New year, new goals
Did you know that the month of January was named after Janus – who was the Roman god of beginnings, transitions and endings and is often depicted as having two faces, one looking to the future and one to the past?
Many people use January to set their ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ and I used to do this too and mine were usually based around giving something up – alcohol, chocolate, crisps etc. But I now give myself New Year Goals and set specific goals and put a date on them. I also have longer term (bigger) goals and shorter term (smaller goals).
If you are running Bath Half this year – October can seem like a long way away – but it is a specific goal with a date, so write it down:-
‘I will ______ the Bath Half Marathon on 15th October 2023’
Fill in the blank with whatever is appropriate to you – whether that is to finish the race, or to achieve a Personal Best time. Don’t be tempted to look at what other people are working towards – this is your longer term goal.
Then write down several shorter goals:-
‘By the 31st January I will have ______’
‘By_____ I will have ______’
‘By _____ I will have ______’
Again fill in your blanks, be specific about what you want to achieve – not want you want to give up. And then work out what you need to do to achieve those goals with a plan of action.
Remember SMART Goals are:-
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound
You can even add your own rewards in too if you complete your goals. A new pair of trainers if you complete a 10km race by the end of May 2023 maybe?
Once you have your goals and your plan – you then need to stay accountable to them. Many people join running clubs or groups, find someone they can run with regularly or hire a running coach to help them stay on track. There are plenty of ways you can achieve what you set out to, but you won’t hit your goals if you don’t set them in the first place.
I will be helping you stay on track through the year by way of this blog, keep checking back each month for my tips and training advice and please do get in touch if you have any questions.
Now go and write down your goals!
Angela MacAusland
Run Coach Angela
Click here to find out more about Angela
