A brand-new year and a brand new page in the training log. It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Full of possibility… but also a little intimidating. For runners of every pace and experience level, the keys to setting goals you can actually stick to and achieve are kinda simple. It’s all about keeping them personal, manageable, and grounded in real life – and not based on someone else’s highlight reel.
Anne Fechtel is lead run coach at Cross Conditioning Training, here in Charlotte. She sees lots of runners come in hot with big ambitions—things like PRs at every distance or jumping to a marathon, ultra, or even a backyard ultra. She loves those big dreams, but she reminds runners that “it’s important to start small and be realistic with goals,” breaking them into short-term and long-term benchmarks so they feel less overwhelming. If breaking four hours in the marathon is the dream, she suggests stepping stones like a 52-minute 10K or a 1:55 half to build confidence and fitness along the way.
Make Goals Manageable
One of the core ideas Anne emphasizes is what she calls “manageable goal setting.” That means looking at your actual calendar and scheduling runs and strength training “just like [you] would an important meeting,” so those sessions are protected instead of optional. When schedules are packed around the holidays, vacations, your busy season, etc., that routine can feel grounding and create some consistency. Those regular, scheduled efforts, she says, are what really moves the needle over time.
Give Yourself Some Grace
For Danielle Heath, Community Manager for Fleet Feet, the tone you set with yourself in January matters as much as the miles. “As we head into the new year, my biggest piece of advice is to GO EASY on yourself, your training and your expectations,” she says. This doesn’t mean giving half effort or being half committed. Instead, she cautions against rushing your goals or beating yourself up “when your training has to be adjusted to meet life’s demands,” because “slow is often smooth, and smooth turns into fast.” And when life gets in the way of your running goals, give yourself some grace and be willing to adjust your goals along the way.
Find Your Lane
It’s easy to compare your goals to the next person’s, especially when your social media feed is full of PRs and race medals. Novant Health Charlotte Marathon Ambassador Rebecca Greene’s first piece of advice is simple: “focus on your goals and not get distracted looking at someone else’s achievements.” Your season of life, your history with running, and your capacity right now are yours alone—your goals should match that reality, not someone else’s.
Get an Accountability Buddy
Rebecca also knows goals are easier to chase with company. “Find someone with similar goals so you can be encouraged [as] others’ accountability partner.” Having a teammate or partner in the process makes it fun and challenging, she says. The motivation you share can go a long way, whether that’s a friend meeting you for early miles, a local training group, or a race buddy texting you the night before a tough workout.
As the new year and the new training season begin, let your running goals be realistic but bold enough to get you excited about logging the miles to get there. Start small, keep showing up, and give yourself the grace to grow into those goals one manageable step at a time.
