weekly routine; increase your mileage progressively
Recommended training plans: Half-marathon plan, marathon plan, ultramarathon plan
Build your speed and fitness
Do you want to test yourself and see what you’re capable of? Or start beating the other runners at your next race or Parkrun?
By training for a goal such as a faster 5k or 10k, you’ll be focusing on speed runs to build your aerobic fitness and power. This will help you get fitter and faster as well as coming with a number of other proven health benefits from reduced risk of injury, to better fat burn, to stronger bones.
Improving your speed over a 5k and 10k is highly recommended if a marathon is in your sights, too.
Recommended goals: A PR at a 5k or a 10k
Recommended plans: Follow a training plan adapted to your A race (more on that later), such as a faster 5k, 10k, half-marathon plan, marathon plan, or an ultramarathon plan
Train for a race
Having a race booked is a great way to motivate yourself towards a goal and hold yourself accountable to train. We recommend telling your family and friends what you’re training for, which will help even more.
If you’ve not booked a race just yet, check out our race database to find the most exciting races around your location and in the world. Or, you could even sign up to one of our free monthly events and train towards that.
Getting a plan to help you train towards a race takes all of the mental stress out of your training; with it, you'll get all the info you need, from what runs to do and what paces to target, to what to eat before or during your long runs and what race strategy to adopt.
Our plans will balance all of the different types of runs to help take you towards your goal whilst keeping your training sustainable to help reduce the injury risk.
Recommended goals: Finish a race (5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, or ultramarathon); set a PR
Recommended plans: Faster 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, or ultramarathon plan
Do a triathlon
If you want to add some variety to your training, then a triathlon could be for you. We also have triathlon plans, from sprint distances to full iron.
Running is our biggest love but by adding two other disciplines to your training, you can take on a whole new challenge and add some different sessions to your week.
Recommended goals: Sprint Tri Run, Olympic Tri Run
Recommended plans: Triathlon running plan
How to set race-related running goals
Your goals don't have to be about races, but having a race on the horizon is an excellent way to get into the groove of training and stick to it. If you know you'll be racing in two, three, or four months from now, you'll want to make sure you're ready for the event.
How to pick your A, B, and C races
So, what's an 'A' race, you might be wondering? And are there B and C races, too?
An A race is, in short, your big running goal: the one you've been training the hardest for, aiming to crush your personal best or maybe qualify for another race. You'd spend months training to be in top form and give it your all.
A B race is another important race, but not the main event. You can use it as tune-up event or a training race, where you can test your fitness and try out new strategies.
A C race is typically low-key and relaxed, more akin to a practice run than a race. C races are useful to gain experience, build endurance, or just have some fun without worrying too much about the outcome.
If you're a beginner, you don't have to pick A, B, and C races; you can simply pick a single race and train for it.
But if you already have a few years of running experience, A, B, and C races can be a fun way to set goals. Here’s how you can set your running goals using this framework:
Set your A race goal: Pick the most important race of the season that you want to do and get a training plan for it. This can be any distance, such as a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, or an ultra. Set a specific goal or goals for this race (such as to finish the distance, achieve a specific finish time, or set a PR).
Plan your B races: Choose a few races a few weeks or months before (or after) your A race. These should be races where you can push yourself and assess your performance, but not so much that it affects your training.
Decide on C race goals: Pick fun, low-stakes races that help you gain experience and enjoy the vibe without pressure.
If your A race is a long-distance event, you can pick shorter B and C races. Make sure there's enough time between races to recover and adjust your training.
Recommended goals: Finish your A races with a PR; do a few B and C races to prepare for your A race or just for fun
Recommended plans: Faster 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, or ultramarathon plan
After a race, take the time to unwind
First of all, if you've just competed a race or finished a training plan, give yourself some time to let your results soak in and give your body a rest.
Training is physically and mentally demanding, meaning that you can't (and shouldn't) continually push yourself day in, day out. If you do, you risk burnout or an injury! Give our body a down period to come back stronger.
Enjoy the downtime. Make the most of the extra time you have by seeing friends and family, taking trips, going to the cinema, or whatever you didn't have time to do whilst you were training!
Recommended running goals: We recommend taking a week off after your A race (especially if it is a marathon or a ultra) and then to follow a post-race recovery plan to ease you back in.
Reflect on your training
What did you love about training? What did you not enjoy? What were the highlights of your race? Could you have done anything differently?
While you don't want to overanalyze every tiny detail, having a quick think and jotting down some notes will help you improve in the long term. It'll also help think about your next goal.
There is no rush to find your next race or challenge. You might need a break from chasing a target and just want to run for fun. During this time, we'd encourage you to keep active by updating your plan to run a bit less and do a bit more strength work. Some down time is also a good time to work on some weaknesses in the gym that you might not prioritise during an intense training block.
Recommended running goals: Now is a great time to simply focus on the joy of running until you figure out what you want to do next
Recommended training plans: Maintenance running
Or maybe you're looking for something else entirely?
If you have any other goal in mind, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help you find a plan. Nothing is too crazy for our coaches!
Whatever your next goal is, we can't wait to support you and help you achieve it. Enjoy the time out and come back fresh and ready to smash your next block of training.
As always, we're here if you have any questions at all via the Support tab!
And, if you haven't yet, join Runna today and get your first week free!
