How to Set SMART Running Goals:

The required training months can be difficult, so it is important to set small, weekly goals to help motivate throughout the training process.

Running goals can be achieved with the help of SMART goals. The concept of SMART goals is often applied in professional settings, but the same ideas can be helpful in running. The idea is to increase your chances of success by setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely goals. For example, a SMART target for your marathon might be, “I plan to run the ASICS LA Marathon on February 14 in four hours and thirty minutes.”

Runners like to be better. The feeling of knowing today will make you run faster or faster than yesterday. The excitement that comes after a great personal run and the hope of going down an unknown path motivates you to reach new levels. We never own our business, but we always have the option to be better. Runners – runners and veterans – grow when they set goals. And now it’s time to set goals for your next season.

Specific

A specific goal helps keep you motivated because you know what you need to do to achieve it. As you get closer to your goal, you get excited and excited about your progress, so you work harder to reach that final result.

A specific goal is defined by the right terms. Therefore, your goal should be to concentrate and avoid becoming normal.

For example, you want to run fast. This goal is broad and non-specific. One specific goal may be to improve your speed, “I want to improve my PR (personal record) by two minutes in a marathon.”

If your goal is to run for the first time, you can set a goal to sign up for a 5K event in your area. Or if you hope to lose weight with running, you can set a specific goal of losing five pounds in two months by running 3 to 4 days a week.

Make sure your goal answers who, what, and when. Simply saying that you want to “run fast” or “lose weight by running” is a common goal. An example of a specific goal would be: “I want to improve my PR in a marathon by two minutes in five months” or “I want to lose three pounds in six weeks.”

A specific goal helps keep you motivated because you know what you need to do to achieve it. As you get closer to your goal, you get excited and excited about your progress, so you will work harder to reach that final result.

Setting Goal Goals (Smart / Smart)

Before you start running you should think about what you want to achieve.

When you think of your running goals, it is important that you be aware of your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Consider your successes so far, past failures, and consult a coach or other runner. We all have something that we are good at and that we need to improve, or at least something that we are currently trying to deal with.

Achievable

It can be very discouraging when you fail to achieve a desired goal. Not everyone will run a four-hour marathon for the first time or get up at 6 a.m. every day to do their training. Make sure your running goals, big and small, are realistic for you. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shoot for PR or add new workouts to your training. It simply means being careful when setting goals. If you have never run in the morning, don’t go out for four training runs at 6am in a week. It is important to remember that when setting running goals, especially for beginners, to create challenging, yet achievable goals so that you can feel successful when you meet them.

Measurable

When you specify specific criteria for measurement, it allows you to periodically check your progress and make adjustments as needed. This will make the program look more manageable so you can stay on track and keep your spirits up.

To make your goal measurable, you need to specify how you will track your progress. You also need to decide how you will know when you reach your goal.

For example, if your goal is to improve your marathon PR by two minutes, then monitoring your speed during the long run is one way to measure your progress. Set specific speed targets for each long run, increasing the speed each week.

Make your purpose relevant

Just because you’re a runner doesn’t mean you have to set a goal that is very popular with other runners, such as completing a marathon. To be relevant to a goal, it must be something you value and important, so that you are willing and able to work for it.

Your goals should represent you, so they shouldn’t just be something that someone else is doing or suggesting that you try to achieve. Ask yourself if you are choosing your goal for the right reasons.

Related

Just as your goals should be achievable for you, they should also be relevant to you. With running, this idea can be applied in a few different ways. For example, just because a particular training plan is popular doesn’t mean it’s right for you. And just because a friend is training for a specific time doesn’t mean you have to. You will be highly motivated to meet your set goals if they are personally meaningful to you.

Punctual

Time bound goals are those that have a deadline. This means you set a time frame and define it to reach your goal. Having a deadline will keep you motivated and prevent you from getting bored or wanting to quit exercising.

For example, if you say, “I want to run a sub 2 hour half marathon”, but you have not chosen a specific race, there is no immediate need for your goal. But if you choose a specific race and say you want to run a 1:59 half marathon on that date, you can schedule a weekly event to reach that goal.