There is something incredibly satisfying about ticking off a goal you’ve been working towards for months.
The early mornings, the tired legs, the workouts you almost skipped, the sacrifices… suddenly they’re all worth it when you cross that finish line.
A couple of years ago my goal was simple: run a 10km before my son’s first birthday.
Not fast.
Not competitively.
Just finish.
At the time it felt huge. After pregnancy, learning to be a mom and trying to rediscover where fitness fit into my new life, completing that first postpartum 10km was exactly the challenge I needed.
(I’ll link that story here if you haven’t read it yet.)
But something interesting happened once I’d achieved it.
I didn’t want to stop.
Goals Need a Successor
One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting goals is treating them as the finish line.
You work towards something for months.
You achieve it.
You celebrate.
…and then you have absolutely no idea what to do next.
Without another target, motivation slowly fades away. Those early morning alarms become easier to snooze, gym sessions become optional and before you know it you’ve drifted back to where you started.
Psychologists often talk about the importance of having meaningful, challenging goals. The best goals don’t just give you something to achieve—they give you a reason to keep showing up.
That’s exactly what happened to me.
Once I had completed that first postpartum 10km, I knew I needed another challenge.
So I picked one that honestly felt a little ridiculous.
Run a 10km in under 60 minutes.
A Goal That Felt Just Out of Reach
Going from simply completing a 10km to running one in under an hour isn’t just a small improvement.
It’s massive.
I’d need to shave roughly 30 minutes off my previous time.
That’s around 30 seconds faster… every single kilometre… for all 10 kilometres.
You can’t fake that kind of improvement.
You can’t rely on race-day adrenaline.
You certainly can’t wing it.
It requires consistency over months and years.
In fact, by the time I line up for this attempt, it’ll have taken almost three years since that first postpartum 10km.
And honestly?
I think that’s exactly how a good goal should feel.
Not impossible.
Just difficult enough that you have to become a better version of yourself to achieve it.
The Best Goals Stretch You
One piece of advice you’ll hear over and over when it comes to goal setting is to make your goals SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
I think that’s great advice.
But I’d add one more requirement.
Your goal should make you just a little bit nervous.
If achieving it feels guaranteed, it’s probably not asking enough of you.
The sweet spot is where success is possible, but only if you consistently put in the work.
Those are the goals that change us.
They force us to learn.
They force us to stay disciplined.
They force us to keep showing up when motivation disappears.
“But Why?”
This is probably the question I get asked most.
“Why would you put yourself through all of that?”
You’re a full-time employee.
You’re a mom to a very busy toddler.
Surely chasing him around counts as enough cardio?
Nope.
And if I’m completely honest…
I’m probably just a little more competitive than I should be.
I’ve already started thinking ahead to future school sports days.
Specifically…
The moms’ race.
I had my son a little later in life than some of the other moms, so technically I’ll already have age working against me.
Which means I need every advantage I can get.
Am I joking?
A little.
Am I also completely serious?
Absolutely.
There is nothing wrong with having a fun, slightly ridiculous reason for pursuing a goal.
Whether it’s standing on a podium, finishing your first parkrun, hiking a mountain, fitting into an old pair of jeans or, apparently, preparing years in advance for a moms’ race…
If it gets you excited enough to train consistently, then it’s a worthwhile goal.
What I’m Doing Differently
A goal without a plan is just wishful thinking.
So if I’m asking my body to run 10 kilometres at a pace it’s never held before, my training has to reflect that.
I’m Stacking Consistent Runs
I’ve been building a solid base of 7–12km runs.
I want 10km to feel familiar.
By the time race day arrives, I don’t want the distance to be intimidating.
I want to know exactly how my body feels at 8km.
I want to know what’s left in the tank.
And if I’m a few seconds behind schedule, I want the confidence to know I can still find another gear.
Confidence isn’t built on race day.
It’s built in all the training sessions beforehand.
I’m Training for Speed, Not Just Distance
Running isn’t only about your heart and lungs.
Your legs have to keep up with the plan too.
That’s why my strength training has become far more intentional.
Instead of simply lifting weights to “get stronger,” every exercise has a purpose.
(I’ll link my Speed Strength Programme here if you’re interested in following something similar.)
One of the biggest focuses has been single-leg strength.
When you think about it, running is really just thousands of controlled single-leg hops from one foot to the other.
Each leg has to be strong enough to absorb force, stabilise the body and produce power independently.
If one leg is weaker than the other, eventually something has to compensate.
That’s where niggles, inefficient running and injuries often creep in.
I’ve also included plenty of explosive movements.
Jumping upwards.
Jumping forwards.
Even jumping down.
Yes… down!
Every stride you take while running creates impact forces that your muscles, tendons and joints need to absorb before pushing you into the next stride.
If I can prepare my body for those forces in training, race day becomes that little bit easier.
Then there’s something many runners forget entirely.
Side-to-side movement.
I fully intend on running forwards for all 10 kilometres…
But my knees, hips and ankles experience plenty of lateral forces every single stride.
Adding side-to-side movements into strength sessions helps prepare those joints for the demands they’ll experience over thousands of steps.
Strong runners aren’t just strong in one direction.
The Mental Battle
Here’s the funny thing.
Physically, I think I’m getting close.
Mentally?
That’s still the biggest challenge.
Can I actually run a sub-60 10km?
According to Strava’s AI race predictions…
Apparently I can.
Thanks, technology.
Do I know people who can comfortably run under 60 minutes?
Yes.
Have I shamelessly recruited them to pace me?
Also yes.
As someone who grew up playing team sports, I’ve always believed you’re only ever as strong as your weakest link.
On race day…
That weakest link might very well be me.
But that’s okay.
Because it also means I’ve chosen my team well.
Having experienced runners around me who know the pace, know when to encourage me and know when to tell me to stop making excuses could make all the difference.
Sometimes asking for help isn’t a weakness.
It’s one of the smartest strategies you can use.
Your Goal Doesn’t Have to Be My Goal
Maybe a sub-60 10km sounds impossible to you.
Maybe it sounds easy.
Neither matters.
The point isn’t the number.
The point is finding a goal that makes you excited to train.
One that stretches you just beyond your comfort zone.
One that makes you slightly nervous.
One that requires months of consistent work.
One that transforms you long before you ever achieve it.
Because if your goals never ask you to grow, they’re probably too small.
The Countdown Is On
The attempt is officially happening on 26 September at the Durban Sunrise Run.
(I’ll add the race entry link here if you’d like to join me.)
Will I run under 60 minutes?
We’ll soon find out.
One thing I do know is this…
Even if I fall a minute short, I’ll be a far stronger runner than I was when I first dared to write this goal down.
And that’s the funny thing about ambitious goals.
Sometimes the person you become while chasing them is worth far more than the finish time itself.
Update coming 27 September… hopefully with a very big smile and a very fast finish time.
