With Coach Alexa, Online Running Coach and in-person coaching in South Oxfordshire
Hi team at We Run. It’s Coach Alexa here, online running coach at We Run.
I’ve been thinking a lot, as running coaches do at this time of year, about goals for 2026. I’ll be excited to see in the comments if you’ve got any running-related goals. They might be races. They might be times. They might be more enjoyment. They might be exploring a different type of terrain or distance for the first time. Let us know in the comments what you’re up to.
If you need any help with building up your training towards those, do reach out to either myself or Coach Kelvin. We can help and assist you where needed with additional coaching services if required.
Picking Running Goals That Fit Your Life
One of the things I talk a lot to my runners about, when they’re thinking of picking goals, is that it’s very easy to pick a race or a distance or something like that. They can be great goals to work towards, but it’s also important to think about what training is involved in working towards those goals.
Considering the Training Time Required
Marathon training and longer race training, particularly as we go up into ultras, take up quite a lot of time. There’s a decent amount of time on the feet accumulated throughout the week, particularly in the longer runs.
That’s something to bear in mind. Are you going to have, in that final two-month build-up to a longer race, the time available to do those longer training sessions?
Matching Goals to the Training You Enjoy
Do you enjoy speed work a little bit more, or do you not enjoy speed work? If you’re looking to improve, for example, your 5K or 10K time, speed work is probably going to be a reasonable aspect to focus on in your training. Is it something you enjoy and want to do more of?
It’s useful to think about this because the races, the goals, the events, or whatever non-race or event goals you might have in mind are great. But actually, we spend the majority of our time doing the training for them, not the thing itself. It’s important to bear in mind what that training involves.
Support With Your 2026 Running Goals
If it’s ever useful to chat to myself or Coach Kelvin about any of that, to get a sense of what the training might involve, or how we can help with our coaching services to build towards that, just give us a shout or pop your thoughts in the comments.
What races are you doing? What non-race running goals do you have for 2026? I’d be really excited to hear what you’re working towards.
Happy running.
