2018 Running goals – Why are my this year’s running goals so difficult to choose?  I have been thinking about what I should do in 2018 to improve my running.  Should I run more?  Should I do something differently?  Should I sign up for more races?  Commit to running XXX miles or kilometers over the year?  I’m so confused…

How are others choosing running goals in 2018?

The two Facebook groups that I belong to – Not Your Average Runner and Slow Runners Community – have both discussed 2018 goals in various posts.  Runners are going to run farther, faster and run in more races in 2018 than they’ve ever done before!  But I’m trying to be realistic, so when I read the posts, I looked at what others were going to do and then considered these as possibilities:

• Run the Year 2018 – this is a fitness challenge to run (or walk) 2018 miles in 2018!   I think that this one is out for me.  In my best year, I didn’t break 300 miles running.  Even though I don’t include my walking in my stats, I do not think that I’m physically able to do this one.  Even 2018 kilometers would be too much for me. 
• 1000 km challenge 2018 – this challenge is to run 1000k in 2018.  This seems a little easier as it only equates to 621.3 miles.  But even so, that would mean an average of 1.7 miles per day, which isn’t realistic for me either.  I might be able to run 500 miles, if I really worked on it – but over 600 (which is 50 miles per month) might be too much for me.
• Run at least one 5k or a 10k every month – okay, now this goal seems do-able.  Especially as the Houston Wellness Project has 2 free 5k each month in the Houston area.  Actually paying for a race every month when I can run around Memorial Park for free wouldn’t be good financially but running a free race each month is certainly doable.
• Run a half-marathon or full marathon – This would definitely be a challenge but I haven’t run either a 5k or 10k without stopping yet.  It would be nice to get some success at completing 5k and 10k races before moving on to a half-marathon.  I’m not sure that this is a good one for me.  Maybe in 2019?
• Keep running all year – Definitely a good goal as it is very difficult to keep running all year long in Houston.  I didn’t run much (if at all) this past summer and used the excuse that it was too hot!  It WAS too hot, but many runners seem to be able to keep running.  Why can’t I do it??
• PR a 5k and/or a 10k – This is a good goal as I haven’t PR’d a 5k since I first started running.  Who knows why I went so fast in my first Chocoloco 5k but I’ve chased that time ever since.  As for a 10k, I really haven’t worked on my 10k times.

2018 non-running goals?

Women’s Running had a good post about choosing a 2018 goal and it wasn’t just about running.  They suggested to “Ease into it” – choose goals throughout the year such as 1 race per quarter, finishing a marathon in October etc.  Another goal they suggested was to “Socialize” your running – invite others to run with you, recruit others to run a 5k with you or create a running weekend with your friends.  Lastly, they suggested to “Be consistent” – choosing a goal that you can consistently do such as doing 15 minutes of core work on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Overall I think that these are good ideas, especially easing into it.  Choosing something that I need to do over the course of the year is probably a good idea.  

What are my 2018 running goals?

So now I’m sure you are wondering what have I decided to do in 2018?  What am I going to do to improve my running?  I am going to try and run at least 365 miles in 2018 (average of 1 mile per day) and PR in both a 5k and a 10k this year.  I think that it is achievable with some effort and both goals will be something that I haven’t yet accomplished.  Wish me luck!!