Now that my last race of 2015 has come and gone, and we are only weeks away from the end of 2014, it’s time to start thinking about what’s next for 2015! Honestly, I don’t feel like I have specific goals at this point- they change a lot which tells me I’m not quite ready to decide on anything just yet. So today I will be talking about broad goals. I think I’ll do a New Year’s resolutions post again like I did last year when I decide on some more specific goals and plans for the year.
Some goals for 2015 that have been floating around in my head are:
-Focus on the half-marathon- work towards a sub 1:40
-Run a fall marathon- maybe try to BQ?
-Work on helping others meet their goals through coaching! (more on this later in the week…)
-Become a stronger, healthier, and smarter runner…
My #1 goal moving forward is to get and stay healthy! This may seem obvious and extremely broad. However, sometimes its easy to let little aches and pains go ignored during hard periods of training. 2014 was a great year for me. I didn’t have any real injuries but I did toe the line quite a bit. I think that to an extent, that is part of running. You push yourself to a limit and then back off before it becomes something that becomes an injury. I believe it’s a process to learn about yourself and what you can handle and how you can address issues that come up.
I think that over the last couple of years I have become very dependent on sports medicine providers. It’s like I need them to tell me that I’m ok or not ok- as if I didn’t know it for myself. Maybe in the beginning I didn’t, but now I should be able to handle more aspects of my training on my own. Part of this for me is learning about all different ways to prevent injuries and manage small twinges that pop up.
I recently read the book “Ready to Run” by Kelly Starrett and TJ Murphy. You can get some more info abut this book here. I love reading books like this and while I don’t believe any one book has “all the answers”, the information helps me to gain new ideas and perspectives about ways to potentially improve my running. There are a few concepts that I want to incorporate into my daily routine to help me get back to 100% healthy and prevent future injuries. (If you remember from the marathon and the weeks before, I had been dealing with some piriformis and hip pain. It’s mostly gone, but I think if I increase my mileage it may begin to bother me again).
Here are some of my plans moving forward using the recommendations from the book:
1. Improve posture/avoid sitting as much as possible– We’ve all heard about how bad sitting is for us. I am lucky that I have a job where I am moving around quite a bit, but I do spend the majority of my day sitting (or squatting down next to a desk, or sitting in a kid sized chair…) When I do need to sit I need to focus on sitting up straight and not crossing my legs. I need to get up frequently and also check my posture regularly. Sitting with bad habits does bad things to our running form.
2. Stand with neutral feet, wear flat shoes, and go barefoot around the house whenever possible– The idea of neutral feet is really connoted to the good posture, but going a step further its best to keep your feet strong by walking around barefoot as much as possible. Sorry to anyone who who have to see his! (Hopefully just Rob…) but my feet are not yet recovered from the marathon. I am also trying out different shoes (Starrett recommends zero drop) and the Altras have a very wide toe box. I’m wearing them for some of my shorter runs for now.
3. Tackle my tight hip flexors! Sitting is partly to blame for my tight hips, along with all the years of running. I have a feeling my hip surgery also contributed to some tightness in that area due to scar tissue. I have been finding many new, creative ways to address this! Lots of dynamic stretches, myofscial release, and other suggestions that are given in the book. The “couch stretch” is highly recommended, but it has to be done for a long enough time!
Start on your hands and knees with your feet backed up against a couch. Move one leg up the edge of the couch so your knee is on the ground and your foot is straight above your knee. Raise your upper body and move your front foot to the ground where your hands were. Squeeze your glutes and abs, and move yourself up as straight as possible. Hold for 2 minutes on each side every day.
4. Work on theoretic spine mobility– This is one area that I have ignored during all my foam rolling sessions, thinking that it wasn’t directly related to running! It actually plays an important role in running and when there are restrictions in that area it can affect how other muscles work. This will mostly be addressed through posture and rolling out those muscles with lax balls.
5. Other daily habits- Wear compressions socks regularly, stay hydrated but also drink electrolyte enhanced drinks, make sure good, thorough warm ups and cool downs are completed before and after running.
There are other areas that I can work on as well, but this is what I am starting with. I don’t want it to get too overwhelming!
What changes are you looking to make going into 2015?
How do you address issues that could potentially lead to a running injury?
I’m linking up will Jill and Jessica for “Dish the Fit!” Head over to the link-up to see what others are planning to achieve in 2015!
I am not a goal-setter so there’s that answer lol..As for injuries, I am superstitious even talking about the possibility of one but I will say I pay really really really close attention to every nook and cranny of my body when I am running (like an English muffin, ha!) and if something bothers me or I feel it, I make the decision right there to stop or slow the heck down to avoid a problem. I also find that running comfortably more than worrying about my speed keeps me going without issues. I really run pain free so if something hurts, I know I need to make an adjustment.
Its so good that you are so careful about injuries! Its funny because sometimes I feel like I do better when I am switching up my pace rather than just running day every day. I think its something about working my muscles a little bit differently.
Awesome goals! I think goals like this are great to work towards – both the running ones and just becoming healthier. That book looks really interesting. I’m also interested in wearing more natural shoes. I’m currently looking for a pair that has slightly less of a drop than my Ghosts.
I think the hardest transition I made was going from Ravennas to pure flows. I was real careful about it, and now Ive been wearing them for 2 years so I think Ill be ok with another slow transition to zero drop.
All great things to work on. I’ve been having some hip flexor issues ever since MCM..i have never had them before, so not sure what is going on, but I really need to work on that!
I think the hips are so complicated and annoying! They need to be loose but also strong. Right now I think Im gonna work more on flexibility and mobility before strength, so that when I get back to doing strength exercises I can make sure I am doing them with perfect form.
Great goals. One of the things I really want to work on for 2015 is not sitting so much. I’m an editor for an online magazine so I’m in front of a computer all day and I feel the difference in my body after doing this for two years. My back and my calf muscles get really tight and I get tension headaches I never used to get before. Stretching has become a lot more important to me than it used to be.
Its really hard when you need to sit all day for work! I think it helps to just get up and move around a lot.
I really like this approach to goals. I am so amazed that I was able to get through my marathon training this past year without going to the sports med doc once after being there as much as I was the 12 months before, and I definitely credit that to my yoga and supplemental muscle training regimen. My goal with my hip flexors is to strengthen them so that I don’t feel them kick in so early next time! Also to strengthen my quads–I am going to be largely running downhill for this marathon, so I am going to need them!
I always forget about strengthening hip flexors because I am always so focused on the glutes. Thats a good plan to strengthen your quads before a downhill race!
I make broad goals but not resolutions. So far all I’ve got for next year is my first tri, which is huge for me as I don’t swim.
I like your focus on mechanics. Key for injury-free for sure!
That’s awesome that you are planning to do your first tri! I can’t swim well and haven’t biked in almost a year, so a tri won’t be happening for me anytime soon!
We have a lot of the very same goals for 2015 and some of the very same ailments from 2014 that we do not want to bring to 2014. How have you been recovering from your piriformis issue? I know you are in PT but anything else working. I think I mentioned to you that I am doing dry needling but after a couple weeks it is back to where I started. Do you get burning and pain when you sit down your leg?
Thanks for sharing your goals….it makes me want to write mine down now somewhere to have as a reference in 2015. I am excited for the new year. I have a feeling it is going to be a great one!
I haven’t had any burning or pain down my leg, luckily! Its really isolated to that glute area. Its actually been a lot better since the race. I noticed it a little when I ran last week, but Ive been trying to focus on loosening up all the muscles around my hip using a lax ball. I have found that when I hit the piriformis directly with the lax ball that it sometimes can irritate it more. I know that my glutes are weak and that is likely the root of the problem. I also wonder if my tight hip flexors are the reason my glutes don’t activate, but who knows!
I saw my chiro last Monday and he kind of sent me off on my own for a month to see how I do. I didn’t have dry needling this time around (last time was July 2013 after dealing with pain for a year and a half) but if it gets worse i will consider it again. I just really want to figure out the real reason it keeps happening- it seems like dry needling is just a short term fix. Has your PT evaluated your back? I know that the same symptoms (like sciatica) can also be from the back and if your not responding well to dry needling I wonder if theres something else going on? Good luck, I really hope it gets better soon!
Thanks! When I first started having the problems they looked at my back (even got an MRI). They thought I had a herniated disc which was hitting by sciatic nerve. It ended up being my piriformis hitting my sciatic nerve 🙁
Good luck on meeting your goals! I need to pick up that book. I’ve been running pretty seriously for 2 years and have some sort of nagging injury every other month.
Thanks! I would also recommend Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry if your looking for an injury prevention book!
I’m not sure about my 2015 goals yet either other than run a second marathon and hopefully get a PR! I guess I am also hoping to get a half marathon PR in January too. Those will be my two time based goals.
I need to work on my hip flexors too. When I was doing that stretch you mentioned in the post every single day my hips didn’t bother me at all. Since I’ve gotten lazy with it my right hip has started getting tight again.
The hip stretch really needs to be done every day to keep them loose, I think!
After a running evaluation I have consistently targeted flexibility and muscle imbalances. Hopefully to prevent injuries and improve running form.
That’s awesome! Its been awhile since I had a running evaluation. It probably wouldn’t hurt to have another one done!
That is a great start to making some goals, I have not started yet but reading the link ups today are very inspiring and will help me do that on my long plane ride home from Phoenix. I have been really injury free I think and I work in health care so I am surrounded by people that I can bounce things off of. Like what do you think about this or that so I am blessed there. Cheers to walking around barefoot, I am with you on that!
Its always good to be able to ask people questions about things that bother you! I am constantly googling stuff which isn’t the best idea:)
I love that you have such specific and focused goals! :] It’s awesome that you’re making ones that’ll contribute to your overall health + wellness and also prevent potential injury while you’re at it! I need to work on not sitting all the time (or lying on my stomach and working on things, as I’m sure that’s completely terrible for my back ._.).
Its hard to get in a comfortable position without sacrificing posture, I think! It seems like the key is to change positions around as much as possible.
I have a lot of similar goals, mainly staying injury free and working on my tight hip flexors and hamstrings. Even though I do yoga a few times a week I need to be more consistent with stretching after my runs. I really want to invest in a stand-up desk because I feel like all I do is sit!
I would love to have a stand up desk too, but Im sure it would be really hard to stand all day! I notice that when Im going to hot yoga regularly that my hips and hamstrings stay so much looser.
I love how well thought out all of these goals are! They are all really smart ways to become a healthier running, and person in general. Flexibility and muscle strength are two big things I want to work on this year for sure. One piece of advice is to go really slow into zero drop shoes! Only because I had a bad experience with them after thinking I was completely transitioned. I feel that they require a lot out of my form that I didn’t have.
I will definitely go slow, thanks for the tip! My other running shoes are all 4mm drop so I feel like its not a huge difference, but Im gonna start with short 2-3 mile runs in them a couple times a week. I will probably also continue to alternate with my pure flows.
I am still working on finishing up my goals for this year. I have a half at the end of this month, and then I will start thinking about my goals for 2015. Yes- I am the type of person who has to focus on one thing at a time or I get overwhelmed. I do like having goals in the back of my head though.
I think its actually a great idea to focus on one thing at a time! That way you can put all of your energy into that one goal!
Kelly Starrett is amazing and I try to do a lot of these things too. Mainly to work on my posture and my existing issues with tight hips and shoulders. You are going to do great in 2015 – awesome goals! Have a good Tuesday.
Thanks! Ive been enjoying reading more online from Kelly Starrett and watching some of his mobility videos. Really helpful stuff!
I am totally doing that hip stretch!! I too suffer from tight hips and IT bands and I think that stretch will do wonders. Love your goals for 2015!
I find it to work so much better than the standard hip stretch if you really do it correctly!
I love that hip stretch!! I suffer from tight hips and IT bands and that stretch looks like something I need to do daily. Great goal list for 2015!
That looks like a great book to read! I love running books! 🙂 i think your goals are awesome. Figuring out what you need to do to be your best running self can only benefit you!
Also- I swear wearing compression socks nearly every day has helped a TON!
Wearing my purple compression socks right now!! Its become my nightly routine:)
Al;though ‘new year’ is a pretty arbitrary thing, I really think it gives us a good dividing point to look both back and forward, to see what we liked and want to change … and instead of making ‘resolutions’, I love how you made solid goals with some real thoughht behind them!
As for me? Wearing compression socks at work as I read this 😉 But not at a standing desk … oh well, I stand plenty during the day. I have had a great year, but have to think about what I want for 2015 in terms of health and fitness.
I love wearing my compression socks to work, but when I don’t I usually put them on for a few hours at night. I think it would be really hard to use a standing desk all day!
I’ve never been big on “resolutions”, but I love setting goals! Although I am usually very cautious about making them goals that are attainable:)
this sounds like a book I need to read – and great work on your goals, I concur with many of them! 🙂 excited to see what 2015 holds for you!
Thanks! The book was really interesting with new (to me) ideas about mobility and injury prevention!
I have to foam roll every day, even if I didn’t run, to keep my ITBS at bay, and I’m trying to do more stretching in general. One of my yoga routines targets hip flexors for exactly the reason you stated: we’re sitting at work, sitting while driving, sitting at home.
Exactly- there is so much sitting every day! I also foam roll pretty much every day or something starts to bother me!
I LOVE motivational books about goals etc 🙂
Me too! Especially related to running:)
I am always lookin for great running books. I have never heard of this one. I will have to look it up. Goals for 2015….I seem to have a full schedule already up until May anyways. It seemed like they were so far away but now it feels like it’s just around the corner.
Wow good for you for having so many races scheduled already! Ive been hesitating to sign up for anything until I know that I am ready to race again although I did sign up for the Rock n Roll DC half in March.
I have a lot of respect for these goals. I love how you’ve investigated yourself, how to be a healthy runner. You treat your body like a temple, and that’s really inspiring. I am going to be working on my flexibility this year, and am looking forward to better form, posture, and health. Thanks so much for linking up, and sharing all you’ve been learning! Take care!
Its so important to remember things like flexibility and posture that are often overlooked!
Thanks for hosting the link up!
I think this is great! I love using this time of year to reflect on the past year and to look ahead to next year and to ‘check in.’ I also really love reading these posts from everyone else! Great goals! I think it is so easy to just focus on running and to put all of your time and thought into mileage, spadework, paces, etc and forget about everything else that supports running. I know I’m definitely guilty of this! One of my biggest goals for 2015 will be to consistently strength train. Can’t wait to read more about your coaching and running specific goals!
Your goal is awesome too! There are so many other things that contribute to our running that are just as important as the actual miles!
I LOVE your posture goal! I am adopting it here and now. Great post 🙂
Thanks! Glad to hear that you are also going to work on posture!
A few of our goals are pretty much spot on with one another! Staying healthy is a constant learning process, but I know there’s definitely some things I’ve “learned” that I need to stick to more. Particularly, taking it easy before things escalate into a full blown injury, like you said. Thanks for that hip stretch, I’m always looking for good ones!
Im looking forward to hearing your goals!
I feel like this stretch works much better than the standard one if you do it correctly and hold it long enough!
These are great goals. I just tried the couch stretch… it hurts so good!
I’m very curious about your quick reference to coaching… I’ll be keeping an eye out for the news.
Make sure to check back on Friday:) And glad you liked the couch stretch!
I find that yoga (in particular hot yoga) helps me a LOT with dealing with injuries! I’m a fairly new runnerr, only 1 year, and I’ve already dealt with tendinitis in my left ankle and a hip flexor strain. Hot yoga has been a lifesaver when I was dealing with these injuries!
Totally awesome goals, esp if you BQ! That would be such an AMAZING accomplishment!
I also love hot yoga and I find it so helpful to keep my hips and hamstrings loose! I need to get back to going regularly.
The BQ is still a long way off, but I think if things go well this year that its possible:)
I need all the running tips I can get, these are great. Thanks for sharing! I am hoping to dance more in 2015!
You’re welcome! And that sounds great!
My hip flexors are really tight, too! This is a great list for tackling and preventing injury. I think about my posture as well but it needs improvement. I’m up and down all day, but do a lot more sitting than I probably should.
Looking forward to all your new years goals!
Thats how I am too- even though Im up and down a lot, I know that when I sit I have terrible posture!
Such great goals! I need to keep the exact same daily habits in check, mainly the hydration thing. Nuun has been a lifesaver for me lately because I have been really terrible about my water intake.
I always have water with me, but depending on how busy I am someday I just forget to drink it. Especially when Im not training hard, I don’t think of it as a priority but I really should!
You made so much progress in 2014 – excited to see what you can do in 2015! I’m weighing what I want to train for next year (and what is realistic for my schedule) but I think some time to heal the minor aches and pains is in order.
Thanks! I still haven’t decided on races for next year, but I will probably start researching soon!
Such great goals and things to always remember to do! I’m pretty injury prone so this year I’ve learned to stretch and foam roll more than ever to help prevent any injuries from popping up. Taking care of ourselves is a lifelong journey, and goal to always work towards improving in areas we can see need improving. Great post!
So true! I don’t know how I ever used to run without also incorporating foam rolling- its made such a difference for me!
Love this post, lots of your goals are similar to mine 🙂 also—i wanted to start testing out Altras too, so excited to see what you think about them…
So far I’m not super impressed, but trying to give them some time. I have worn them for 2 runs that were about 2 miles each. They feel alot bigger than my other running shoes but I heard that they’re supposed to. I didn’t get that feeling like “oh these running shoes feel so amazing!” and if I tried them on in a running store I probably wouldn’t have bought them. But I do want to give them a chance, and see what I think in a few weeks.
well I think it’s fair to give shoes a decent amount of mileage before you make a decision.. Good luck with them, i’ll probably be trying many different new brands out soon. Merry Christmas to myself 😉 ha