We all like something to work towards, running included.
Sometimes they’re hard goals, like finishing a parkrun or marathon. More often, it’s softer running goals, like getting out more in exchange for more joyful miles and wider smiles.
Although Joy Runs runs on weekly cycles and is a no pressure running club, it’s useful to zoom out once in a while. To take the time to reflect on the miles behind us and build up to something bigger, even if it’s as humble as letting more joy into your life.
It’s often said that winter miles are where summer records are made. Let’s celebrate what your body is capable of and think about where you want it to take you.
How to run this theme: Running goals
I’ll start with a big question: What inspires you to run?
Setting personally meaningful running goals should be as simple as working out what you love about running and doing more of it.
If you’re going to develop a lifelong love of running it’s important you set your own definitions of success, rather than feeling under any pressure to do what everyone else does. Run your own race.
Examples of softer running goals:
- feeling good about yourself
- The Joy of Running Together with friends
- running as part of a healthier lifestyle
- finding the joy in the little things
- embarking on more spontaneous adventures
- run year round to enjoy the seasons
- feeling good and doing good for charity
- being happy and healthy for your kids
- practicing mindful running
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Examples of harder running goals:
- hitting a PB time
- running a 10km or marathon
- run a race abroad
- overcoming a running injury
- completing every parkrun
There’s no right or wrong running goals. Whatever makes you happy.
This Joy Run is an invitation to share your running goals with the group on tagram and/or TikTok with a picture that tells a story.
My running goals right now
I’ll go first. I love writing about running.
Running has given me so much of the years. It’s kept me optimistic in tough times, allowed me to work through grief, and been an outlet for all manner of other feelings. It’s been the vehicle for raising meaningful money for charity. To connect with likeminded souls. To build healthy habits. To explore more.
Through Joy Runs, I’ve really enjoyed putting it all into words. Sharing as a way of caring.
Joy Runs is a wonderful outlet for my thoughts and fitness journey. It’s also how I can best pay my love of running forward, helping others to get into running and experience the small pleasures in life.
So, my main running goal is to stay true to posting weekly themes and cultivating a supportive and inclusive running community. I’d also like to run more often where I’m happiest – on the coastal paths of Britain – as a way of exploring and appreciating what’s on my doorstep.
The importance of anti-goals for running
Anti-goals flip the script on traditional goal-setting by focusing on what you want to avoid rather than what you aim to achieve.
They’re the things we DON’T want to happen—either as final outcomes or along the way.
For me, they help me to fall into the trap of too much repetition in running, which in turn can lead to boredom and quitting. Or obsessing over times and forgetting to enjoy yourself.
Examples of running anti-goals might include:
- take part in Joy Runs – never lose motivation
- mixing up exercise – never getting bored
- drinking less – no more hangovers
- hiring a running coach – never think about training plans
- taking 2 rest days per week – avoid common injuries
- not timing runs – no such thing as a ‘bad run’
The importance of rewards for running
Joy Runs is all for being kind to yourself post-run. We even dedicated a weekly them to The Joy of Rewards After Running.
It could be finishing with a coffee date or walk by the river. The occasional sports massage. Banking a feast for later in the day. Or simply a feeling, captured when journaling your runs.
Whatever your tonic, it’s important to line up and saviour a well-earned reward.
Rewards are crucial to the habit formation process as a shortcut for which ones are worth keeping. The feel good experience you manufacture positively reinforces the behaviour just performed, so you do it more often.
Whatever your reward of choice is, it then becomes a cue and craving, to motivate you to run again in the future.
Whatever you’re running towards, I hope this week’s Joy Run theme helps.
→ Other ‘Running is Self-Care‘ themes
