Redefining Running Goals

This has been a crazy year for me, lots of ups and downs. In the past 12 months I have PRed in every distance I race and have made new friends in the running community, both virtually and in real life. But I’ve also had hard races that have left me hurting and disappointed. It’s been a year of learning as a runner.

As you might recall from my last post, the LA Marathon did not go as I had hoped. I took almost two full weeks off from running and have since been working on building up my mileage and not much else. I dropped out of two races, another was canceled, and instead of running the Big Sur Marathon today, I ran the 5k. The course was hilly and I didn’t come close to my goal, but I have a good assessment of where I’m at and what I need to focus on as I move forward in my training.

After LA, one of my friends said to me that we all race and run for different reasons: friends, cute clothes, to keep control of our weight, bling, time, etc. No reason is better or more important than another. Over the past 6 years, I’ve had different reasons why I ran. I started to get fit and healthy. Then I ran because I love races, I raced at least once a month and sometimes every week. This year, I am running to meet my timing and goals, which means picking fewer races overall. I’m changing my plans and it’s a new experience.

So, why do you run? And why are you running the SF Marathon this June?