I base it on how I feel at the time of the race. With the best will in the world and all the correct training and nutrition sometimes things just don’t go right.
I am aiming for a 4.40 marathon on October 25th. But i have had a couple of injuries meaning not as many long runs as I would have liked. I know that I have it in me to sub 5 hour so if I dont feel the 4.40 on the day I will be happy with a sub 5. Every minute below that is a bonus!But I will give it my all!
Best advice I read was “If you think you are going slow enough at the start of a marathon, you are still going too fast!”

I always set a couple of time goals and a few “non time” goals for races. For my marathon a few weeks ago I had a “dream goal” a “realistic goal” and a few personal goals (like only walk the water stations, mostly so I actually got powerade in me instead of on me).

“Don’t go out too fast!”

That’s something I need to work on.

What perfect timing! I JUST ran my first half this past Saturday and am thinking about what my next step will be. My goal for the half this weekend was just to finish, but my time was pretty good (2:15) so I am going to try to set a time goal for my next one.

When I do my first marathon I am just wanting to FINISH. That’s all. Just get past that finish line before the people in cars come by and tell me the race is over 🙂 My second marathon? We’ll see about that when I get to it!

I have a similar goal-setting style for my first marathon. Goal #1 – finish, Goal #2 – Under 4:30, Goal #3 – Around 4 hours

I love the thought of having time and non-time goals. I agree that the non-time goals are ones you have more control over and are still great accomplishments to feel proud of upon finishing. I think its so important to have goals that you can control.

Even with things like weight loss. I think it can be good to have a goal weight in mind, but I hate when people make that the be all and end all goal. Having goals like including more fruits and veggies, regularly fitting in exercise, etc give you more control and empowerment. I love your attitude and approach to things.

Those are great goals! I need to figure out what my half marathon goals are for next month.

Great goals! My main goal for my first marathon was the same as yours- arrive alive! Thankfully I made it 😀 and even though I haven’t raced in a while, I tend to set goals that are time and non-time based. Non-time ones include having fun and staying mentally positive.

Your breakfast looks delicious! I love that you set goals like that. I set personal goals in fitness, but not running. I think it is important to always work towards something. I think keeping up with my physical health helps to keep me sane!

non-quantifiable, definitely. I’m like you, just want to finish. That or beat my previous goals. The closest I’ve come to a marathon was in 2008 when I participated in the Breast Cancer walk. (I can’t really run because of some foot problems I have.) The most I had ever walked/run was probably six miles so to go out for 23 was huge. But I did what I could. I walked 20 miles before I had to stop due to blisters the size of Texas. It was so worth it though – while I didn’t finish per se, I far surpassed my goal of walking farther than I had ever walked before.

Thank you so much for this post! I just ran my first half marathon and my only goal was to finish. And I did just that! So now I’ve signed up for a second half marathon and I really want to improve my time and have more goals than just finishing because I know I can finish. So reading all of your goals have really inspired me! I always wondered why my Nike + said I was running a bit over the designated race mileage. I definitely wasn’t running the tangents. Also, I did a HORRIBLE job at fueling my body during the race and I made a huge mistake: tried eating some shot blocks that I hadn’t trained with mid-race.

So thanks for this post! I definitely have some things to think about. 😀

I’ve learned to be more realistic with my goals.

A friend of mine tends to try to push me too much – like wanting me to do a half marathon with her when I was still struggling to run just 3 miles. My body takes a long time to adapt and build up – which is okay. I did the couch to 5k plan and had to keep on repeating weeks over and over. I just take longer to get there.

I did reach the 3 mile point and I finally wanted to increase my distance. I originally thought I should start trying to do 4 miles. But that was, for me, too much. Then it hit me – I could make 3.5 miles my next goal. I know my body and that was plenty to shoot for at once. I’ll get to that 4 mile point – but when it’s right for my body. And while my friend can go out and increase like it’s nothing, it’s again okay that it takes me longer.

I ran my second marathon last weekend and I had time goals that I didn’t that I was under-trained for. Next time (in May) I am going to make sure I know for a fact how trained I am before I set any more goals.

Your oatmeal looks like a “Banana Oatmeal in a Bread Bowl” I just made…not on purpose though LOL!

Goals are an integral aspect of life. I should start setting some…

The time and non-time goals are so perfect. I’m doing the same things for my run this coming weekend we’ve been training for this summer, only 5.8 miles (no marathon for me yet).

It’s so important to not mentally feel like you failed just because you might have missed a time on a clock. If you have those non-time goals and really push to attain them then the race can have multiple successes on many fronts.

Thanks for this post!

I like the goals. I think it good to have a few different goals to keep you motivated for the long run.

I also think it’s so important to have time and non-time-oriented goals, particularly when you’re racing a new distance or race. If you don’t make your time goal, you can still evaluate your overall performance based on your personal goals. Last weekend, I crushed my time goal, but it wasn’t my best race, so I was able to look at it from two different angles. I also like the idea of having primary, secondary, and tertiary goals. I always have that main goal in my head and then that little voice in the back of my head convincing me that I can do something even beyond that goal. I love this post! 🙂

I love these thoughtful, realistic goals you’ve set. I’m running my first half marathon in December and my goal really is just to finish. That’s all I care about at this point is crossing the finish line with a smile of my face and having positive self-talk during the race. (I didn’t mean to rhyme – haha!)

I’ve only ever run one race so far, a 5k, and my goal was to run the whole way, no matter how slow. I thought for a short race that was a reasonable goal. Without it I definitely would not have pushed myself so hard!

After reading so much of your advice about walking, I think I could train for a 10k by doing more of a run/walk thing. I figure my goals will be time based instead of just “run.”

Your goals sound awesome! I still have only run one marathon, and my goal for it was definitely to finish. That day was a prime example of why you should set non time goals. We ran against a 30 mile per hour wind (gotta love Oklahoma) the entire last half of the race, and it was about 90 degrees and extremely humid. If I had only set a time goal, I know I would have been so disappointed! This way you have multiple ways to measure your success and progress!

Good luck!

I have a difficult time setting race goals or any other competitive goals like this. I am an only child and don’t have much of a competitive bone in my body. So my goals are usually “have fun” or “cross the finish line feeling strong”.

This post is so inspiring to me. I love running, but have yet to enter a marathon.

I ran my first 10k yesterday! My first goal was 11 minute miles (which is pretty speedy for me). However, I forgot that St. Louis is hillier than the flatlands of Illinois, so I re-evauluated while I was there. I wasn’t disappointed.

I’m running a marathon in June, and I’m telling people my goal is to finish sub-when the course closes.

Great tips here! I ran my first ever 5k the other day (I started running six weeks ago), and my main goal was to finish. I didn’t really have a time goal, though I was hoping to finish under 35:00. I finished in 31:40, so I was proud of myself!

My marathon coach said to always have 3 goals, and none of them should be “to finish”. He says that drags you down…but my 3 goals for yesterday were: PB (last race was 5:43), sub-5 (my primary goal) and lastly (my “holy crap, I can’t believe I did that goal) was a 4:45 finish. I did go out too fast (that is soooo hard to avoid) and ended up with a PB (5:21 official time), which I am so pleased with. Next race will be my sub-5…just don’t know what race that will be.
As for the wall…what coach suggested, and I used a couple of times and it worked, was to count backwards from 300. You totally shift your focus from “how much further, my legs hurt, I’m tired, etc.” to remembering what number must come next. Really got me through. I also stopped looking at my Garmin or any clock for that matter, as I just needed to focus on running.
Good luck on the next race…you’ll do great, regardless of the time.
Carol

If miles 18 – 23 are where you expect to have the toughest time, try to get all the friends and family who will be cheering you on along those points. They will give you energy. They will bring a very needed smile to your face and somehow drive you forward.
Plan out your Gu or whatever you will take during the marathon at strategic points BEFORE you feel you need it. Good time to begin re-fueling is between 45 and 60 min. after the race start. Then set strategic points after that but be careful not to over fuel and get stomach cramps.
Take a little water as well as a little Gatorade at the rest stops. Too much G will upset the tummy espec. if it’s cooler and you’re not sweating as much as you’re used to….but then you’re in NC..right? It’s prob. pretty warm still. Anyway, you’ll do great. You’re going into this knowing what to expect.