Why you should set a target race

When beginning to run people often set a target race, but once they’ve been running for a few years, or sometimes as soon as that initial target is achieved, it can fall away. I believe having a target race or races is a key factor in staying consistent.

Why set the target?

Having a target race keeps you focused and motivated for starters. As soon as I finished the 2018 Norwich Half Marathon I set myself a target of running it 4 minutes faster in 2019. Although I do lots of other races, mostly I run half marathons as it’s my preferred distance, so training can be more tailored to this goal.

On the days when you don’t feel like training or you feel like giving up half way through a run, it can be the one thing that keeps you going, knowing that the work you’re doing right now will pay off in a few months when race day comes.

How long until the race.

This really depends. A year is a long time for one thing to motivate you but for some people it can work. It also needs to take into account what the goal is and where you are now. If you currently can just about run a 10k, then you need to leave a fair amount of time if your target is to run a half marathon. If however, your goal is to run 10k 2 minutes faster, then actually it might not need to be more than 8-12 weeks away (again depending on your current time for this distance).

Can you still do other races if you’ve got one big target race?

Absolutely. Whilst I had my main target of a 1:21:53 half marathon at the 2019 Norwich half, I really enjoy racing and part of what keeps me training consistently are the small victories and improvements along the way. With a year to fill, not doing other races would be kind of crazy too, as the race experience in itself is good training.

There’s an argument for not overdoing the number of races as it can be detrimental to training, but again this is contextual based on your fitness, average training week, time between the races and many other factors that I won’t go into here.

My advice is this. Set a meaningful target for yourself using the SMART principle of goal setting (if you’re not sure what that is or how to use it, Google it or ask a coach for some advice) then plan the actions needed to get you there and follow them.

Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk