I LOVE the start of a new year. It’s always filled with so much promise and hope. I love setting new goals and starting on a blank sheet. Of course, each year has it’s ups and downs and often doesn’t go exactly as planned. But I always find that setting goals keeps me focused on what I want to achieve and it makes it easier to get through challenges along the way. And truth be told, I am just not good at winging it or going with the flow! 🙂 This blog started because I had a goal of running 17 races in 2017. In 2018, I had one main goal – to run a Half Marathon. In 2019, I want to take things up another notch!
1 – Run FIVE Half Marathons. I ran my first two Half Marathons in 2018 and I would like to run five in 2019! I love this distance and hope my body can take the pressure. My planned races are as follows:
- Gaborone Half Marathon (March)
- Diacore Half Marathon (May)
- Still looking for one in July
- Botswana Independence Half Marathon (September)
- Soweto Half Marathon (November)
2 – Set Some Personal Bests. My current PB for the Half Marathon is 2:41:01 set at Diacore. But I was feeling so strong towards Soweto last year so I know I can cut that time. I would also like to PB in the 15 km distance. My current PB is 2:03:06 but in October last yer I managed 1:50:24 in a 15 km Long Run! It will be great to set this in a race. I will have at least two chances to do this, at the Orange Phikwe Race and the PPC Kgale Hill Challenge. In the second half of 2018, I also started doing Mile Time Trials with my best time being 10:04 minutes. So my new PB goals are as follows:
- Half Marathon: 2:35 (07:21 min/km pace)
- 15 km: 1:48 (07:12 min/km pace)
- 10 km: 1:10 (07:00 min/km pace)
- 5 km: 33 minutes (06:36 min/ km pace)
- 1 Mile: 09:30 minutes
3 – Run/ Walk 2019 km in 2019. I think this is doable but it will require consistency. It works out to 38 km a week which is possible when training for the five Half Marathons.
4 – Run the Berg. My cousin has twice done this premier 2-stage Trail Race in the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa and blogged about it here. When she first did it, it seemed like a far-fetched dream for me but it’s time! So I am buying some proper trail shoes and will do this race on the 28th – 29th Sept 2019. The total distance is 30 km.
5 – Race in TWO new countries. I have raced in Botswana and South Africa. So I would love to add two more countries to that if time and budget allow. There are some races I have looked at in neighbouring countries – Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Lesotho. We have long been planning an overseas trip so if that happens I will time it with a race!
6 – Increase Strength and Core Training. I would like to commit to two days a week of strength training. I have to a large extent neglected strength training and I just know that my weak glutes can only carry me so far. With five Half Marathons to run, I will need to be extremely committed to getting stronger. I will also continue with my bi-weekly classes of pilates which I know makes me a stronger and more balanced runner.
7 – Focus on Nutrition and Lose 6 kg. I managed to lose 5 kg in 3 months when training for Soweto as I really improved my eating habits. I plan to use My Fitness Pal app again this year and hopefully I can manage another (and final) 6 kg.
8 – Sleep More. I don’t get enough sleep which ultimately wears me down and makes running and blogging difficult. I would like to commit to getting eight hours of sleep a night. I sleep well when I sleep but I tend to sleep too late which is what I need to work on.
9 – Blog More Consistently. I am pleased with what I have been able to put up this year – I moved away from just doing training and race recaps to doing a bit more analytical and reflective pieces. But I have not been consistent and tend to have some dry spells which is not good for increasing and maintaining readership. Let me commit to blogging twice a week and having a greater presence on social media.
10 – Give Back. Running has given me so much. And I would love to give back by either volunteering at a race or a park run. I still have to work on some ideas but if I could also organise sponsorship for ten young women to race that would be awesome.
Do you set goals for the New Year? What are some of your running and fitness goals? Any dream races you would like to conquer this year?
I am joining Coach Debbie Runs, Train with Marc, and Crazy Running Girl for the Coaches’ Corner Link Up! I am also linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup!
The Gaborone Runner 
You have some very ambitious and wonderful goals for 2019. I love that you have included giving back in your list. Your “Run the Berg” goal is intriguing to me. I have a friend who tried to do Comrade’s Marathon in South Africa but missed one of the time cut-offs (at about 40 miles). I would love to visit the country and this race seems more my style. I love trail racing. Maybe I will give it a try!
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Thank you Laurie!
The Comrades is definitely one of the toughest races I know. I think you would love some of the trail races in South Africa. They have some quite spectacular and extraordinary ones. For information on Run the Berg, go to http://www.runtheberg.co.za There is also quite a popular one called the Cape Ultra Trail – http://www.ultratrailcapetown.com – Physically demanding, beautiful scenery. Also, Cape Town and Table Mountain are just real “bucket list” items, LOL! Also, http://www.klipspringerchallenge.co.za – this is done in the Augrabies Falls National Park. I think all websites provide quite a bit of information. So many more but these are the three that come to mind at the moment.
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Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely check them out.
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I don’t get near as much sleep as I’d like to either. I need to work on that for 2019 as well. Good luck reaching your goals!
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Thank you Lacey! Good luck with your sleeping goal too! 🙂
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I’m with you on the blogging consistently thing. I was doing okay but then I let other things get in the way and it’s just so easy to skip out. That’s one of my 2019 goals too. I’m trying to carry a notebook with me so I can jot down ideas when I get them – that’s part of my problem. I have ideas and promptly forget them all when I sit down in front of the computer. lol
I think 5 half-marathons sounds totally doable! You have them all spaced out pretty well, too! And, because you’ll have such a strong base, training should be relatively easy and enjoyable! 🙂
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I’m going to steal your notebook idea! I think another thing I can do is to write or work on multiple posts at once and kind of line them up. That way when things get busy there is always a post I can pull out and publish.
Thanks for the vote of confidence about the 5 half marathons. I am a bit nervous as I love extended breaks after each Half but with 5 to do I can’t really afford to take too long breaks!
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That’s a good idea with the multiple posts. I’ve done that occasionally when the ideas are flowing freely. In fact, I’m starting to do a couple of those now. I think we’re on the same wavelength. 🙂
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For your overseas’ race planning, have a look at Phil Hewitt’s books. He has some good ones in his. There’s also another one that I can’t find because I can’t remember the name of the book or the author, but in honor of the 2012 London Olympics, he ran a race in every city or country that hosted a marathon. Fun read too.
I love your goals. We are the same person — just a few thousand miles apart 😀 The 15K is my personal favorite
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Thanks for those recommendations Cari! Will definitely check them out! 🙂 We are definitely the same person just a “few thousand miles apart”, LOL!
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Love all of these goals! Sounds like you have put some good thought into it. I think you certainly can hit that 2019 KM goal for the year with all of those half marathons on the horizon! My blogging goal is to get something published at least 3 times a week, and to join a couple of link ups to I can discover some new blogs! I’m going to start with the link up you are sharing. Thanks! 🙂
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I really love linking up as you get to read so many blogs you may otherwise not have known about! There is also so much genuine support that you get from others linking up. You have a great blogging goal – I’m going to start with 2 but hopefully work my way up to 3!
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Great goals. I like the sleep one, too. And they are all achieveable.
Mine are to get my ultra done, and to get my level 2 endurance official licence and my level 1 field official. Go go go!
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Thanks Liz! Your goals are big but definitely achievable! You’ve got this!
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I think you have some awesome goals awaiting your 2019 adventures! It’s been so fun to follow you along this year; all the races and PB’s have been amazing!!
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Thank you Kimberly! I just have to work on keeping the momentum going!
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wow you have some amazing goals for this year! and I’m certain with training and determination you can definitely achieve them! I too want to break my records, which are all from 2015. I know it’s a lofty goal but I want it and I’m choosing it so that means I’m going for it!
I would love to run two races on the continent but too far away for you I think. In Rwanda they have a half and a full in April I think? I have been to Rwanda and would LOVE to go back – any race there is going to be challenging though (still I’d love to try). I’d also love to one day do the Ile-Ife Heritage Marathon in Nigeria – I have a dear friend there who is marathon crazy so I’d love to not only see her but also participate in the race together!
my dream race is Chicago Marathon and I’M IN so that’s the highlight. And I’m already training for the other distances and my race calendar is ridiculously full…
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I love that you are aiming to break your 2015 records and your attitude is brilliant – it’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind to something! I am going to be supporting you all the way to those PBs. And you are in Chicago Marathon!! Now that is going to be such a fantastic experience whatever the outcome.
I did some work in Rwanda in 2009 and it was such an amazing experience. Racing there would be incredible. Visiting a new country where these is a “marathon crazy” friend is always a huge bonus!! If you are into trail running then also look at South Africa where they have some incredible trail race options.
Well, here is to a fantastic 2019!! We are going to smash our goals, I just know it!
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That is a great list, Shathiso! You set some ambitious goals, but it sounds like your mindset is there to make it happen!
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Thank you San! Don’t know how I missed responding to this comment – a year on I’m assessing how well I did on these goals. Some areas were big wins, and some didn’t quite work out but I’m quite pleased with what I achieved!
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