Setting Goals for 2025
that’s runnable
The 28th Edition of your favourite Running Newsletter
Welcome back to your weekly dose of run chat.
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We’re at that stage where we’re thinking ahead about the goals we set for 2025. Is there a way we can rethink or reframe how we go about setting these goals?
Something to Think About 💭
Setting race goals is great — but what if 2025 is about more than just finish lines? Think consistency, staying injury-free, or simply enjoying your runs more. Because sometimes, the best goals aren’t about what you achieve, but how you get there.
Something to Ask Yourself ❓
If I couldn’t race this year, what goals would still make me love running?
Article of the Week 📄
Here’s a fun article from Live Life Get Active which provides a structured approach to setting and achieving goals for the upcoming year. It emphasises the importance of defining clear, actionable objectives and offers practical steps to maintain motivation and track progress.
If you follow this guide, you can expect to enhance your goal-setting skills, leading to increased personal success and fulfilment in 2025.
Track of the Week 🎶
This album got me through a lot of runs through university.
This week’s Track of the Week, from the album Half The City is:
Like a Mighty River by St. Paul & The Broken Bones (2014)
Personal Lesson
For many years, my running goals were laser-focused on race results: finish times, distances, podium dreams. I tied my identity to these outcomes, and every training plan was a rigid countdown to a single day. When things went well, I felt invincible. But when injuries hit or a race didn’t go to plan, the disappointment was crushing. My goals were so narrowly defined that any hiccup felt like failure. I realised I needed goals that supported me, not just my results.
So, I shifted my focus. Instead of just racing goals, I started setting intentions around consistency, injury prevention, and finding joy in running. Goals like “complete 80% of my planned runs this month” or “enjoy one trail run a week, no pace pressure.” The result? A more sustainable, rewarding relationship with running.
I still set big race goals, but now they’re part of a broader, healthier journey. Success isn’t just a medal or a finish line, it’s showing up, staying healthy, and loving the process.
Running – Life’s Metaphor
If we only chase big milestones, setbacks can feel like failures. Just as injuries can derail race plans, life’s unexpected challenges can shake our confidence when our goals are too rigid.
Focusing on consistency, well-being, and joy creates a more resilient approach. Success becomes less about reaching a destination and more about enjoying the journey. In both running and life, showing up and finding fulfilment in the process matters more than any single finish line.
Final Thoughts
Setting big goals is essential. They give us direction, purpose, and something to strive for. Whether it’s a personal best in a race, a career milestone, or a creative achievement, these ambitious targets fuel our motivation. They stretch us beyond our comfort zones and give us a reason to push through the hard days. Without big goals, it’s easy to drift or lose focus, making progress feel aimless.
But while big goals light the path, the real magic happens in the process of getting there. Reverse engineering your goals — breaking them down into smaller, actionable steps — helps you stay grounded and realistic. This approach allows you to see progress incrementally and adapt along the way. More importantly, embracing the process means valuing consistency, learning from setbacks, and finding joy in the day to day effort. It ensures you’re growing, no matter the outcome of the goal itself.
Milestones are often a byproduct of sustainable practice and showing up consistently. Focus on building habits that support your journey, and success will naturally follow. Instead of chasing finish lines alone, think about creating a process you enjoy, one that keeps you healthy and engaged. The big wins are worth celebrating, but the steady, consistent effort is what truly transforms you.
Thanks again for reading and subscribing.
Run the runnable, and keep showing up for yourself!
Tommy 🙂