S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Happy New Year! The festivities are over and everything not nailed down has been eaten. Now what? You may have gotten new running shoes for Christmas or new bike or just a new outlook on exercise. Looking ahead to the fresh 365 days of potential that lay before you, what will you do? Maybe you are contemplating a longer distance, you have renewed your vow to set a PR or a relative has challenged you to complete a half marathon or marathon.
When setting a goal you need to follow the S.M.A.R.T rule - specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based. Specific needs to answer the five W?s, who, what, when, where and why. Measurable can?t just be I want to lose weight; it has to have a number in mind. However if you have chosen to try a new race distance you can set ?to finish? as you goal because your measurable is the distance itself. Time based is easy when using a race because you have no choice but to be ready by that date.
Attainable refers to can you do it. Can you go from not running to running a marathon, or is it more realistic if you have never run to strive for a 5k or 10k distance. Can you advance from having run a fall half marathon to running a spring marathon even though you have been plagued by injuries? Realistic refers to your methodology. You want to try a half ironman but you can?t get to the pool to swim or you don?t have a bike. You want to run a marathon and qualify for Boston but you can?t fit in more than three runs a week.
I have found that there are a few common elements in the training practices of successful athletes. First they are consistent with their training, breaking their year up into periods of rest, base, specification then racing but never taking large chunks of time off. They set a goal for every workout and every race, but every race does not have to be a PR. Some races are used towards the greater goal of overall achievement attained over years of structured training. Most use a coach or at least a structured training plan.
A successful running career is born from a strong base, a skeleton and surrounding structures that are up to the task, something that is achieved only through time. It is advisable to not rush the process or persistent injuries could set you back or stop you all together. When deciding to run a half-marathon it is advisable to have been running consistently for six months and to take as much as 16 weeks preparing for your event. When moving to the marathon one year of running will prepare you to begin training then use the formula 28 minus the longest distance in miles you have run in the last three weeks to determine the length of your training program.
Set your goals, do your best, and enjoy the run because the most important thing about goals is having one.