My Goals For Running This Year
How about a little backstory?
I know you want to hear about me and my running career. After all, everyone is unique and has their own journey. It may not come off all the time as this, but I have always had a passion for running. I joined cross country after recommendation from peers to ‘just do a sport’ in the summer of 2024. I definitely could not expect how far I have come in just a little over a year. I can still remember running half a mile before I started dying. Nowadays, I am more confident in my running and I find this year as a good time to take my running to the next level.
But why don’t I just make it clear now before I start: I genuinely believe that the times you get only represent a sliver of what running is about.
I don’t do cross country and track just to be that guy who wings his easy runs, workouts, long run, races…whatever you name. I do it for the fun and joy I get from racing others and seeing myself progress as a runner. There are many other activities that include competition, but I feel like running also spices up the competition because it turns into a mental battle – who is mentally stronger than the rest.
My goals for this year:
Alright..alright…enough talk for this.
Though I came into writing this post on my goal times, I think it is probably more important to set goals for my growth aspect from running.
There are two types of people I could be:
- guy who is naturally built but has no “work ethic”
- the guy who is mentally tough and works harmoniously
I want to see myself be the latter, the one who take lead over their mentality. There ain’t no second chance for something to change my mentality – it needs to be changed now, and only possible by me. It doesn’t matter if I run horrible times but if I got that mental, nothing else matters. As one friend said loosely, “running is a forgiving sport; in no other sport is it so kind to those who put in the effort”.
Realistically, I still want to put a more statistical side to this story. If you want to see my goals, I put them in a nice table format for you :D.
| Event (Distance) | Goal Time |
|---|---|
| 800m | 2:19 |
| 1600m | 4:59 |
| 3200 | 11:29 |
My message to you:
No matter what type of runner you are – a couch potato or an experienced runner – it is possible for anyone to set goals and accomplish them. Even if you feel like you don’t have the ability to do something, why don’t you just try it? There is no harm in trying!
I ran 27:01 for my first 5000m race in the Xavier Invitational on Ocean Breeze and was probably bottom 5% of my race. So what? Nothing is stopping me from putting in the work. For me, in just 7 to 8 months, I dropped huge amounts of time and I ran a 5:39 in a 1600m and won my heat. Even as my progress isn’t favorable for me right now as I end this year, I still am willing to put in effort to do what I love. I just want you to fall in love with an activity and stick with it.