How to Determine an Appropriate Race Goal Before Beginning Your Training Cycle

As fall race training begins, many runners are thinking about their race goals and what they hope to accomplish on race day. It’s important to have goals, but sometimes it can be confusing to know which running goals are challenging but achievable. You want to push hard, but not overtrain. There are all different kinds of goals you can work towards other than just time goals. Let’s talk about some tips for choosing race goals before beginning your training cycle.

Tips for Choosing Race Goals Before Beginning Your Training Cycle

The first thing that I want to point out is that if you are determining your race goal 8-20 weeks before race day, your goals may change along the way. And that’s ok! They SHOULD change based on how you are progressing. The initial goals are to get you started and keep you motivated. They are kind of like a baseline. If you are having an amazing training cycle you may realize that you can make your goal a bit more challenging. On the other hand, if you’ve been sick, stressed, tired, and missing runs you may want to throw a time goal out the window and instead focus on another process goal.

Start where you are when choosing race goals

It’s important to consider your current fitness, not where your fitness was 3 months ago and not where you want it to be on race day.

Consider your last race and those race goals

If you have run the same distance in the past, look back on your training and results. Since that race if you have gained fitness you may want to set a harder goal. If the race was many years ago you may be a completely different runner now with different needs. Maybe back then you could run higher mileage and now strength training is more important. If you raced this distance recently you can reflect on what worked in your training and if your goals were reasonable.

How much race experience do you have?

When choosing a race goal you want to consider how much racing experience you have. If you have never raced before you may just want to finish or set a very broad goal. If you are very experienced runner you may be able to work towards a more specific time goal.

Is this a big goal race or one of many races?

If you are racing every weekend then it may be hard to set a time goal for one specific race. You could set different goals for each race or only “race” 1-2 of them while running the others just for fun. If you are only running one goal race this season then you may want to work towards a specific time goal and even have multiple goals.

How much commitment can you make during this training cycle?

Try to be honest with yourself when figuring out your race goals. Consider what else you anticipate will be going on in your life during training. If you have young kids, your schedule may be somewhat unpredictable. If you know that work may be stressful you may want to factor that in and run less mileage in your training.

Review your training logs when choosing race goals

Look back on your recent months of training as well as past races. When you are reflecting on your recent training, think about how you have been feeling on your runs. Knowing whether you are consistently worn down and tired versus feeling like you have alot more to give can help you determine your race goals. You can also consider how your past training cycles went and if you reached your goal times in those races.

Run a time trial

In order to get a good indicator of your current fitness it can be helpful to run a time trial. You could also do a short race. Your time trial could be a 5k, 30 minute run, or 10k if you are training for a half-marathon or shorter distance. For the full marathon, it is usually more helpful to have a recent half-marathon time since that will be a better indicator of your full marathon potential. However, shorter distances can be helpful too. Just keep in mind whether you typically run better in shorter distances like the 5k or longer distances like the marathon.

Use a calculator for choosing race goals and paces

Once you have a recent race time you can use a calculator to determine your potential race time and training paces. I use VDOT but you can also use the McMillan Running Calculator.

Set A, B, and C race goals

Once you have an idea of your race goals you can set A, B, and C goals. For example, if I just ran a 50 minute 10k, the VDOT calculator predicts I can run a 3:49 marathon (with training). If I know that I typically run better in the marathon than in the 10k, I might be able to set a slightly faster A goal. So I could make my A goal 3:47, my B goal to break 4 hours, and my C goal to PR (let’s say my current PR is around 4:15). Other options could be to focus on running negative splits (by not starting out too fast) or to run the whole race without stopping.

Consider including process goals

Along with time goals it can also be helpful to choose process goals. These can be part of your training (such as strength train twice a week and sleep at least 7 hours every night) or as part of your race (like use my race mantra every 2 miles or say thank you to a volunteer at every water stop). These goals are more in our control and can make the experience more enjoyable when you are able to accomplish them.

Include long term and short term race goals

Some runners might also have big race goals that are going to take several seasons or years to accomplish. These might be things like qualifying for Boston or running an ultra. If you have a long term goal you can identify short term goals to work towards along the way.

Assess your training closer to the race

It’s important to consider how your training is going throughout the process. A few weeks before a race you can run a longer workout with some race pace miles to see how it feels. (Depending on your training you may be running many race pace miles; be honest with yourself about how they feel!) A few weeks before your race is a good time adjust your goals based on your training.

Pay attention to how you feel mentally

The mental aspect of training and racing is often overlooked. If you are feeling positive about your training and upcoming race you will likely perform well. Use some mental strategies as you prepare for your race so you can feel positive going into your race. But if you are struggling mentally, it may be a sign to adjust your race goals.

Final Thoughts

I know that was a lot of information, and you don’t need to use it all! Figure out what is important to you and go from there. Just try to be honest with yourself about your motivation and capacity for training. During stressful training cycles it can be difficult to perform your best, so you want to make adjustments accordingly.

Keep in mind that running coaches can help you set your goals and adjust them along the way! Sometimes it’s nice to have an outside opinion to help you recognize where you are while developing a plan to improve.

You may also like:
Race Goals That Are Not Focused On Setting a PR
5 Strategies for Achieving Your Running Goals this Year
How To Avoid Injury After Completing a Goal Race
3 Ways to Progress Your Running After Building a Base
Is Training By Time Or Distance More Effective For Running?
How Many Carbs Should You Take on Long Runs? A Simple Fueling Guide

How do you choose race goals?
Do you adjust your goals throughout your training cycle?

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