How did you pick your goals/training?

[vanillahip]

I am completely ADD, I don't know what to do next. I officially hit my sub30 5k goal and I just can't pick which direction to take now!

Start working on a 10k?
Focus on my yoga?
Focus on lifting?
Work toward a sub28 5k?
(All of the above are things that I'm really interested in) I just don't have the time to try to focus on more than one.

So how do you pick what to do next? I really need to focus because I feel like I have barely any progress in any area because of my ADD bouncing around. Also re: the running goals, any ideas for cheaper training plans than RW? I just can't see shelling out $20-30 each, I'm way too cheap for that!

[ebeth]

there are tons of free training plans. you can even get free training plans through RW smartcoach.

[pamela]

My current goal was inspired by seeing an ad for a race over the bridge that I run under all the time. I thought it would be cool to do so I set it as my goal. It's 10k. After that, I haven't decided yet if I want to try to train for a HM or stick with shorter running and more cross-training/weight loss/lifting. A big part of it will be the time commitment.

[finallykrisb]

Peer pressure. I have very persuasive friends.

[gt7301b]

I usually stick to running goals and let the strength training and yoga follow. I also run more in the spring and fall. My current goals are:

Sub 2 hr half
Sub 1:30 10 miler (was 1:32, ran a 1:30:48 two weekends ago and have one more 10 miler this spring)
sub 25:00 5k (was 25:30, got that this weekend)... new goal will be sub 25:00

April/May/June are good racing months around here. So I plan to do more running. Once it stars getting hotter I plan to focus more on the strength training and yoga because 1) there are fewer races 2) it is too hot to log a ton of miles.

I have been using Pete Pfitzinger's book, "Road Racing for Serious Runners" and it has had two substantial PRs this season.

[soveryexcited]

It seems like I pick goals late at night with a beer in one hand. Or at least that is how I ended up signing up for my two races. I had been running about three months when I signed up for a 10k to have something to work towards. A couple months ago (same scenario) I signed up for my first half in April. I'm going to have to be SUPER tipsy if I ever get crazy enough to sign up for a full.

[soveryexcited]

Oh and for me I always felt a better sense of accomplishment the further I ran so that was why I went for further distances and not time necessarily. :-) My times have gotten shorter though with the longer the distance I'm running.

[Wines Not Whines]

I was inspired to start running by a relative who runs longer distances, so my goals have always been endurance-running related. My first-ever race was a 10-miler. I ran a marathon the following year. For years, I just focused on running longer distances, but I didn't really improve my speed. I thought it would be too much effort (maybe even impossible) for me to get much faster. But now I know that's not true, and it just takes effort and dedicated training to improve speed. So my goal for this year is to improve my 5k, 10k, and half marathon times.