By RunDoyen.
Featuring coaching insights from David Jankowski and Will Benitez.
Adapted from a RunDoyen coach conversation and edited for clarity.
TL;DR
- SMART goals help, but the real win is pairing them with process goals you can execute every week.
- Think beyond your next race: set short-, medium-, and long-term targets so your training has a clear trajectory.
- Use A/B/C race goals so one bad variable (wind, pacing mistake, a niggle) does not turn the whole day into “failure.”
- Reassess your goal mid-cycle and adjust based on consistency, health, and how workouts are actually going.
- Build confidence by stacking small wins, because “confidence builds competence.”
If you want help turning your big running ambitions into a realistic, flexible plan, you can use RunDoyen’s coach match to get paired with the right support for your goals.
Table of Contents
- What goal setting really means for runners
- SMART goals for runners, and what people miss
- Performance goals vs process goals
- The A/B/C goal method for race day
- Reassess mid-cycle and stay adaptable
- Extractable: a runner’s goal-setting checklist
- Common mistakes
- Safety and when to get help
- Closing: build the long game
What goal setting really means for runners
A lot of runners think they are goal setting when they pick a race and choose a finishing time. That is a start, but it is also the fastest way to fall into all-or-nothing thinking:
- “I hit the time, success.”
- “I missed the time, failure.”
That mindset is especially tempting in running because the scoreboard looks clean, minutes and seconds feel definitive. But training is rarely clean. Weather changes, life stress spikes, sleep gets weird, and bodies do what bodies do.
A more durable definition of goal setting is a holistic plan for where you are now, where you want to be next, and where you want running to take you over the long haul. That might mean thinking in terms of seasons, years, or even the kind of runner you want to be in your 70s and 80s: healthy, consistent, and still enjoying movement.
If you zoom out first, your day-to-day choices get easier to prioritize. You stop chasing every shiny benchmark and start building a trajectory.
A helpful companion resource here is RunDoyen’s goal-setting framework, especially if you like clear categories for different types of goals.
SMART goals for runners, and what people miss
SMART goals are popular for a reason. They push you to be clear and accountable.
SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Attainable), Realistic, Time-bound.
Here is how that can look for runners:
- Specific: “Run a marathon under 4:00,” not “get faster.”
- Measurable: a time, a pace range, a weekly consistency target, a completion rate.
- Achievable and Realistic: aligned with your current training, not with your fantasy self on your best day ever.
- Time-bound: attached to a real window, like a 12–13 week training segment.
The part runners miss is that SMART goals can still be brittle if they are only outcome-based. A time goal alone does not tell you what to do on Tuesday, or what to do when it is sleeting on race morning, or what to do when you realize you went out too hot in mile one.
That is why you need process goals.
Performance goals vs process goals
Performance goals are what most runners default to:
- a PR
- a qualifier
- a placing
- a specific race time
They matter, and they can be motivating. But they are not fully controllable. Conditions, pacing chaos, and even one bad fueling decision can change your day.
Process goals are what keep training moving:
- consistency (completing the runs you planned)
- executing the purpose of each day
- doing the “boring” support work you usually skip
One of the most useful ways to think about process goals is: Did I execute the purpose of today’s run?
For example, if today is an easy run, the purpose is not to prove fitness. The purpose is to recover while still working. That might mean running an easy 10 miles at an actually easy effort, not turning it into a surprise progression run because you felt good.
Another process approach that can work well is a simple daily scorecard: “wins and losses.” Each day counts as a win if you executed the purpose of the session. Over time, you aim for a high percentage of wins, something like 90 percent. This flips the script from obsessing over one race day to building competence through repeatable execution.
If you want to connect process goals to common runner priorities, these guides can help you choose habits that actually support performance:
The A/B/C goal method for race day
Even if you do everything right, race day can still get weird. Wind happens. Heat happens. A bathroom line happens. A shoe lace happens.
That is why a three-tier goal structure is so powerful. It replaces “pass or fail” with “adapt and execute.”
A Goal: the perfect day
This is your best realistic outcome with strong execution and good conditions. It is ambitious, but not fantasy.
B Goal: a strong day you are proud of
You may make a couple mistakes, conditions may be imperfect, but you still have a very good day.
C Goal: a result you can accept and learn from
Maybe it is not your day. Maybe conditions are rough. Maybe you made a major error early. The C goal keeps you from spiraling, and it helps you salvage value from the experience.
Importantly, the C goal does not always have to be a time. Sometimes it is a decision. For instance, if something starts to feel like more than a minor niggle mid-race, the “smart” goal might shift toward making a conservative call that protects your long-term trajectory.
This A/B/C structure also makes post-race reflection healthier. Instead of “I missed the number, so everything was worthless,” you can ask: Which goal did I hit, and what did I learn about execution?
Reassess mid-cycle and stay adaptable
Setting goals once and never revisiting them is like plotting a route on a map and refusing to look up when the road closes.
A practical cadence is:
- Set your initial goal when you start the training segment.
- Reassess around the halfway point.
Example: you start a 12–13 week marathon segment targeting sub-4:00. About six weeks in, you check the evidence:
- Have you been healthy?
- Have you been consistent?
- Are you hitting the small process goals (the “wins”)?
- Are workouts trending in the right direction?
Then you adjust:
- If things are going well, maybe your B goal becomes your new baseline, and your A goal gets a little more ambitious.
- If things are trending poorly, you dial it back, protect health, and keep stacking wins.
Adaptability is not weakness. It is competence. It also helps runners separate what they can control (training execution, pacing discipline, fueling practice) from what they cannot (weather, crowded starts, surprise hills).
If you want a simple way to keep goals connected to real pacing, the running pace calculator can help translate race goals into practical training targets.
Extractable: a runner’s goal-setting checklist
Goal-Setting Checklist for Runners (copy and use)
- Write the long-term “why.” What does success look like in 1–3 years, or longer?
- Pick the next meaningful milestone. A race, a distance, a consistency target, or a skill you want to build.
- Create one SMART performance goal. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound.
- Add 2–4 process goals for the next 4–12 weeks. Examples: complete scheduled runs, keep easy runs easy, do strength/core 3x weekly, practice fueling 1x weekly.
- Set A/B/C race goals. Include at least one non-time option for your C goal if needed.
- Define “win” for each training day. What does good execution look like today?
- Schedule a midpoint reassessment. Put it on the calendar now, do not wait until you feel anxious.
- Do a short post-race review. What went well, what you would change, what stays the same for next cycle.
The key idea: your process goals should make it easier to show up, not harder to live your life. When they fit, you get more wins, more confidence, and better outcomes.
Common mistakes
- Setting only one outcome goal (“hit this time or nothing matters”).
- Picking a goal that ignores recent training reality, then forcing training to match the fantasy.
- Skipping process goals, then wondering why motivation disappears mid-cycle.
- Treating easy days like secret workouts, then arriving at workouts and long runs under-recovered.
- Never reassessing, even when consistency or health clearly changes the picture.
- Letting uncontrollable race-day variables define your self-worth as a runner.
Safety and when to get help
Running goals should support health, not override it.
Consider stepping back, adjusting, or getting professional input if:
- Pain changes your gait, worsens as you run, or persists and escalates day to day.
- You are repeatedly unable to complete easy runs comfortably, or fatigue feels disproportionate to training load.
- You feel trapped in a cycle of forcing training, skipping recovery, and getting hurt.
- You suspect low energy availability, disordered eating patterns, or chronic under-fueling.
- A “minor niggle” stops behaving like a minor issue.
General guidance: when in doubt, protect the long-term goal. A short pause, a conservative adjustment, or a smarter decision mid-race can preserve months of progress.
Closing: build the long game
Good goal setting does not just get you to a finish line. It gives you a path you can trust.
When you combine:
- a clear long-term direction
- SMART performance targets
- process goals you can execute
- A/B/C race goals that reduce all-or-nothing thinking
- a midpoint reassessment that keeps you honest
you stop being dependent on perfect conditions. You become the runner who can adapt, keep learning, and keep building.
If you want support from a coach who can help you set realistic targets, choose the right process goals, and keep you centered when you drift too optimistic or too pessimistic, you can browse RunDoyen’s running coaches and find someone who fits how you train and how you think.
FAQ
1) What are SMART goals for runners?
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Attainable), Realistic, and Time-bound. They help you define a target you can actually plan and train toward.
2) What is the difference between performance goals and process goals?
Performance goals focus on outcomes (time, place, qualifier). Process goals focus on controllable actions (consistency, executing the purpose of each run, strength work, fueling practice).
3) How do I set A/B/C goals for a race?
Set an A goal for a great day, a B goal for a solid day you are proud of, and a C goal that still gives the race meaning even if conditions or execution are imperfect.
4) When should I revisit my running goals during a training cycle?
A practical rule is to reassess around the midpoint of the cycle, for example about six weeks into a 12–13 week segment, and adjust based on health and consistency.
5) What is a good process goal if I keep starting too fast in races?
A process goal could be executing the first mile under control, using a defined pace or effort range that prevents you from going out too hard.
6) How can goal setting help with motivation?
Process goals create daily wins and reduce the pressure on one “make or break” race day. That steady progress can keep motivation more stable across a season.
7) How can an online running coach help with goal setting?
An online running coach can provide outside perspective on what is realistic, build a plan that connects daily training to long-term goals, and help you adjust targets when training or life changes.
