Goals
Setting good goals is key to success in every undertaking in life, and running is no different. If you are running for the enjoyment of it and not trying to continually improve, than this section isn't as big a deal, but if you are striving to improve either your fitness or competitiveness, goals are very important. If you have never run before, or it has been a very long time, make the goal that you'll run for 10 minutes without walking (or whatever amount you want), skip this section and go run, and then come back once you see how that went.
You want your goals in running to be ambitious but realistic. If your goals are so lofty that everything must go perfectly or you must be Steve Prefontaine to meet them, you will quickly get discouraged. The mental aspects of running are hugely important, and if you've already taken yourself out of the game because your goals are unrealistic, it will further impact your running, and you'll be on a downward spiral. Conversely, if your goals are so easy that you smash through them with every run you'll feel great and successful initially, but you won't improve your fitness or running prowess.
- Short Term
- If you're running for a purpose, you should set a goal for each run, whether it's time - "I'm going to run for 40 minutes", distance - "I'm going to run for 4 miles", a combination of the two - "I'm going to run an eight minute mile for 4 miles", or some other measurable, achievable target. The point of these goals is to meet them. If you're regularly not finishing your runs or not meeting your goals, you should evaluate both your goal-setting.
- Long Term
- These goals are set weeks, months, or even years out, and direct the broader pattern of your running. For example, if a long term goal is to run a 5K in 21 minutes, you don't want to be running 8 miles a day at a nine minute mile pace. Some examples might be, "I want to be able to run 5 miles in 40 minutes 3 months from now", "I want to run the 10K on <whatever date> in 54 minutes." These goals let you look back on your running and see marked improvement, and also help you plan out your day to day runs and short term goals.