Happy New Year! It’s officially 2024, have you set your running goals for this year? Probably not, that’s why you’re here. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to create your running goals this 2024. We’re going to help you step by step on how you can create smart goals and achieve them by the end of the year.
If you really want to achieve your goals, you need to be specific. Don’t just say you want to run faster. Be specific as much as you can. For example, your goal can be to run a 5k under 30 minutes within 2 weeks. Another great example that’s very specific is to join a running event in Dubai either Mai Dubai City Half Marathon or the Mai Dubai Community Run.
Your goal also needs to be measurable – how will you get there? We suggest linking your goal to something that can be measurable: a race, a distance, a time, a pace, a number of days, etc. If you just say that you want to “eat healthier’, you won’t be able to easily tell if your goals have been achieved or not.
This is probably the hardest part of setting goals for a lot of runners. A lot of runners get too excited and set so many goals that aren’t realistic. You know yourself the most: make sure that you can reach your goal. If it’s too hard, you’ll get unmotivated, frustrated and eventually quit. Set long term goals and short term goals, this will make your goals less intimidating. Let’s say your goal is to join the next Mai Dubai City Half Marathon or the Mai Dubai Community Run, your short term goals should be something like: to do strength training 3x a week until the day of the half marathon.
Is your goal relevant to running? If not, then remove it from your list. Also, don’t just search for running goals and copy them. Your running goals need to be specific to you. Make sure that they match where you honestly are and where you could get by the end of the year.
A deadline is a must for every goal. Without a time frame, you may get distracted, lose motivation, or set new records for procrastination. Be honest with yourself and give yourself enough time to achieve your goals, but don’t drag it out too long either. If you’re planning to join the Mai Dubai City Half Marathon, make sure that you have enough time to train for it.
The greatest tip we always tell our runners is to believe in themselves. We know it’s corny, but it’s true. If you don’t believe that you’ll be able to achieve your goals that will affect your overall dedication and stop you from achieving your goals overall. You should also build strong habits related to your running goals. Once you’ve built the habit of something, it won’t feel like a burden any more. Next thing you know is you’ve already achieved your goal and you’ll be ready to join the Mai Dubai City Half Marathon.
If one of your goals is to join a running event in Dubai, you’ve come to the right place because we know the best running events in Dubai. Join the events below and you’ll surely won’t regret it.