Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Dreaming Big - My 2015 Goals


After spending some time reflecting on 2014, I've been giving some thought to 2015 in recent weeks. My goal since I started running was "run the Chicago Marathon". And since October 12, I've been goal-less. Well let's fix that. Why have goals? I've been reading "Hanson's Marathon Method" lately. "Goal of any sort narrow your focus and give meaning to your training". It's true. You set set the big goal and suddenly start dividing that into smaller ones. You see progress and that keeps motivating you. But without that, it's hard to find the motivation.

So I have a few. Let's start with the natural ones. Performance related.

1. 4:15 Marathon. (PR 4:28:47). 4:15 sounds like a lot off; almost 14 minutes. But I don't think it's out of the question. I feel like I have more in me.  I feel like with a more regimented training, that "more" can not just be brought out, but be better.

2. 25:48 5k (PR 25:49). I don't typically race 5k's. They're too expensive and I have trouble fitting them into marathon training schedules. That said, this one is going be 2 years old in May. I tried this fall but my best attempt was still 45 seconds off. More speedwork  Also finding a flat, uncrowded course. Those exist, right?

Now performance aside, there's a few other things that I really want to do next year.

3. Run more with friends. Our paces don't always line up. While we may have run on the same trails sometimes this year, I feel like I neglected them in some ways while striving to keep pace for my time goals. Sure we chatted before and after. But during, we were apart. I want to commit to running WITH them at least once a month.

4. Spend less on race fees. I ran a lot of races this spring to race in several states. I ran some incredible courses. But at some point, it was less about quality and more about quantity. I want to change that. There are a number of local races that are "must-do" for me. I'm a sucker for the CARA Circuit. There's some other destination races on my hopeful 2015 races. Looking at you Nashville! But I want to make sure that I'm not running a race this year just to get a medal. I want to give 150% each time I pin that bib on. I want quality from myself. And that only happens by reducing the quantity.

5. Finish a Tri!  I've hid behind the "I can barely swim" and "I don't have a bike" thing for too long. Well neither has changed. But I've also realized that those are just barriers I've put up. When Spring rolls around, I'm going to be bike shopping. And somewhere in between, I'm going to jump in the water. I don't have a race booked yet, but I'm going to give it a go! How hard can it be? (Famous last words!)

There it is. Raw and exposed. I plan to followup towards the end of next year on how I did.

What's you're goals for 2015?  Some of the above were inspired by others I've heard recently. So I'd love to hear what you're planning. Maybe that will give me an idea of something to shoot for in 2016!

1 comment: