If you have ambitious goals and want to bring out the best runner in you, the path won't be easy. A lot happens over the course of a year and your goals as a runner sometimes seem to fade as the months go by. But if you want it badly enough, you can make this your best year running. Here are some tips for you:
1. Slow down, I'm in a hurry. It's like running a 10k: start fast and you'll see your pace collapse soon. Start at the right pace and you'll finish strong. At the beginning of the year motivation is at its peak and it can seem tempting to speed up your training so your goals arrive faster. But your body needs time to rest too, and to adapt. If you don't give your body enough time to recover, you'll be much more likely to get injured and abandon your training.
2. Learn from the past. If you keep a training log—which you should—review what you did last year. Look at what you failed at, what you got right. How long you went without training, what your best moment was and why. Use that information to improve this year. If you don't keep a log, think back and try to figure out what your weak points were so they don't happen again this year.
3. Set concrete, achievable goals with deadlines. It's not a good idea to leave it at just "this will be my best year running." You need to write down why it will be your best year, what concrete goals you want to achieve and how you're going to achieve them. Set challenging goals to keep yourself motivated, and set a deadline to reach them. Write it down and follow through. If you want more details you can read our post on how to achieve your goals.
4. Hire a coach. If you want it to be a good running year, you need to have a good training plan, ideally created by a professional who knows what they're doing. If you want to grab any plan from the internet, go ahead, it's valid, but the risk of failing in the attempt will be much higher. Hiring a coach also commits you more to your cause, since there's money involved that you won't want to waste by failing your workouts.
5. Train in a group. Maybe not always, but it's a good idea to have a group of runner friends and train with them from time to time. It will help you feel connected and give you motivation throughout the year. Group workouts are different, more fun, more motivating. Joining a group also increases your commitment as a runner and will improve your chances of staying consistent throughout the year.
6. Run a trail race. There's nothing more satisfying than running a trail race. The difficulty, the scenery and the contact with nature make trail races unique experiences, all of them different and unrepeatable. It will make you feel like a more complete runner and at the end of the year it will give you a different satisfaction than road races do.
7. There's no such thing as lack of time, only lack of will. I know, I know. So much work, so much sleep, you don't feel well, it's raining… But here's a secret: we all face similar situations. Those who succeed and achieve their goals as runners are the ones who have more desire to reach them, the ones who are willing to invest more time in them and make fewer excuses. So this year no excuses. If you want it badly enough, you'll achieve it.
— RELATED: FIVE TRICKS TO GET UP AND RUN NO MATTER WHAT.
8. Add speed to your training. Easy running has countless benefits and you can improve a lot simply by training at your comfortable pace. But adding intensity to your training will make your performance improve considerably: it will increase your maximum oxygen uptake, activate more muscle fibers, increase your fatigue resistance, you'll run faster. If you don't usually step out of your comfort zone, it's time to take a step forward and see your level as a runner go up.
9. Enjoy the day to day. If you want to succeed in the long term, you have to learn to enjoy the day to day. In the end, even though there may be bad days and many sacrifices, you have to be happy with what you do, or watch as sooner or later you abandon it. Enjoy it to the fullest. Every time you put on your shoes and feel lazy or unmotivated, think about the privilege of simply having the freedom to run at that moment. No work, no stress, no money, no injuries. If you're there it means you're healthy, alive and have time for yourself. Make the most of it.
