New Year’s running goals are a great way to start out the year feeling motivated, but they only work if they’re realistic and obtainable. Many runners start the year feeling excited, only to burn out by February. The key isn’t to do everything right away, but to set goals that fit your life, experience level, and schedule. This guide will show you how to set New Year’s running goals you’ll actually stick to, whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up.
What Are New Year’s Running Goals?
New Year’s running goals can be any goal that is important to you related to your running that you want to focus on throughout the year. These goals should be specific and realistic. Examples may include focusing on mileage, race times and distances, pace, strength, or even just building a sustainable running habit throughout the year.
Why New Year’s Running Goals Often Fail
Many people set goals that are too ambitious or too arbitrary. For example, saying “I will run alot this year” is not specific. What is alot? What will you do to run alot? What habit will support all of that running?
It’s important to make sure that your goal is something you can accomplish in a year. If it’s going to take longer try to set smaller goals to work on first during the coming year.
What Makes a Good Running Goal
Goals that are specific, realistic, and measurable will set you up for the most success. For example:
❌ Run a fast half marathon
✅ Get my half marathon time down to under 2 hours by June
❌ Run high mileage weeks
✅ Gradually increase my weekly mileage from 15 miles per week to 30 miles per week over the next 6 months
❌ Start strength training
✅ Follow a progressive strength training routine that includes 2 workouts per week
How to Set Realistic New Year’s Running Goals
- Start with your current running routine, not your ideal one
- Choose 1-3 main goals
- Make your goals specific and measurable
- Build in flexibility for when you need to adjust your plan
- Focus on consistency
- Check in on your goals at least every 4-6 weeks
Balancing Expectations with Your Real Life
Many of us start off the year with big expectations, which is great! But it’s important to remember that you also have a life outside of running.
How will your running goals fit into your life? Or what changes will you need to make in order to work towards your goals?
If this is a very busy or stressful season of life (having young kids, a very stressful job, long commute hours) its important to consider if this is the best time to work towards big running goals. Make sure your goals fit into your life.
Examples of New Year’s Running Goals
When it comes to New Year’s running goals, the possibilities are endless. They do not need to be focused on pace, race times, or distances.
- Run 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes
- Run without a GPS watch one a month
- Run with a group or a friend once a month
- Complete a warm up before all runs
- Increase fueling amounts to 50g of carbs/hour during marathon training long runs
- Spend 10 minutes every evening working on injury prevention
How to Stay Motivated Past January
In order to stay motivated to work towards your goals throughout the year, be sure to check in on how you are doing with your goals regularly. This could be by writing them down and marking your progress once a week or once a month.
It can also be helpful to set mini goals that lead to one bigger goal. Focusing on a smaller, short-term goal can feel more manageable than only thinking about one big goal for 12 months.
As you accomplish your goals, celebrate or reward yourself! Consider sharing your goals with others and let them know about your successes.
Tracking Progress Without Obsessing
While it’s important to track your progress, you don’t necessarily need to think about and track your goals every single day. Creating daily habits is great, but for larger goals, check in regularly but know that the small, day to day changes are what will help you get there.
Adjusting Your Running Goals During the Year
Don’t be afraid to adjust your running goals. If you realize you are off track, don’t give up on your goal all together. You can change your goal or adjust the timeline. Things happen and that’s ok! It’s about progress, not perfection.
Making This Your Best Running Year Yet
By setting the right goals and having a good plan to follow you can set yourself up for your best running year yet. That doesn’t mean your fastest year or highest mileage year (necessarily). It’s about understanding what you want to get out of your running and making it happen.
You may also like:
How to Choose a Running Goal Time for a Race
5 Tips for Choosing a Successful Spring Race Goal
Getting Organized to Achieve your Goals
3 Ways to Progress Your Running After Building a Base
Is Training By Time Or Distance More Effective For Running?
What New Year’s running goals are you setting for 2026?
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, and Runs with Pugs, to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
This is such a helpful guide for starting the year, Lisa! I love your point about balancing expectations with real life. We definitely do not want to be part of the Quitters’ Day club on January 19th! Focusing on consistency and mini goals feels much more sustainable. It is a great reminder that progress is about more than just speed.
I think it’s so easy to get caught up in what we think we should do based on someone else’s plan. Keeping expectations real for you is so helpful
Running goals, like any goals really, need to be specific or they’re easy to just let go because they’re too hard or too vague to achieve.
That said, my goals this year are very vague, simply because I still haven’t figured out why I’m having issues with lightheadedness. It’s frustrating, to say the least.
I love the way you’ve outlined everything and shared the difference between reasonable and sustainable goals, and ones that are easy to frustrate and overwhelm! It’s such an important distinction and can make a world of difference!