How to Choose a Running Goal
We all run better when we have something to aim for. Choosing a 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.
To pick your goal, you should make sure it’s SMART. That means it should be:
S. Specific (e.g., to train for a half-marathon)
M. Measurable (e.g., booking yourself into a race in 12 weeks time, or planning to time yourself)
A. Achievable (e.g., not jumping straight from a 5k to training for an ultramarathon)
R. Relevant (e.g., if you’re looking to build your endurance, not choosing a 5k improvement plan)
T. Time-based (e.g., setting yourself the goal of achieving it in the next 8, 10, 12 or 16 weeks)
There are a number of plans we offer to support you no matter what goal you choose. Below we’ll share Runna’s most popular goals and the plans we recommend!
Getting Fit and Into Running
You might be new to running or may have ran for a while without consistent structure and want to start levelling up. That means getting out of the door each week and getting after it with a mix of easy runs, speed runs and long runs. These will focus on improving you as a runner and most importantly instilling the healthy habit of regularly running and challenging yourself. Try our ‘Get Fit’ plan or ‘5K Improvement’ plan to get started with your running journey today.
Recommended Plans:
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 prove what they’re capable of, raise money for charity or to cross it off their bucket list. By training for and running a half-marathon, marathon or ultramarathon, you’ll join a club of people who’ve earned that medal and receive a special nod from people you know when you tell them what you’ve achieved.
Recommended Plans:
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 focussing 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.
Recommended Plans:
Train for a race
Having a race booked is a great way to motivate yourself towards a goal and hold you 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 one just yet, there are many good websites you can use to look for one, such as Let’s Do This.
You could even sign up for one of our free monthly events and train towards that. Getting a plan to help you train towards a race takes all of the stress out of the training, from what runs to do and what to eat before or during your long runs. 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 Plans:
Thinking of something else?
If you have any other goal in mind, please get in touch with us and we’d be happy to help you find a plan to suit. Nothing is too crazy for our coaches!
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