Setting Running Goals – Four Steps to Reaching Your Personal Goal

For example, if we train for our first 5-km run, we need little time in comparison. “To achieve a goal like that, even beginners often don’t need to incorporate more than two to three short runs per week into their training schedule,“ explains the running coach. Then we can run our first 5-km run after just a few weeks.

It’s a completely different story, however, if we want to master longer distances. Because we can’t just train for a marathon in passing. “If we want to run a marathon in the spring or fall, for example, we need to have significantly more time for training,“ says David Harmer. “If we haven’t already been in marathon preparation for some time, we’ll probably need twelve to sixteen weeks of intensive training with several runs a week.“ It also takes time, as well as money, to find the right running shoes and clothing as well as drinks and energy gels.

“The people we spend our time with have a significant influence on us and on achieving our goal,“ says expert Harmer. That’s precisely why it’s important to tell family and friends about our goals. That way, they can support us not only mentally but also physically.

“If we have a tough two-hour run ahead of us, a friend can accompany us on the bike, keep us company and hand us drinks,“ explains David Harmer. If the family knows about our goals, we can also plan dinners, for example, so that we still have time for a run afterwards.

If our legs ache after a workout, the people around us can take care of us. “We should never underestimate massages like that,“ says running coach Harmer, grinning. “But what’s even nicer is that we can share the success with our loved ones on race day. That’s what it’s all about in the end.“