Running in 2022

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2022 saw me run my fastest half marathon and marathon, but I struggled with a lack of running goals toward the end of the year.

A collage of me running 3 different races.
Me running in 2022.

A year of no goals

In my 2021 running recap post, I said goal setting was going to take a pause in 2022. 


I strategically set my previous running goals to get through difficult times, so I wanted to just enjoy getting through 2022 with no set goals.

Here's how that went.

A year of PBs

I didn't set goals, but I ended up getting new personal best times for both the half marathon and marathon distance.

I was quite shocked at my half marathon PB. I hadn't done any special training or prep for it. I ran a 10 mile race the month before, but other than that, I hadn't run more than about 10k in my regular schedule.

Me in a USA flag themed running outfit while running the Edinburgh Half Marathon along Portobello Prom.
An unexpected half marathon PB in Edinburgh.

But as I said in my recap, personal circumstances contributed to me feeling light on my feet.

A little more than a month after the half marathon, I started training for my second marathon with my boyfriend, John (for his first marathon).

I had hoped to break my marathon time from Manchester in 2021, and training with John helped me do that - by an amazing 17 minutes - at Yorkshire Marathon.

Me in a USA flag themed running outfit running next to John in an orange shirt.
John and me in the first half of the Yorkshire Marathon.

At the Edinburgh Half, it felt like the hardest I'd ever run. At Yorkshire, I spent the last few miles feeling like this race was mine.

You can really feel a PB when it's happening. 

So 2022 has cause for celebrating these successes.

A year of few races

2022 didn't come with a lot of races. I never planned for it to, but it is surprising to think I only ended up running 5 races in the first full year that races were back on following the start of Covid.

It didn't feel like I was lacking in races, though. Well, I did feel a bit antsy at the start of the year, but it was a busy time for me and can't say I fancy winter races.

But once I kicked things off with Scurry Along the Esk, I felt like I had things to keep looking forward to.


I got to run a 5k in my hometown in June.


In August, I ran what felt like a bucket-list race, 16 miles through the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.


Me smiling running along a rocky path in the Yorkshire Dales.
Happily running through the Yorkshire Dales.

And while not a race, marathon training all through summer kept me busy and focused.  

I need goals

After Yorkshire Marathon, I could feel that focus I had on running vanish. 

It's not that I've stopped running. In fact, I'm running more than I thought I would post-marathon. 

That mainly has to do with signing up for the Marathon Pour Tous app. 

This is an app part of the Pairs 2024 Olympics, where they will be holding a marathon open to the public. For a chance to win a place, you have to complete challenges set by the app.

Will I win a place? Probably not. But the app is ensuring I get out running regularly. 

Despite this, I don't feel like I'm aiming toward anything at the moment.

This feeling extends beyond running. I don't feel like I have any real goal I'm working toward.

I said a year ago I didn't want a goal because I was happy. Turns out, it doesn't matter that life is better. I need goals whether life is going well or not.

I need to feel like I'm working toward something.

A non-running goal for 2023

With all that said, sounds like I'm about to announce my running goal for 2023, right?

Sorry to say, I don't have one! I had a thought about what my goal for 2023 could be, and the thing that came to mind wasn't running-related.

I'll announce that goal on my Medium site at the start of the year. 

What I hope for in 2023 and beyond

I do have things I would like to achieve in running, though.

Depending on logistics of how the year goes, I would like to run another marathon.

I also want to set a 5k PB at a race. My fastest 5k time is currently from a random run I did once in Edinburgh.

I want to set a PB at a race, and I'd prefer that race to be in Northern Ireland. Why? Because my marathon PB was set in England, half in Scotland, and 10k in Wales. I want my PBs spread around the UK.

I'm not aiming for that goal to happen in 2023 necessarily. I don't want to go out of my way to look for 5k races. But it's on the list.

Finally, I want to run some cool races. Ones I have to travel to and have an interesting selling point for me. I haven't booked any of those yet, but I have some in mind.

So while running isn't where I'm setting my main goal for 2023, I'm looking forward to what running adventures will come in the new year.





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