Alice Carter - Head of Healthier Communities
Running started off as a casual interest when I took part in the local Lincoln 10k event in 2013 to celebrate finishing University. However, it is fair to say the endorphin hit of lacing up my trainers and pounding the streets took hold of me very quickly after this. I have now countless races under my belt - including 11 marathons - never miss a Saturday morning at Lincoln park run, and am a volunteer Run Leader at a running club I helped to establish.
As my commitment to running has grown so has my desire to seek out and achieve new goals, particularly over marathon distance. There have been triumphs and of course moments when I have fallen short.
Look at the photo of me finishing the London Marathon in 2017 – in this race I finally achieved my goal of running a sub-4-hour marathon and the explosion of emotion I felt running down The Mall knowing I had succeeded was simply euphoric. My current marathon personal best was set at Sydney Marathon when I ran 3hrs 40mins – the finish photo shows me head in hands, disbelief and joy running simultaneously through my body. At Peterborough Marathon in 2021 I ran a qualifying time to secure me a guaranteed place in the 2022 London Marathon, which was a huge personal goal of mine. This finish photo shows me about to burst into tears at the finish line, overcome with pride.
That’s the good side of achieving a goal! I have also had moments I would not want to relive again. Manchester Marathon in 2016 stands out. I did not run well at all, and after dedicating months of time and energy to training, at the time it felt soul-destroying. The photo of me finishing tells a different story. It took some time for me to come to terms with the race, but I managed to reflect on the experience, learn from what did not go to plan, and celebrate the successes that were there. I may not have achieved my goal, but I had committed to training, completed another marathon, shown determination to not give up despite it not going to plan, and my mind and body were stronger for overcoming the setback.
My advice when looking to set goals is therefore to;
Remember you are human; sometimes you will fail and it will hurt, but each setback means the times when you do succeed will feel even more memorable.