5 Ways to Jump-Start Your Training Before 2016

Whether your 2015 races went well or not, it’s time to start thinking ahead to new objectives. But before you become too giddy about how fast you’re going to run in 2016, implement some of these strategies to avoid common mistakes, and jump-start your training in the new year.

1. Review your year, and set new (and appropriate) goals

Before you set goals for the year ahead, make sure you’re doing it right. “They need to look into the past before they create this plan for the future,” says Bobby McGee, a longtime running coach and performance adviser for USA Triathlon.

To review your year, you have to first know what you did. That’s why the best athletes keep logs, whether it’s an old-fashioned journal or one of the many apps available for mobile devices.

Look over your past year’s log and ask yourself, “Did I do the things to set myself up for success?” says Steve Magness, author of “The Science of Running.” Be brutally honest with your assessments. Where did you fall short? Where did you excel? Did you achieve what you set out to?

Only after answering those questions should you start setting “challenging but realistic” goals, explains Trent Stellingwerff, head of innovation and research for the Canadian Sport Institute.

Stellingwerff makes his athletes create two sets of goals: the ones they could achieve if all the stars align, and then the realistic ones that they hit about 80 percent of the time. He also has them focus on process goals, not results. If you set a goal to win a certain race, but an Olympian shows up, then you may not meet your goal despite doing everything right. Instead, focus on the steps you can take and what you can control. These are what he calls SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.

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