Running with Ron: Setting Goals and Training to Achieve Them
by Ron Appling
When I started running again in 2010, I had to learn how to set my running goals and more importantly how to properly train to achieve these goals. For a lot of runners the ultimate goal is to complete a Full Marathon (26.2 miles) which is a great goal to have but there are a lot of event distances runners need to achieve before making it to the Holy Grail. My blog this month is to help new runners, joggers, and walkers navigate the distances available at events.
1.Setting Your Running Goal
Most new runner’s first goal is a 5K (3.10 miles) which is a great starting point but after that what should be your next distance? There’s a lot more 10K (6.10 miles) at events, then 15K (9.3 miles), and ½ Marathon (13.1 miles). But after that there are very few events that host races of distance between a ½ Marathon and a Full Marathon which is where a lot of runners stop progressing to the ultimate goal. Having a good training plan in place to make this leap in distance.
2. Joining a Running Club or Group
Joining a local Running Club or groups like Moon Joggers helps you find people that have the same goals, same running level, and that have run the distance you are working towards.
3. Ask if others have run in an event you are considering
When deciding which event you are planning to participate in, it is always a good idea to ask past participants via Facebook, other social media outlets, or ask the members of your local running club or groups. It is always good to ask about the numbers of participants, support, and hydration stations.
4. Training for the goal
Once you set your distance goal, talked to people, and selected an event, it is time to train to achieve this goal. To find a training schedule use websites like Runnersworld.com, some event website have training schedules, talk to other runners of your local runners club or running groups. The most important thing you should remember as you are using your training schedule, make adjustments as you see fit to do so. ALWAYS listen to your body and if you don’t feel well or tired, then run a shorter distance or take the day off and don’t try make the miles up that you missed.
I want to give you a real life example that occurred to me this morning (January 12th), I was supposed to run 12 miles but when I got to mile 9, I did not have any more energy after running 47 miles for the week, so I stopped because I did not want to risk an injury if I continued. I did not like stopping with only three miles away from finishing my first 50 mile week but it was the right thing to do.
Always remember this, everyone you look up to as a seasoned or veteran runner had to start somewhere. We all had our first 5K and I hope for those of you that read this blog you find it useful for your training and event running.
Ron Appling,
Proud Moonjogger for Life
Ron Appling lives in Plainview, TX with his wonderful wife Deanna and son Ryne. He is 42 years 
old and has worked for Wayland Baptist University since 2004 as the Director of Human Resources. In 2009, the title of Wellness Manager was added when he was asked to start the university’s Wayland Wellness program. Since the start of this program, Ron has lost 100 lbs in one year and has been able to maintain his weight for over three years, has assisted the university maintain a low cost of medical premiums, and helped a number of employees and their family members live healthier life styles. In order to maintain his healthy life style, Ron enjoys running, cycling, Crossfit training, and participating in a number of running and cycling in events in Texas and New Mexico. You can follow Ron healthy life style on Facebook at Ron Appling.
Carolyn Guhman is a 61 year old, retired insurance agent who is a mother of five and grandmother of six. She lives in suburban New Orleans, LA with her husband, Rick. When health issues forced her into early retirement and severe depression in 2008, she decided it was time to grab the reins of her own life. After a couple of years of trying to figure out where things went wrong and how to set them right,she laced up her shoes, filled out some race registrations, discovered a whole community of helpful people and finally found herself–running. Follow Carolyn on Facebook at
Hi, my name is Christine and I am excited to join the Moon Jogger Fleet’s Voyage to Venus this year. By the time I found Moon Joggers you guys were nearly back from the Moon Voyage. I am an aspiring marathoner and ultrarunner and I think I’ve found just the place to keep me inspired and motivated. I have been an intermittently active person for most of my 46 years, but I’ve never considered myself an athlete. As a middle-aged woman recently returning to and falling in love with running I hope to share how the sport is shaping me physically and mentally.
Stepping out the door this morning for my longest distance yet I thought about all the time I’ve spent on the trails in my neighborhood. The same path along the lake that I pushed my daughter’s stroller for the first time. The same sidewalks around the pond and gazebo that I walked when I felt my heaviest after she was born and so needed the exercise. The same gorgeous oak trees and Spanish moss I’ve taken pictures of over and over these past twelve years since my husband and I moved in as newlyweds. And the same 2.5 mile distance I trained on every morning before my first half marathon last year so I could log my Moon Jogger miles.
But then I realized just how much I’ve changed. I moved so many times as a kid that I never stayed in one place long enough to recognize how different I’d become while my surroundings stayed the same. We moved from place to place and school to school until I started 7th grade so I grew accustomed to new friends, new teachers and new neighborhoods. Through my 20’s it was difficult for me to go from year to year without a fresh clean slate – an adult “do over”. It’s only this secure and stable life that’s given me the opportunity to reflect on all that I’ve learned recently. And many of the lessons from 2013 lead me back to my first year with Moon Joggers. Here are just a few.
ABOUT: Michelle Roberts lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with her husband, Paul, and two children, Ashleigh (10) and Philip (8). She ran her first 5k in October of 2012 and her first half marathon in February of 2013. She was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2001 and maintains a healthy balance without the use of medication thanks to a job she loves, a supportive family, regular exercise, her writing and therapy. A wonderful life of “Both Hills and Valleys”.
