My goals for 2015
I’ve spent the last couple of days discussing the races and events that I want to enter in 2015. Stuart is a firm believer in quality over quantity, whereas I want to enter everything! I quite enjoy doing cross-country running and usually do some of the local cross-country series (CC6) but Stu doesn’t want to risk injury; also he is leading Marafun training runs on Sunday mornings and these clash with the CC6s, so we have agreed to do these runs together.
I’ve also been considering my SMART goals for the year. These are goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time-bound
My four goals
I have four goals:
I am going to eat healthy food for 20/21 meals and assess my progress at the end of 100 days (14th April). In that time, I hope that I will lose 14lbs (6.5kg). I will record my progress on Give It 100.
Between now and 26th April, I am going to work hard on my speed by attending Thursday night track sessions. I will also run on Monday evenings. My aim is to complete Southampton HM in under 1:55, with under 1:52:19 as my ultimate goal as that would be a PB/PR.
On 9th August, I want to achieve a PB/PR at Ironman Dublin 70.3. I completed Weymouth Half in 7:24. A time of under 7 hours is possible if I work hard on all three disciplines. I will train for 14 weeks from 3rd May.
I want to complete the Scilly Swim Challenge on 5th September. To do this, I will need to go open water swimming at least once a week between June and September. I will speak to my coach about how to train for an endurance swimming event such as this.
My training
I need to work on my training programme to support these goals. I’m not allowed to swim until the middle of January, but for the next few months, my training schedule is going to include the following:
- Monday: Crossfit; running; swimming.
- Tuesday: Spinning; swimming.
- Wednesday: Rest day. (Maybe lunchtime yoga).
- Thursday: Track running.
- Friday: Swimming.
- Saturday: parkrun or swimming.
- Sunday: Long run. Bike ride.
I’ve now scheduled most of my races and events for 2015. There’s a whole range of different events that I’ve entered:
- HRRL – this is a league of 12 races for local club runners. The events are open for any runner to enter, but only the results of local club runners are counted in the league.
- RR10 – this is a spring/summer local off-road running league. These races are free for local club runners and are 4-5 miles long. Dates for 2015 have not yet been confirmed.
- parkrun – this is a free, weekly, timed 5k event. I will be adding them in accoridng to my training schedule, but I suspect that I will need to prioritise swimming over running for much of 2015.
- Eastleigh aquathlons – this is a series of races hosted by TryTri events on Thursday evenings. Entry to them is free for SUTRI members.
Stu and I are also going cycling in Japan with a friend in early April. We’re expecting to ride about 60-70 miles a day, which will be tiring, but good training.
January
- 11/01/15 Marafun training run
- 18/01/15 Stubbington 10k (HRRL)
- 25/01/15 Evans Cycles Ride It Newbury Sportive 112km
February
- 01/02/15 Marafun training run
- 15/02/15 Marafun training run
- 22/02/15 Heartbreak Half
March
- 01/03/15 Marafun run
- 08/03/15 Salisbury 10 mile (not yet entered)
- 22/03/15 Winchester Duathlon (not yet entered)
- 29/03/15 Marafun training run
April
- Cycling in Japan (1st-19th April)
- 26/04/15 ABP Marafun Southampton Half Marathon
- RR10 #1 RVCP, Netley
May
- 04/05/15 May Day Tri (sprint)
- 16/05/15 Grand Shaftesbury Triathlon (standard)
- 17/05/15 Grand Shaftesbury 10k
- 28/05/14 Eastleigh aquathlon
- RR10 #2 Stoney Cross
- RR10 #3 Wilverley, Sway
June
- 07/06/15 Big Cove Swim (1.5 miles) (not yet entered)
- 20/06/15 Brutal 10 (pair relay – 12 hrs – 10km route)
- 25/06/15 Eastleigh aquathlon
- Blackfield RR10 #4
- Alver Valley Country Park RR10 #5
- Manor Farm Country Park RR10 #6
July
- 12/07/15 GU Energy Weymouth Bay Triathlon (Standard)
- 18/07/15 St. Michael’s Mount swim (~2.5k) (not yet entered)
- 25-26/07/15 Adidas Thunder Run (team relay – 24 hours – 10km route)
- 30/07/15 Eastleigh aquathlon
- RR10 #7 Marwell Zoo
- RR10 #8 Janesmoor Pond, Stoney Cross
August
- 09/08/14 Ironman Dublin 70.3
- 16/08/14 Big Cove Swim (3 miles)
- 27/08/15 Eastleigh aquathlon
- RR10 #9 Itchen Valley Country Park
- RR10 #10 IBM Hursley Park
September
- 05/09/14 Scilly Swim Challenge
- 24/09/14 Eastleigh aquathlon
October
Rest!
November
- 15/11/15 Denbies Duathlon or Gosport Half Marathon (TBC)
December
Off-season rest!
2015 is going to be a busy year. What have you got planned?
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Wow, you are really ready for 2015!!! I’ve signed up for one double race (5k and half marathon) and am registering for one other….but the rest is up in the air. I’ll probably do 8-10 races…guess I should get on this 🙂
Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you too 🙂 One of the (minor) problems that I have is that a lot of the events that i want to do are popular, so it’s important to register early – Ironman Dublin 70.3 sold out to people who had pre-registered, just a few hours after it opened and the Scilly Swim Challenge also sold out really quickly. On the day that I’m doing Southampton Half, my partner is doing London Marathon… I’d love to do that, but I’m not fast enough (yet) to qualify for Good for Age and I’ve never been lucky in the ballot.
It’s amazing how some events can sell out so fast – within hours! I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic year!
This is a great post. I try to do this kind of planning each year. Although I’m not planning even half the races you are, it is exciting looking forward to the new year and planning accordingly. I’ll look forward to reading how you get on.
Thank you. I probably had a dozen more races on my list, but I had to cross some out, otherwise I’d never have time to eat/sleep/train! Fortunately, a lot of my events are local and free/cheap. 🙂
Some great goals there! That Scilly swim challenge looks amazing, but I don’t think I’m quite up to swimming that distance! Lots of my clubmates are doing Dublin 70.3. I’m still considering the Southampton Half, I’ve not been to Southampton since I graduated in 2006, so it could be interesting to go back to my old uni town for a race!
I’m not entirely sure that I’m up to swimming that distance, but I’m going to give it my best shot. It’s frustrating that I’m not allowed to swim until late January (laser eye surgery), but after that I’m going to be spending lots of time in the pool!
Southampton Half is going to be great fun. It goes along East Park Terrace, right past Solent Uni and also right through UoS campus, as well as taking in the other ‘sights’ of Southampton. The city has changed a lot since 2006, so it’s worth coming back to see what it’s like now 🙂
I have no races planned this year. Rather, I will spend the year traveling and continuing ly journey to a simpler lifestyle. Last year I think I had a big list of events. Seems strange to think that was only a year ago and I didn’t complete hardly any pf them. Good luck with your goals. They look fantastic
One of the goals that you got me interested in for 2014 was to take part in an audax event. I didn’t manage it (I don’t think being in a Fb group counts, does it?!), but it has inspired me in any many ways, including arranging my trip to go cycling in Japan, so I don’t see that as a failed goal. I hope you have a happy and stress-free 2015 🙂