First of all, you guys know that I am all about setting goals. With that being said, it’s not the end of the world when a goal doesn’t get reached or takes longer than expected or planned. News flash: We can’t really plan our successes, but we can commit to learning from all failures and moving forward no matter what! In my opinion, that’s more important than actually nailing every single goal every single time.
Reaching goals is hard! It’s not a walk in the park and it’s important that you get down and dirty with your goals if you’re really serious about reaching them. With that being said, I want to share my new goal with you guys: running 25km per week!
If you guys read my recap of the Runtastic Ambassador weekend, you know that I spent a whole weekend with so many amazing people and I was completely inspired. Living abroad and working with so many amazing individuals from all over the world through Runtastic has been such a blessing in my life. And despite all the work, energy and effort put forth – it’s been completely worth it! So, this particular weekend is where my goal “was born”.
How I set my running goal:
My friend (and fellow ambassador) Sabrina, aka @runningbrina, had the bright idea that I should set a goal and she would be the one to hold me accountable. So, we created a group on Runtastic so we could keep tabs on each other. Initially, the goal was 20K, but then Sabrina decided that we should up it and it go for 25K. I was in! I knew with her support I could for sure get there.
Tips on how to stick to your running goal:
- Tell people about it: This is what I am doing right here and also on my Instagram stories. I post stories of me on my runs, share screenshots of my Runtastic app and let you guys know when I have reached my goal. This accountability is really awesome and really powerful. So far, I have reached my goal 2 weeks in a row and have shared it with you guys every time. Thanks for the support friends!
- Figure out how you’re going to monitor it: In this case we are, of course, using the Runtastic app and the groups feature within the app. With this we have a weekly (or monthly) overview of one another so we can be there for encouragement!
- Plan your runs ahead of time & put them in your calendar: This is so important!! For some 25km might not seem like a lot, but for me it’s like 15-20km more than I would normally do in a week. I have had knee problems in the past and have really hurt myself during some races, so it’s really important for myself and my health that I space it out into manageable distances. My co-worker asked me the other day: “You’re running 25km per week? That’s 100km per month!” While the math is simple, it’s really true – that’s a lot of running for me and I want to take it seriously and make sure I am doing it right! The farthest I have run this year is 11km and I don’t want to overdo it. Plus, I am still sticking to my strength training and I cannot go for a long run on the same day I am doing leg day – this plan is really critical to ensure healthy progression!
- Warm up and cool down – no questions about it: I can’t just keep running without a proper warm up and cool down. I make sure that I do a proper warm up before each run as well as at least 5 minutes of stretching afterwards. When I don’t do this, I can feel my IT-band getting tighter as as well my feet. Please don’t ask, “Is it okay when I skip my warm up and cool down” – no it’s not okay! This is my serious face.
- Get excited: Don’t take is so seriously that you forget to have fun with it! After all, it’s your goal so it should be something you’re excited about.
Do any of you guys have a particular goal you are working towards? I would love to hear about it. Share it with me on Instagram or Twitter!