Running Goals That Don’t Involve Running

I don’t set any running goals!

Every other runner seems to.  Why don’t I?

Recently I decided to figure why…

Here’s what I came up with. (It’s purely personal.  It’s not meant to be critical of those runners who need to have goals!!!)

• DESIRE

I run because I want to.  I don’t need a goal to get me out the door.

• SOCIAL ASPECT

I enjoy being around people.  Through running I have made some great friends and I run to be around them (even if it’s only afterwards or before.) I don’t need a goal for that.

• COMPETITIVENESS

I am naturally a competitive person.  I like to win at board games, tennis matches,etc. So I want to run well and I want to run fast.  I don’t need to set a goal.  Every run and race will have different challenges. Sometimes I will do well and sometimes I will not.  But I will always try to do my best. I don’t need a goal to PR. I want to PR.

• FEELING GOOD

Probably the most important reason I run is that I feel better when I am done. Even after the worst runs or races. That feeling gets me out in cold or warm temps. I don’t need a goal to run X times each week.  I run because I want to feel good as often as possible.

• HEALTH

Don’t we all want to be healthy?  Who wants to be injured?  Who wants to feel aches and pains?  Since I started running, I have more energy and am rarely sick or feel rundown.  Nothing hurts so I don’t stretch or foam roll.  When I was injured, I did the necessary exercises to heal.  I don’t need goal to tell me to listen to my body.

tennis as X training?

• TRAVEL OPS

I’ve always loved to see new places.  Going to conferences all over the country was the highlight of my previous jobs.  Unfortunately, I didn’t run then. So now, when I travel, it always involves a race.  I don’t need a goal to run in every state.  I choose the places that I want to visit and then I find a race.

Sarasota, FL

As you can read from the title of this post, I do have some goals but they do not involve running.

• Find good in everything and everyone.

This may be obvious.  But I and many of us focus on what’s not working and what and whom we don’t like.  It’s natural.  It’s also a downer. Watching the news and reading FB posts will make this one a challenge, for sure.

• Don’t just schedule my running but schedule relationships.

Yes, I always make sure that I get my 3-4 runs in each week.  That makes it seem like running is a priority in my life.  I see my hubby because we live together but I have friends that I rarely see because it doesn’t get scheduled.  I work and then I run and then go home.  So I plan to schedule time at least once a week with a friend or former co-worker.

We worked together for 20 years and rarely see each other but went to NYC last Sunday!!

• Volunteer.

I have mentored an unwed mother for almost 10 years and she may be moving away.  I feel strongly about giving back. Even with my busy schedule, I feel that it is important so I will try to volunteer somewhere.  There are so many opportunities out there.

I will miss them!!

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I’m also linking this post with Susie and Rachel and Debbie and Lora for the Running Coaches’ Corner.

Happy Running! Do you set running goals?  Do you have any goals that do not involve running?