2014 goal-setting

It’s the start of a new year, so it’s an apposite time to review my progress and do some goal-setting for 2014.

I’m hoping that 2014 will be the year that I achieve some elusive PBs, with a 5k PB being at the top of my wish list. Here’s how I did in 2013:

• 5k: 25:14 (PB: 25:08)
• 5 mile: 45:16 (PB: 43:21)
• 10k: 52:02 (PB: 51:06)
• 10 mile: 87:44 NEW PB!
• Half marathon: 2:00:46 (PB: 1:52:19)
• 20 miles: 3:27:03 (PB: 3:02:44)
• Marathon: 4:29:33 NEW PB!

I started 2013 with a RunBritain handicap of 17.6 (from a low of 17.0); it increased to 20.2 by mid-November, however, my current handicap is 19.3. I’d like to run more consistently this year so that my handicap does not get worse.

So, although the year doesn’t feel like it was very successful, I did achieve two PBs! I also completed a duathlon, two aquathlons and two triathlons, and I ran in 57 races/events:

• 30 x parkruns
• 5 x CC6s
• 9 x RR10s
• 2 x 5-mile races
• 3 x 10k
• 3 x 10 mile
• 2 x half marathon
• 1 x 20 miles
• 2 marathons

I’ve planned up until the end of September, so I think I’ve enough goals to keep me going for some time!

January

• CC6                                                                                    05/01/14
• Stubbington 10k                                                              19/01/14

February

• CC6                                                                                     09/02/14
• Bramley 20 mile                                                               16/02/14
• Charlton Duathlon (Andover)                                       23/02/14

March

• CC6                                                                                       02/03/14
• Salisbury 10 mile                                                               09/03/14
• Winchester Duathlon                                                        16/03/14
• Eastleigh 10k                                                                      23/03/14

April

• Brighton marathon                                                           06/04/14
• Wiggle New Forest Spring Sportive (58 miles)     12-13/04/14
• Good Friday Triathlon (sprint)                                      18/04/14
• Lymington Triathlon                                                       27/04/14

May

• Pyrenees triathlon holiday                                      01-08/05/14
• Portsmouth Duathlon (3)                                               11/05/14
• Netley 10k                                                                         18/05/14
• Eastleigh aquathlon                                                       29/05/14

June

• Wiggle Bournemouth Sportive (48)                            07/06/14
• D-Day 10k                                                                        08/06/14
• Big Cove Swim                                                                22/06/14
• Eastleigh aquathlon                                                      26/06/14
• Eastleigh Open Water Tri                                           28/06/14

July

• GU Energy Classic                                                       13/07/14
• Big Cove Swim                                                             20/07/14
• Thunder Run                                                          26-27/07/14
• Eastleigh aquathlon                                                   31/06/14

August

• Weymouth Classic                                                        17/08/14
• Salty Sea Dog Long Swim (2.5 or 3.8k)                  23/08/14
• Eastleigh aquathlon                                                   28/07/14

September

• Challenge Weymouth 70.3                                       14/09/14
• Eastleigh aquathlon                                                   25/09/14
• HOWSC 100                                                                28/09/14

I’ve joined a few challenges on Strava – if you also use Strava, please feel free to follow me: http://app.strava.com/athletes/3382889 I’m also hoping that I can promote healthy living more widely, so I’ve applied to become a brand ambassador for a company that means a lot to me – I’ll let you know how that turns out! I’m also going to add a couple more pages to my blog – watch out for them!

My blogging started back in February, just before my 35^th birthday, as I wanted to motivate myself to achieve more in life before I turn 40. Has my blog been a success? Well, that depends on how the success of a blog is measured. For what it’s worth, my blog currently has 68 followers. It has had 5488 views and 77 comments. I’m going to be working on improving those stats in 2014 so that my blog has greater reach – I’ll also be trying to post more regularly as I know I was pretty slack in December.

My 10 most viewed posts this year were:

The posts which generated the most comments were:

Please do comment on what I write – I love reading your comments and always respond!

I thought it would be interesting to see how I’m doing with a list of running tips posted online:

1. Plan – yep, I’m all about the planning!
2. Be realistic – if I follow my plans, I should be able to get a PB at Brighton marathon and I should be able to complete Challenge Weymouth 70.3, although that’s still a terrifying goal
3. Be patient – I’ve been as patient as I can be when it comes to running. I don’t think I have unrealistic expectations, but I’m desperate for a 5k PB.
4. Gait analysis – I’ve had this done before and I’m happy with my running shoes… although I’d love another pair of Brooks Cadence.
5. Mileage increases – I think my plan gives me a sensible schedule for increasing my mileage.
6. Warm up and cool down – unfortunately, too often my warm-up is just a jog, so I need to work on this. I also need to be really good about stretching when I’ve finished. I’m hoping that I’ll get back to yoga in 2014.
7. Stretch – see above
8. Rest – I’m terrible about scheduling in rest days. Maybe I really will manage this in 2014!
9. Listen to your body – I’ve not had any specific injuries this year (thank goodness), so I don’t know how good I am at this!
10. Never compare yourself to others – I can’t help being competitive. It’s incredibly frustrating that the women I coach are all improving faster than me, but I think that’s the problem with being a coach. I am going to step back from coaching for two months before my half iron tri as I want to give myself a fair chance.
11. Enjoy your running – I’ll try!

What are your goals for 2014?