The New Year typically brings new resolutions, new plans, and new goals.

as IN all aspects of life, if we fail to plan, we often plan to fail; whether we mean to or not!. However, if we set out with a proper plan to achieve a goal, more often than not we will succeed. this is critical in running.

Eg. When i considered running my first marathon several years ago, I was so motivated by the fear of failure that my goal was to read, learn and practise as much as I could about the subject, As a result, I planned & prepared well and finished well with a 3:07, exceeding my initial expectations. My second attempt was learn more, put that into practise (better training methods) in order to break 3 hrs and I did. And my third was for a better time again in order to qualify for the NY marathon & run a PB along the way, and happily I succeeded again.

I planned well in advance for each of these, and prepared well on every occasion, achieving these goals as a result. Not only that, but I also picked up more PBs over the shorter distances along the way.

This is not about my running ability at all, whatever it or yours may be but about achieving your best and performing to your potential. Which brings me to talk about one of the things I love about running, and that is that there are no short cuts. The more effort you put in with your training and preparation, the greater the reward in performance you will get in return. These rules for running are very simple and there’s just no other way. No short cuts.

Your running results are purely based on how well you plan, commit, train & prepare. Look after those factors, and the results will look after themselves.

WITH THAT IN MIND, WHAT ARE YOUR RUNNING GOALS FOR 2017, AND HOW WILL YOU ACHIEVE THEM?

HERE"S SOME TIPS;

Set up your goals at the start of the year. Are you going to run further, run faster, or just make new running friends. Are you aiming to run your first marathon or Half Marathon, or aiming for a PB in any particular event. Are you planning to run an event for the first time?
Be specific with your goals and make them meaningful! You'll be more likely to commit and be accountable. Make them real, write them down, tell someone.
Make it challenging but realistic.
Put a plan in place to achieve your goals. (Fail to plan & you plan to fail). Allow enough time to prepare appropriately; This means plan, train, taper, race, recover. Repeat.
Plan your year around your ultimate Goal Race/s. You can enter lots of races/events but pick those you wish to do your best in and aim for these with the appropriate amount of preparation, and tapering, followed by recovery. The other races races are part of training & race training for that specific goal race/s.
Commit to a program. A program will keep you motivated, accountable and on track to your goal. A personalised program is specifically designed with your goals & needs in mind and is custom designed to fit you. Make sure your program is designed to meet your needs & your goals, to give you every chance to achieve your goals & perform to your potential.
Schedule it! Put into your calendar regular group runs, training sessions (we meet every FRI 6:15AM@TAN), and regular race meets that will keep you motivated. This will help you reach your goal by tracking progress, and by keeping your training intensity up. Regular racing is the best form of race preparation & training. Having said that, remember that not all races will produce your best result and should be approached accordingly. Keep your focus on your Goal Races, the rest is training!

Start Now. Just RUN!

In case you're wondering, here’s my running goals for 2017, and what my suggested race calendar looks like.

Run more trails & trail races, aiming for one per month, starting JAN.
Do more DRILLS SESSIONS, at least once per week.
Go one better than last year in the GOR Half Marathon.
Defend my Harrietville Half title in OCT, with a PB.
Help my Run Well buddies run sub 3 hr at MM2017.
Plan to take a Run Well group to Tokyo Marathon, Feb 2018

How does your Running calendar look ?

Your best reference is the Australian Running Calendar

https://www.runningcalendar.com.au/calendar/2017/

Here's some events to get you thinking and planning...?

JAN

15th - Two Bays 28/56

FEB

25 – Rollercoaster 43/21.5/10

http://www.rollercoasterrun.com/wp/

MAR

11-13 Tassie Trail Fest 44/22/21/14/2k dash for cash

http://www.tassietrailfest.com.au/

11 - Six Foot Track 45( one day but not this year…)

http://www.sixfoot.com/

18 – Sharpy’s Beer Run 21/10

http://trailology.com.au/events/

24-26 – Buffalo Stampede 10-75

http://www.buffalostampede.com.au/

APRIL

1 - Run The Rock, Hanging Rock

http://events.solemotive.com/run-the-rock/

9 – Run 4 Kids 14.6

http://www.runforthekids.com.au/

30 - Great Train Race Puffing Billy 13.5 ( fast, tough!)

http://puffingbilly.com.au/en/events-and-dining/gtr/

MAY

14 - Mothers Day Classic 4/8

http://www.mothersdayclassic.com.au/event-info/event-locations-map/melbourne/

20/21 – GOR Running Festival 23/45

http://greatoceanroadrunfest.com.au/2017-event-dates/

JUN

24- Surf Coast Trail Marathon 42+/22

http://www.surfcoasttrailmarathon.com.au/

JUL

30 – Run Melbourne HM 5/10/21.1

http://events.solemotive.com/run-melbourne-about/

AUG

27 – Wonderland 36?/20 ( Definitely be back again!)

http://www.wonderlandrun.com.au/

SEP

2 - Costal Classic (NSW) 29.1

http://coastalclassic.com.au/the-course/

OCT

1 – Harrietville Half 21.1

15 – Melb Marathon 42.2/21.1/10

http://melbournemarathon.com.au/

FEB 2018

TOKYO MARATHON???

http://www.marathon.tokyo/en/

2017 : Resolve to Run

The New Year typically brings new resolutions, new plans, and new goals.

as IN all aspects of life, if we fail to plan, we often plan to fail; whether we mean to or not!. However, if we set out with a proper plan to achieve a goal, more often than not we will succeed. this is critical in running.

WITH THAT IN MIND, WHAT ARE YOUR RUNNING GOALS FOR 2017, AND HOW WILL YOU ACHIEVE THEM?

Rohan Armstrong