Jake's New Year Goal Setting

As we enter 2026, it is important to look back at 2025, evaluate the year, and then set goals for 2026.

I think this is important as it allows us to look at what worked for us, what didn’t work as we expected, and what we want to get out of the new year.

For myself, I would evaluate:

•⁠  ⁠What went well in 2025?

•⁠  ⁠What am I proud of?

•⁠  ⁠What do I wish I had achieved, but didn’t?

•⁠  ⁠What did I learn from my mistakes?

I would then ask myself:

•⁠  ⁠What do I want to achieve in 2026?

•⁠  ⁠What am I going to implement into this year?

•⁠  ⁠Is there anything I want to avoid/do less of this year?

•⁠  ⁠What is on my 2026 bucket list (this doesn’t just have to be fitness related)?!

When I think of goals I set out to achieve in 2026, I make them so ambitious they almost scare me - this is how we grow! I then break them down into smaller milestones along the way to keep myself on-track, and to evaluate my training along the way to make sure it is working.

For example, let’s say I had set the goal of a sub 4 hour marathon in June. I would then structure some races between now and then to show progression and as a marker to show my training is going well. I might book a 10km in February, a half marathon in April, set time goals for these (in line with my goal marathon time) and use these to stay disciplined and hold myself accountable.

I also think it is important to consider:

•⁠  ⁠Do your expectations match your reality? For example, if you want to complete an ironman in March but haven’t got any practice with swimming/cycling, this seems like a big goal very soon. Would it be better to book a sprint triathlon first etc

•⁠  ⁠Are your goals big enough to challenge you? If you’re setting the goal of running a half marathon but you already know you can do it, this isn’t really going to push you/challenge you. Would it be better to book a bigger run that would really push you.

•⁠  ⁠Are you setting these goals because they’re important to you, or because other people are doing them? It’s so easy to get sucked into what we see everyone else doing on social media, but if you’re not passionate about your goals you will soon find out - when your training gets really tough and motivation is low, this is when you’ll realise how important your goals are to you.

Whatever your goals are and whatever is important to you - write them down, make time for them in your diary, make a commitment to yourself to achieve them and see what you can do! We are heading into a new year and you can do whatever you want with it - let’s make it a good one!