Studies have shown that the more specific your goals, the better. I’ve mentioned that I’m going to be running in a marathon next month. I’ve decided to set myself a specific, measurable goal for that event:
I want to complete my 5k in under 30 minutes.
There, I said it out loud, and you heard me. Now that you know about it, I feel even more motivated to accomplish it (because I just know you’re watching me, waiting to see how I do). 
That’s another thing: apparently, it helps to tell other people about your goals – keeps you on track, keeps you honest. (That’s actually a big motivation behind this blog.)
So, what’s my plan? Well, last week I ran 5k in 37 minutes: that’s 7:24 per kilometer. To run 5k in 30 minutes, I’d have to run 6:00 per kilometer. I have roughly six weeks till the race, which means I need to reduce my pace by 14 seconds per kilometer every week:
| Week | Goal Pace | Goal Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:10 | 35:50 |
| 2 | 6:56 | 34:40 |
| 3 | 6:42 | 33:30 |
| 4 | 6:28 | 32:20 |
| 5 | 6:14 | 31:10 |
| 6 | 6:00 | 30:00 |
How am I going to accomplish this herculean feat? Fartlek.
So, how will you measure your goals?