Challenges for 2013

[morningglory]

I started running in May and last night I sat down and did some graphs showing how many miles I'd run per week and per month since May to now. These were actual figures so for December I have put in a target figure which is 25 miles for the month, which will be the most I have run in any one month since I started. This got me thinking about next year, what do I want to achieve?

Weight loss - to lose at least a stone

Park Run - 1 Park Run per month

10 k Run - too run at least 3 in 12 months

Mileage - up my mileage to 12-15 miles per week

Alcohol - January complete Dryathlon for Cancer Research and after that make Sun - Thur alcohol free days

Half Marathon - Possible TBC

Full Marathon (preferable New York) - Before I'm 50 (4 years 4 months to go)

I think these are all achievable with some will power and discipline

Get your thinking caps on what do you want to achieve in 2013

[Vivwestie Graduate]

They sound like great goals and totally do-able. If you do all the first 6 then the seventh will be a natural progression and you might get to do it sooner than you think.

I've signed up for a half marathon at the beginning of March, and for some inexplicable reason this caught my eye and interest: royalparksultra.com/

Hmmmmm.

The very best of luck with all your goals, morningglory - I bet that you'll smash all of them!

Have a great Christmas.

[sfb350 Graduate]

Your list is very similar too my own:

Weight loss - to lose at least a stone

Park Run - 1 Park Run per month (from February, when we get a local park run)

10 k Run - sub-1 hour by the end of 2013 (the two I did this year both took me 1hour 9mins)

Mileage - increase my long run at the weekend (about 6-8 miles at the mo)

Alcohol - make Sun - Thur alcohol free days

Half Marathon - Ironbridge half-marathon 24 March (best get training!)

Full Marathon (preferable Keilder) - Before I'm 50 (4 years 1 months to go)

Gym - get to the gym regularly and concentrate on areas that will help me avoid injury

"Obstacle" type race - would like to do something quite tough with lots of mud and other challenges !

More off-road running/cross-country

I want to stick to my aim of always running when I am away from home but I also want to make a point of supporting local races and runs, I don't want to travel far especially for a race - it gets far too expensive and time-consuming.

[mrqwest Graduate]

Nice set of goals that!

I've been setting myself challenges for the past couple of years (mrqwest.co.uk/2011 & mrqwest.co.uk/2012) - most relate to web design which is what I do but in 2011, I wanted to lose 2st throughout the year, and I had planned on following C25K to do that. I completely failed on all fronts.

This year though, I was determined to do it again. I've run my 5k now and I *think* I've lost 2st (yet to weigh myself in a while) but I'm pretty close. But I've been thinking about 2013 this past week or so, and running related, here's my few: -

Weight loss - to continue and try to drop another stone in weight.

ParkRun - to get at least 3 park runs under my belt

Races - I'd like to run at least 4 races this year, one being the local Croydon 10k and one being the Pine Ridge 10k (pineridgerace.co.uk/) in Surrey with a few others as I see them

Distance - I'd like to up my distance. I'd like to ideally take in 10-15k at weekends with short 5k's during the week

And like sfb350, I'd like to do more cross-country and run a few of the routes over the North Downs.

[Greg_M Graduate in reply to mrqwest]

I did Pineridge this year, its a lovely run well worth the trip. There were about 600 running.

I didn't win!

I am going to do it again next year as well (its pretty local for me) so maybe see you there?

[mrqwest Graduate in reply to Greg_M]

Did you? Cool! I don't know much about it but from looking at the pictures and reading the 'undulating course through pine forests', it seems pretty nice.

Is it on track or paved paths? and is "undulating" or is it like attacking Ben Nevis?

[Greg_M Graduate in reply to mrqwest]

It's track all the way. Its a mixture of sandy and muddy.

It is a bit undulating not to bad though, a couple of lung stretchers but its mostly pretty flat. As a bonus you can leave the family to have a much nicer dryer time at Wisley gardens and associated cafes whilst you run

But ....

By the power of Garmin..........

connect.garmin.com/dashboar...

That should have the all the details.

[mrqwest Graduate in reply to Greg_M]

Cheers Greg, but your garmin link is set to private, or something. Not showing for me

[Greg_M Graduate in reply to mrqwest]

oh

That usually works.

[Greg_M Graduate in reply to mrqwest]

Try this one.

connect.garmin.com/activity...

[mrqwest Graduate in reply to Greg_M]

Bingo

[swanscot Graduate]

I haven't set goals as such - for one thing I've no idea of my weight and my scales are broken and secondly, it seems silly to set running goals when I'm currently 'signed off'. I don't know why, but I'm a bit scared that my injury will return. I think once I know I can run 5k comfortably again, I'll start signing up for 10k runs.

I'd like to plan weekend travel around running events. There are several 10K races on the Hebrides (Tiree and Stornoway) and other really scenic places in Scotland (eg Balmoral) that I'd like to do.

Also, I'd like to do more off-road running, eg other sections of the Speyside Way and run circuits of several lochs.

[sfb350 Graduate in reply to swanscot]

Goals have to be flexible - I didn't start running until earlier this year and my initial goal was simply to get up to 5k and run regularly. I didn't expect to want to enter races at all. Once I'd done that, I'd hoped to improve my speed and stamina through the year. Various injuries and health issues meant that couldn't happened so I revised my goals to just not going backwards and giving up. I've managed that and had a good time doing so so I'm not too disappointed. When I suffer a set back I try to remind myself that it is better to take it easy now and still be running, however slowly, in twenty years time than it is to aggravate injuries. It isn't always an easy decision to make.

Ease yourself back into it gently and you should avoid injury and I'm sure you will get to run your 10k races.

Actually, that should be there at the top of the list - plan my training to avoid injury !

[swanscot Graduate in reply to sfb350]

Your right - goals have to be flexible.

I re-read my earlier post and realise it sounds a bit pessimistic. This is so unlike me as I'm usually an optimistic person - especially in terms of my health and fitness. After the relatively easy progression over 4 months, when I went from running for 60 seconds to running for 2 hours (the one 10-miler I did), and thinking I could simply continue to see progress, I think I was put out to find I'm not indestructible after all.

I'll write a revised post!

[swanscot Graduate in reply to swanscot]

When I'm back to my pre-injury fitness, my goals are similar to others above.

- Weight loss - drop a dress size

- Yoga - daily yoga sessions to maintain core strength and muscle flexibility (no matter how tired I am from running, walking or cycling)

- Running 10K races - participate in 4 or 5 throughout the Highlands including at least one small island event (Tiree, Barra, Benbecula)

- 10K time - manage a sub-hour run

- Weekly distance - regularly run 2 x 5km and 1 x 10-15km

- Trail running - try more long distance paths runs and circuits of lochs

[genevan Graduate]

Great to have goals! Mine are, in order:

1) Start a new training programme in the New Year

2) Lose a further 10kg by May 4th

3) Increase my speed from 8.30 to 7.30 minutes/km

4) Run a half marathon on May 5th

5) Find a new goal for the second half of the year

[OldNed Graduate]

Striking similarity among many of these goals, whuch shouldn't be a surprise of course. Mine are:

- try to never run less than 30 mins

- lose the final half stone (I've lost almost a stone in the year I've been running)

- consolidate my 5K performance to consistently get under 30 mins

- stretch it to 10K regularly

- get under 1 hour for 10K

- run the Great Yorkshire Run in September in under an hour.

[DeliaItaly Graduate]

Here are mine:

1) Keep up the 3 x 30 minute runs each week;

2) Manage 5K in 30 minutes.

I think they are perfectly doable, don't you?

[vikicats Graduate]

Mine are very similar to yours Delia:

Keep up with the 3 x 30 mins a week

Manage 5k in 30 minutes

plus

Lose another half stone

Complete a Parkrun (maybe 1 a month)

Shall we all meet up here this time next year to see how we've got on?

Hope everyone achieves their goals.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Viki xx

[thinnerandfitter Graduate in reply to vikicats]

Almost a week since my last run but I did do the "school walk" this morning - I think running would turn me into a coughing mess right now. I do intend to start agin soon though so here goes (similar to many others...):

Keep up with 3x runs a week, two of them 30 minutes

Bring 5k time down to 30 mins if possible (now on 34 mins)

Lose another 10 pounds from where I was 3 weeks ago (haven't made it to Slimming World for a while and have probably put a bit on).

Try a ParkRun (that one may be ambitious)

Start doing something for fine motor skills - eg play my flute in a band!

Try and finish books I start reading within 2 weeks.

Just added those last two to try and be a bit more well-rounded. After all, with less than 2 weeks left in the year this may as well become an official resolutions list.