In addition to my singular New Year’s resolution, I also made a few running goals for the year.
According to Strava, my running numbers from 2023 were:
- Distance
- 720.1 mi
- Time
- 133h 34m
- Elevation gain
- 47,579 ft
- Activities
- 184
Year Goals
Given that, my 2024 goals are:
- STAY HEALTHY
- Participate in the Atlanta Track Club Grand Prix Series
- 721 miles
- 134 hours
- 47,580 feet of elevation gain
- 184 runs
The first one is the biggest one. I haven’t had a year where I’ve avoided being sidelined for injuries since 2019. The Grand Prix series is a lot of fun, so I look forward to doing that again this year.
The volume goals are very modest: just rounded up numbers of what I did last year. If I can run for a whole year without major time off for injury, these volume goals should happen without problem. I don’t want any ambitious volume goals to compromise that first goal.
Monthly Volume Goals
I calculated the yearly volume goals into monthly volume goals:
| Month | Miles | Hours | Elevation gain (ft) | Activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 10 | 3,548 | 14 |
| Feb | 55 | 11 | 3,619 | 14 |
| Mar | 56 | 11 | 3,691 | 15 |
| Apr | 58 | 11 | 3,765 | 15 |
| May | 59 | 11 | 3,840 | 15 |
| Jun | 60 | 12 | 3,917 | 16 |
| Jul | 61 | 12 | 3,996 | 16 |
| Aug | 62 | 12 | 4,076 | 16 |
| Sep | 63 | 12 | 4,157 | 17 |
| Oct | 65 | 12 | 4,240 | 17 |
| Nov | 66 | 13 | 4,325 | 17 |
| Dec | 67 | 13 | 4,411 | 18 |
| Year totals | 726 | 140 | 47,585 | 190 |
The goals increase month to month with a consistent percent increase. Given my year-long goal and my starting running volume, it’s a 2% increase each month.
Weekly Volume Goals
And then I calculated the monthly volume goals into weekly volume goals:
| Month | Miles/wk | Minutes/wk | Elevation gain/wk (ft) | Activities/wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 136 | 802 | 4 |
| Feb | 14 | 160 | 874 | 4 |
| Mar | 13 | 150 | 834 | 4 |
| Apr | 14 | 154 | 879 | 4 |
| May | 14 | 150 | 868 | 4 |
| Jun | 14 | 168 | 914 | 4 |
| Jul | 14 | 163 | 903 | 4 |
| Aug | 14 | 163 | 921 | 4 |
| Sep | 15 | 168 | 970 | 4 |
| Oct | 15 | 163 | 958 | 4 |
| Nov | 16 | 182 | 1,010 | 4 |
| Dec | 16 | 177 | 1,997 | 5 |
| Year totals | 749 | 140h | 47,624 | 213 |
Because of the variance in days per month, there’s a bit of back and forth on small units like minutes/wk and elevation/wk. And February gets some extra each week, but it’s not as bad since it’s a leap year!
The runs/wk units rounded up lead to an overshoot on that goal, but that’s fine. Wiggle room is okay.
Thoughts and feelings
I feel good about these numbers. As I mentioned, so long as I stay healthy, these are achievable. I only make these volume goals because Strava has a way to do it, but I’ll enjoy seeing them complete as the year goes by. Though, it will require some management as each month the monthly and weekly goals shift.
But first and foremost: stay healthy.