A goal is the carrot to your proverbial horse. It keeps you moving forward and allows you to monitor your progress. Progress towards a goal is motivating in and of itself, thus starting a virtuous cycle where every little accomplishment further inspires you.
Before you pick a goal for 2022, how do you know what constitutes a good one? A good goal should be:
Realistic and meaningful
Wanting to climb Mt. Everest may be meaningful if you love the mountains, but the cost, risk and time commitment may make it unrealistic (OK, very unrealistic). Climbing to the top of Mt. Whitney, on the other hand, may be possible with lots of training and planning. And nothing says big goal like scaling the tallest peak in the continental U.S. The same theory holds true for running-specific goals.