Coopah How To: Achieve Your Running Goals

When it comes to goal setting, it can be hard to know where to start. You may have lots of things you want to achieve, and don’t get us wrong - big goals are exciting, but sometimes these can also be scary and overwhelming, to the point you then put off getting started.

So whilst we are here to support you whatever your goal may be, here are some tips to help make those big goals, become a reality.

Let’s say that this year is the year you have decided you want to run your first marathon, whilst this is a great goal, there are a few different things you need to consider and once you have determined these, this will make it a lot easier to actually achieve these goals.

There is a really popular acronym for setting goals called ‘SMART’ and today we are going to dive a little deeper into these and how Coopah can also help to make those marathon goals, a reality.

S - SPECIFIC

The first one is pretty obvious, but it is setting yourself a specific goal you can then work backwards from.

So for example, rather than just saying you want to run a marathon, instead your goal could be ‘I am going to run the Yorkshire Marathon in October 2025’

Now, you have a actual goal to work towards and it will make it a lot easier to plan how you are going to get there.

M - MEASUREABLE

This is an important one (and where Coopah can help!) but by following a structured training plan, this will allow you to then easily track your progress, your mileage and see how your fitness is increasing as you build up towards the marathon.

Without following a plan, you could risk either doing too much (or too little) as you are working towards your goal, and without having that structure it can be very easy to lose motivation and your training plateau.

A- ACHIEVABLE

We honestly believe that anyone can run a marathon - as long as they take the right approach. By giving yourself enough time to achieve this goal, you can then set yourself mini goals along the way. Not only is this a great way to stay motivated, it also helps to make your main goal feel more achievable. For example, your first goal could be to able to run 10km, then build up to a half marathon, and then once you have done this the idea of training for a marathon won’t feel quite so scary. And will feel a lot more achievable than just thinking ‘I need to go from 5km to marathon in 8 months’

R - RELEVANT

Even if your ultimate goal is to a run a marathon, you can then align this with other goals that you can achieve. For example by training for a marathon you want to improve your cardiovascular fitness to improve your every day life and overall health.

T - TIME BOUND

We have already decided when you are going to run the marathon, so now you can work back from that to decide when you are starting your training plan. For example ‘I am going to start my 16 week training plan for Yorkshire Marathon on 29th June 2025’

This way you are then committing to not only the event, but also your training and giving yourself deadlines to achieve these goals.

We hope these tips help you when it comes to setting your goals for 2025, no matter what they will be! And don’t forget that with Coopah you have 24/7 access to our team of coaches on the app who can help you to make those goals, a reality!