She Runs by the Seashore

I’m setting four goals for my running and fitness in 2020, and I decided to set at least two non-time goals because those were the only type of goals that I accomplished in 2019.

I’m not as fast as I used to be, and for me, running is more than just fast times. But I feel like I can’t take some goals off the list until I accomplish them, and I know I have the ability to run my goal times someday.

So, this list includes two returning goals and two new goals.

I also made a decision not to include a yearly mileage goal. I had a great year in 2019, running my highest-ever mileage with 1,484 miles. I was tempted to set a goal of 1,500 for 2020. But I’m not going to, because I don’t want to stress myself out. I ran 1,484 miles without a mileage goal, and we’ll see what happens in 2020.

Run a marathon in under 4:45

This one I know is possible — I’ve done it twice. But I haven’t done it since 2014. Running a marathon in under 4:45 was a goal of mine in 2019, and I didn’t cross that barrier, but I did run the Salisbury Marathon in 4:50:41 — which is pretty close. In addition to that race, I’ve also run three other marathons in the range of 4:47-4:53. So, I think it’s a reasonable time to shoot for.

After I had a tougher-than-expected race at the Marine Corps Marathon after focusing a lot on my training, I’m taking it a lot easier — and posting on social media a lot less — as I train for the Atlanta Marathon. We’ll see how I do, but I think a more reasonable race at which to break 4:45 will be my fall marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon.

Run a 10K in under 50 minutes

This is this goal’s seventh year on my goals list. That’s too many years for a goal to be hanging around on a list, but I do think this is possible for me. I know I’m not in this shape right now, but maybe I can make this happen in 2020. I had a great experience at the Veterans Day 10K, and I’d love to run that race again this year. Although I’m still a little more than seven minutes off a sub-50 time, I did run a faster 10K time in 2019 than in 2018.

Run in six new-to-me places in the D.C. area

I really enjoyed running in a new-to-me place every month during 2019. I decided to switch it up a little bit, and this year, I plan to run six new-to-me places in the D.C. area. This can include D.C. area races that I haven’t yet participated in.

The reason? I write for RunWashington, but I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I’ve explored some trails and done some races in the D.C. region, but I’d love to become even more familiar with the running scene.

Go to the gym four times a month

You’re probably surprised I even have a gym membership after many of my monthly recaps ended with the fact that I hadn’t gone to the gym. Well, I do have one, but it’s a different gym. Planet Fitness is certainly the most affordable option around here, but what I really liked about the gym when I did go was the classes.

So, I joined Pure Fitness at the beginning of the year (and I’ve already gone four times in January — what?!). The location is extremely convenient for me, which really helps, and Pure Fitness seems to offer better class times for me than Powerhouse did.

Blog Goals

I’ve enjoyed having blog goals over the past few years, too. I know views aren’t everything, but I don’t have a bunch of other metrics to go by, so it’s nice to know that people are reading. And, in order to have readers, I know I need to put out interesting content.

So, in 2020, I’d like to:

• Increase my page views by 20 percent for the year. My blog page views have increased every year (yay!), but I figured I’d aim for a percentage increase over 2019 to do something a little bit different.
• Reach 1,000 likes on my blog Facebook page. Don’t already follow my page? You can do that here.

For the past few years, I had goals for growing my WordPress/email followers. That would be great, and I’m always interested in having additional followers. However, I’m not planning to set a goal number because I just think people are more likely to like a Facebook page or follow via Twitter or Instagram rather than subscribe via email. I know I get tons of emails! But please do subscribe if that is how you most like to receive my posts.

Any goals you’d like to share for 2020?