Find Your Running Resolutions for 2021
By: Cailin Cowley
Tags: Resolutions, Running, Goal Setting

Photo by Alex McCarthy on Unsplash

This year, New Year’s Eve is going to look a lot different. And honestly, this is one of those holidays where I’m kind of okay with that. Rather than buying a black sparkly dress at the last minute, paying inordinate amounts of money for watered down mixed drinks at a bar, and waking up with a swollen face and throbbing temples, I’m going to be hanging out on my couch with my boyfriend wearing sweats and eating takeout. Could this be a good omen for 2021?

Along with New Year’s comes New Year’s resolutions. I know that some people scoff at New Year’s resolutions because we can change whatever we want whenever we want, and we don’t need a new calendar to tell us so. While that’s technically true, I find it really helpful to have a date where I can draw a line and say, “This is my start line and December 31, 2021 is my finish line. Here’s what I want to do in that gap.”

So, Runner’s Life readers, here’s what I want to do in that gap:

Run at least 20 miles per week (compared to my current 15 miles/week) Run a 5K in 24 minutes or less by incorporating more speed work (my current PR is 25:47) Run a marathon (I was supposed to do the Chicago Marathon in 2020 — RIP — and am registered for 2021. Fingers crossed!) Get new running gear (i.e., sunglasses, shoes, fitness tracker, etc.)

For me, it wasn’t always easy to come up with resolutions. It felt so lofty and ambiguous, like the feeling of forcing myself to write an article when I have no idea where to even start. If you feel the same way, here are some tips for uncovering your running resolutions for 2021:

Make it attainable.

Something that all of my running goals have in common is that none of them are too out of reach for me. For instance, with the 5K, I didn’t set my goal to be 18 minutes or less because that would likely set me up to be discouraged.

Everyone’s goals should be personalized to fit their own running journey. You could be an avid runner and set a goal to run 100 miles per month or you could be a beginner and set a goal to run two days a week — both are great goals as long as they push you out of your comfort zone without injuring you or making you hate the sport.

Make a plan.

So, you set a goal. Great! Now, what are you going to do to achieve it?

For me, I’m planning to run four days a week instead of three so that I can hit my weekly goal of 20 miles. I’m going to incorporate more speed work into my workouts and I’m going to investigate getting a running coach so that I can beat my goal of a sub-24-minute 5K. I’ve already registered for the Chicago Marathon in October. I’m going to buy new running shoes in January and get running sunglasses by May, to space out the bigger expenses.

Setting a goal is one thing, but saying, “I’m going to beat my half marathon PR” isn’t going to get you there. Committing to a training plan will.

Stay focused.

By keeping your resolutions simple, you’ll have an easier time staying focused on your plan and executing on it.

You’ll notice that my list isn’t 25 items long. If it was, it would probably result in me over-exerting myself, failing, and loathing the whole goal-setting exercise. You don’t need to set a billion goals to feel successful. Set a reasonable amount that you can accomplish in the upcoming year so that you can actually put the time and focus into them that they (and you!) deserve.