How to Train Without an End Goal

As races started being canceled this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we heard the collective groan from runners and cyclists who were working towards their next (or their first) big race. Among them was Peloton instructor Selena Samuela.

“I qualified for the Boston Marathon last summer when I raced my first 26.2 in Canada,” she says. “I was beyond psyched to do it in Boston and I legitimately cried when I got the news that we wouldn’t be running the race in person.”

But instead of ditching her entire training program once her end goal was no longer feasible, Selena simply took a step back, reevaluated her workouts, and moved forward with a new fitness goal in mind. Here’s how you can do the same.

Step 1: Figure Out Your Motivation

With your race off the table, the first thing to do is to carefully consider your reasons for training in the first place. “Ask yourself, why are you doing this workout? Why do you want to work out?” suggests Selena. “Is it to maintain your fitness? To improve functional movements? For your mental health? Just to feel good? When you answer that, it will become clearer what your approach should be.”

Step 2: Focus On Smaller Goals

Once you understand your motivations, you can identify the components of that goal that may have fallen by the wayside during your race training and turn your focus to those. “Maybe your half marathon pace is too close to your full marathon pace, so your goal could be to work on speed and get your mile time faster,” Selena suggests. “Or maybe your hips are tight from cycling and running all the time, so you turn to some more mobility or rotational strength work.” It may not be the sequence you initially planned for your race preparation, but incorporating more strength, mobility and speed work will make you fitter and faster overall.

Step 3: Make It Fun

Selena also recommends thinking about which part of the race experience you’re missing the most and then try recreating it for yourself. “If it’s crossing a metaphorical finish line, create a program for yourself and finish it. If it’s a literal finish line, draw a line on the road at the end of your desired run distance and cross it,” she says. Miss the sense of community you get from a race? Try joining a Peloton group that can keep you accountable and inspired, or sign up for a virtual race. Want to improve your times? Set goals for every run—or branch out to other sports or exercise formats and work on building some new skills. Even if it sounds silly, little actions like this can be enough to maintain your motivation and keep you going. “I’ve been golfing a lot lately (the original social distancing sport!), so my goals have shifted to support my progress in that sport,” Selena says. “I’ve been doing a lot of strength training, with a big focus on glutes and legs and core, and a lot of mobility work as well.”

And remember: Be kind to yourself during this process. Your new training plan should help keep you motivated, not give you a reason to stress. “When races are back on, I’ll get back on a plan to support crossing the finish line strong,” Selena says. “But for now, my goal is to stay sane, maintain some endurance and move my body every day.”

If your goal is to become a faster runner, these Tread classes will help you progress.