Setting goals is not just a way of making sure you develop as a runner. It also helps you to stay motivated. As you start achieving your goals, you build your own motivation and your running becomes more rewarding.

Here are a handful of basic pointers for using goal-setting:

  1. Make it specific and measurable. If you say you'll train in the mornings, does that mean rainy ones too?
  2. Keep it challenging yet achievable. Keep in mind that when you start being your own trainer, the distinction between optimistic and realistic tends to be a fine line!
  3. Make the plan to run on a regular basis. Achieving any goals will mean you need some kind of training plan and for that you need to run on a regular basis. Keeping a logbook is a good way to stick to your training plan.
  4. Train to cover a specific distance. Don't be too concerned with your speed and just focus on covering a distance, such as 10 kilometres.
  5. One of the most powerful goals to set is to enter a race. Just enter and then train towards that date. Follow a training program or schedule which you feel will help you reach this goal.