I have seen a number of posts on social media recently asking about goals for next year, and it occurred to me that I am feeling a little goal-less at the moment!
I have a number of events postponed to 2021, so of course I can train for them. If they go ahead I'll have an ultramarathon followed by a marathon two weeks later - so probably one of my goals should be to get a good strength routine going in order to survive 2021 in one piece! 😂
Any suggestions? What are your 2021 goals?
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It must be such a brilliant feeling surfing like those guys with the wind whooshing by. What speeds do they get up to?
Like you Abi, I haven’t really got any plans for next year although I really do need to get back to more strength training. This has slipped this year not least because of the gyms being closed but that’s no excuse! It WILL be a goal for next year. Another goal is to push the mileage, just keep going ....
I’m still in Ireland but the running is going well. I’ve been able to run lots of different routes which has been great fun and keeps everything interesting. I did another 18K on Saturday and will do 20K (or more exactly, 20.20K for the Distance Relay challenge) next 🙂 I’ve already seen a 2020 symbol but when I went to take a photo my phone wouldn’t do it and just blacked out but I’ll get it next time.
Emotionally and mentally, things are still tricky but running is keeping me sane and giving me happy boosts 😀
Hugs to you!!! Those gorgeous runs must be great therapy!?
The Distance Relay will be great fun, I must get treasure hunting too...
If you're thinking about a strength goal you could do worse than having a look at the Strength & Flex forum! We have a new admin on there, CBDB, who is shaking things up!!
The windsurfing looks great. Hope you do get "on the plane" in 2021.
I dont think I am up for that but have been talking about Stand Up Paddle for the last 18 months. Hopefully in 2021 I will actually try it.
Re running - as already mentioned I am hoping the London Landmarks HM goes ahead in May, and I am booked in for the York 10km in August. I also usually do a run in Nice which is normally held in April but that might be too soon for the restrictions to be lifted.
I would also like to get to a stage where I am comfortable on the bicycle so that I can add that to a weekly activity as a change from running. We will see xx
I haven’t posted here before as I normally hang out on bridge to 10k.
I completed C25K in April and ran 10k in July before we got lockdown in Melbourne with a 5k radius and an hour exercise limit which put a stop to increasing my long run.
I’ve been running 50miles+ most months trying to keep my heart rate to my MAF number. I have stopped running to distance and been jeffing 30/30 up to an hour which seems to keep the heart rate pretty low. I had a couple of injuries trying to go too fast in May and July so I’m happy to just get running miles on my legs even if it’s run walk.
My 2021 running goals.
750 miles in total
Try trail running ( we’ve just moved to Western Australia and it’s so beautiful )
Start building up my long run.
10 miles is the next distance goal ❤️🏃♀️
Thanks to all who post here. I’ve learnt lots and I’m very thankful for all your running knowledge and inspiration.
Hi roseabi I’m contemplating taking on the Route 66 challenge for the new year🤔 I’m over halfway through LEJOG now and I need something else to aim at.😃As for events, I’m signed up for the Vitality Big Half in London at the end of April 2021, but who knows whether that will go ahead. If everything goes to plan I’ll finish LEJOG with the Big Half, but it depends how I get on between now and then.😊
Thanks roseabi the Route 66 challenge is organised by the same people who do LEJOG so I know it’ll be great!🙂👍It’s pricey but there’s a t-shirt and medal at the end. You get 2 years to cycle/walk/run the distance. I’ll aim to run the whole way, as I’m doing with LEJOG 🙂🤞
Having tried windsurfing a couple of times I can only admire you (suncream and climbing back on the board were mutually exclusive as far as my attempts went)!!!
2021 goals? Crikey, I'm still working away at my 2020 goals (2 down and one to go) and haven't given next year a thought.
Having booked the ultra for next May, I think that will be my main goal for next year. Maybe Oxford HM (third time lucky?) could be another, but actually I'd also quite like to have a shot at another marathon with some proper training rather than the leap of faith that the VLM was for me this year😀. I hope to keep cycling, so should probably think of a bike goal to aim for too. .. but in the meantime I have another 167km to ride before this year is done, then maybe some time to sit back and reflect on another rewarding year of running and riding (if little else!) before cracking on with 2021
Ohh yes, I keep forgetting about the bike!!! Hopefully it will get to do the 100k night ride (again, third time lucky) but maybe I'll dream something else up for it too 😊
I am in the same boat as you roseabi, my one and only race was postponed to Oct of next year, and I am relatively goal-less now. I am just trying to maintain my weekend long run mileage through the winter. I managed it (mostly) last winter post marathon. I would like to try something a little different as a challenge but I don’t know what that looks like just yet. I can’t swim so windsurfing is out :). Respect to you on that front! 💪👊
I've made it to halfway on Lejog5 so hoping to complete that next year - doing it in 6 months would be nice but if it takes a little longer, no stress! I am very pleased with myself that I've managed two weeks of daily yoga and 3 strength workouts a week, so I'm hoping to carry that on into the new year, starting with Yoga with Adriene's new Breath 30 day series.
Meanwhile half marathon training is ongoing, glad to be on a slightly easier week this week as last week's muddy uphill 10 miler took it out of me. I still need to find myself a good half marathon race to run - don't quite dare book anything with the current levels of uncertainty, though of course a virtual one is always a possibility.
Your photos remind me that it would be amazing if we actually get to go on the activity holiday (Neilson) which we postponed from last August. It would be beyond amazing to be able to travel and meet new people, quite apart from all the activities - tennis, windsurfing, sailing, yoga, cycling and all the rest! I have been wondering if they'll be doing group runs again - in previous years I totally ignored these but now, well, it sounds like an essential part of the holiday and getting to explore the area! Who knows, but it's good to dream...
Hi everyone! I bow to you ultra people. Simply wow. I also bow to marathon people. I’d love to think I could do the London Marathon one day ..... but ouch!
My goals for next year are simple. Run as many races as I am able! So far I’m entered in the Vitality 10000 in May and the Bath Half which has already been moved from March to September. 🏃♀️🏃♀️
I’m currently working my way up to John O’Groats on LEJOG4 - I’m not too far from the Scottish border. When that’s over I’m going to run Route 66! It’s great fun.
Oh, and Parkrun. Much as I love my (Not) PR on a Saturday, what I’d give to get back to the real thing! 🥰
Run To The Sea next March. (I wasn't fishing.) It's a flat baby ultra. I shall do it with no set target pace or time. Hopefully it will put my head in a better place for another stab at a marathon.
My plan to make HM by Christmas has hit the buffers! Doing well at 14k, improved pace, extending distance nicely; all was looking good until the end of November. Now I am struggling to run past 7k. The last two runs involved running into cold winds; my average heart rate for comparative distances is up by 10bpm and VO2 max has dropped by 3 points to its lowest level for over 6 months. So something is amiss. Nothing to do but to plod on, limit pace, and wait for matters to improve. Just part of what we do I guess. I managed to snap a heavy exercise band last night!! Must have been wearing thin 🙂
Fine thanks!! Going for a hill run later to test them out. Thinking about it, I will only be applying the same or a little more effort, but probably expanding the band less; hopefully I will improve as I go along.
My immediate goal is my Xmas marathon, which they insist has to be done on the 27th, or I'd get it done and over with! After a fairly slow HM on Sunday, I've decided to taper a bit this time, so I'm dropping down to 3 runs this week, and probably 17 k at the weekend.My long-term goal is to do a proper marathon training plan in the New Year after I've given myself time to recover from this one, with the subgoal of getting faster. They've changed the program since I followed it last, so it looks like any marathon I run won't be until late May/early June.
2021 plans? I dunno. I only started C25K in mid-May, and as I've said elsewhere, never would I have dreamed that I'd still be running, let alone posting on a Marathon forum, less than seven months later.
Lockdown and curfew constraints have also put me off planning for the future. Frankly I think managing to keep running would be a reasonable goal for me.
However, I have found myself looking at a trail event in June. The shortest option is 15k, which feels potentially do-able, then it jumps to marathon distance with significantly increased elevation gain, which feels too scary.
I should probably look into sensible road events instead, but am quite uncomfortable with the idea of running with lots of other people, and with there being spectators! At the moment I always run solo, on a mix of very quiet country roads, forest tracks and footpaths, so I'm used to being pretty much alone. I'm competitive, but mostly with myself, so maybe events just aren't for me.
Yeah it is really tricky to plan anything for running outside, I do actually have something in mind which is more like a two year master plan!
I think that supportive goals such as a strength routine are more positive at the moment. But you can still dream, and that trail event sounds like it has your name on it!!!! Which one is it?
Feeling a little goalless too, I’d like to get back to HM distance I think by spring. The speed challenge (1k) left me with a sore bum!!! every time I have run since the first attempt I’ve struggled with the muscle on the left hand side. I’ve been giving it a rest so hopefully I can get back to it soon!!
By the way, you can improvise with the medicine ball - if you don't have one you can use a dumbbell, kettle bell, bottle of water etc., or just hold your hands above your head with no weight for the lunges. But a set of resistance bands is a worthwhile investment, if you don't already have some. These are the ones I have:
My running goals: The Big Half on 25th April. My first live race. Then the Brighton HM, which would have been in February but now is in June. I don’t know if either will go ahead but I’m hoping. I have a 2:20 target for the Big Half if the weather is tolerably cool but if the day is warm I’m just going to aim to reach the finish line. (I’m still in vest and shorts at the moment, with a hair band thing for keeping the cold from my ears, In southern England I experience every weather that isn’t snow or sleet as ‘warm’, ‘too warm’ or ‘I am about to expire.’)
I’m planning to do more trail running. I have my lovely trail shoes tried and tested now, and my 5litre Decathlon running backpack with the water tube and emergency whistle. I have found some trails on the map app that look good and I’ve walked a couple as preparation for running them.
I’m hoping to do some running in company. So far it’s mostly been just me, partly because I’m new to running and didn’t feel comfortable joining a club where I might have been either left behind or obliging others to wait for me. Now I have a good idea of what I can manage I think I could join a group near me and keep up with the people at the back, judging by the info on their website.
I want to run with my sons. They are both a little injury prone so they only do short runs, but they’re faster than me because they’re 14 inches taller and 26/7 years younger. I haven’t done any sport with them since a game of football when, aged 7, my oldest told me to ‘play properly, mummy’ and I had to explain that I just wasn’t as good as them and after that they stopped asking me to. Their dad plays tennis with them, which is lovely for him, I have always been a little jealous! (He has terrible knees and has said he’ll never run with me.)
I’m looking to set a few personal records. So far, the longest continuous uphill run I’ve managed has been 25 minutes. I want to find a bigger longer hill and make it 30 or 35. I haven’t done a fast 5k for a while, but last time I did a 7k the first five took 30:15 so I reckon I have a sub-30 5k in me. I hope to eventually get a 60-min 10k, down from 63 a few weeks back.
I also want to do a bit of Strava Art. I once almost did a chicken, but it was an accident so it doesn’t count.
I'm slowly starting to feel less creaky and sore after drastically cutting back on running and strength work these last few days and just doing yoga/walking. Still a bit frustrating - I definitely think it was a wise decision to cut back to avoid doing damage but really hoping I'll be able to get out for a run again soon.
My main goal right now is to run the HM distance in under 2 hours. I'm down to about 2:03 so it's within reach. I'm aiming to do all my running at a comfortable pace (mostly 5k runs) which I hope will get me to my target (I'm not in any rush to get there).
I'd also like to run a full marathon. I'm back up to 20 miles now so, with a bit more training and consolidation, I think I can do it (although, for that distance, I think it's better to do it in a "real" event so there might be a bit of a wait for that). For now, I'll just keep my maximum at 3 hours and see how it goes.
Then there's the 45 mile Green Man around Bristol. If I go for it, it will be the summer one that's usually in August. With a 12 hour cutoff time, my walking pace is good enough so I'm contemplating a "walk, walk, run, walk" strategy. My biggest concern is shin splints which I can get if I add distance too quickly so I think I'd have to do some very long walks to prepare. Maybe some longer walks would help prepare me for a marathon as well?
That windsurfing looks great! A windsurfing / activity holiday in the Canaries (or maybe Poole in Dorset) would be just the ticket. I haven't been out for years. My biggest mistake in windsurfing was to try and practice manoeuvring in stronger winds when I should have just gone for it and tried to get on the plane. Anyhow, that's on hold for now.
Finally, I really ought to do some strength training. Maybe bouldering ( but I suspect their closed at the moment).
These are solid goals! I look forward to seeing how you get on.
I will say, although an official marathon event is helpful in many ways, what I loved about doing a solo marathon was being able to choose the weather!! 😂
Strength work on your lower legs and hips may help with the shin splints.
Oo another windsurfer! We are hoping to try the Canaries at some point. Windsurfing off Hove beach has its obstacles 😊
I've currently got a hint of shin splints, that's what prompted me to go for a cutback week (plus, it fits in nicely with Christmas). I've restarted the NHS knee exercises for runners, can you suggest any other suitable exercises?
There's a tiny artificial lake near us that was built for windsurfing but it's clay lined. I can beach start but, with a thick layer of clay on my foot, there's no grip so I'm straight back in. I used to go to South Cerney after work but, by the time I got out on the water it was usually near dusk and the wind dropped to nothing. I think my best option is Poole but it's at least a 2 hour drive to get there. Weston is another option but I'm not good enough to go out through the break.
I think eccentric heel drops are a brilliant calf exercise - do 10 with straight leg, 10 with bent knee, both legs, a couple of times a day. They also really help the Achilles tendons and plantar fascia.
Hip strength is very important for general running health improving gait problems that may impact the lower legs - these from Training Peaks are really good: trainingpeaks.com/blog/esse...
I don't have anywhere to store kit so rely on hire - we use Lagoon Watersports which is just 5 minutes walk away from home. But the shore break at Hove can be pretty gnarly! I need to learn to water start - that's another goal for next year! 😊😊😊
My windsurfing kit is very old so I tend to hire instead.
I think of the water start as a landmark in learning windsurfing: once you can do that it's much less effort to get going so you save your energy and can therefore stay out longer and get more practice. I can start so long as my feet can touch the bottom but I've never got the hang of water starting. A few days on an activity holiday might just do it. Maybe one of these days...
I'm not good at making long term plans but here goes 😊I'm 3 weeks into my plan to get me to 10 miles I was hoping to get there for February as that will be one year since I started C25k, so hopefully that will be one thing I'll achieve next year. Also I'm very aware of the danger of injury as distance increases so alongside this I know I need to build on my tentative start at regular strength training, which I'm actually quite enjoying now I'm slightly in a routine. When I started C25k one thing I was really looking forward to was running in different places when I was away in my campervan. I did manage 3 runs away in the summer but I really hope to do more this next year.
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