setting goals?

is it better to make goals in terms of times (ie i want to run a 5:30 mile) or just focus on enjoying running and running good tactical races?
i feel like i will always be disappointed if i have time-goals and they make me forget to enjoy myself, but at the same time they're so damn fun to set.

how do you guys make your goals? and how realistic do you make them?

i think its good to set time goals, an then make the other thing a way of obtaining them.

i always set mine high cuz i always seem to suprise myself later in the season

i definetly set goals.

I set goals but I always seem to break them in the first couple weeks and then never set new ones. I'll set them higher this year.

i set goals too.
a lot of times i'll keep them to myself though.
i don't want to go around telling a bunch of people just in case i don't meet them...

i like to set time goals. i normally set goals like by the end of the season i'll get this time... i usually break them before the end of the season though so then i just set new ones. i set mine pretty high.

This goes with goals pretty well. So my coach wants me to make a commintment statement that has our goals and stuff but also things that we are or aren't willing to do to get there. Anyone do something similar or have any ideas?

Time goals that are realistic but still challenging.

i dont think i've ever accomplished any of my running related goals lol.

actually, i cant remember accomplishing any of the goals i make >.<

I usually get close, but then something bad happens at the end of the season. But set them, it makes you happy when you break them.

I love setting goals. I like to set them at a point where I probably won't achieve them right away but they're not unrealistic at all; it makes me work my hardest to break them or at least get close to them. My current goal is to smash my track PRs and be right up there with the others.
And hannah, that has to be the coolest course I've ever seen.

i set high time goals.

I usually set goals by times . . . I think they're kinda realistic, but I sometimes fall a little short

njrunner14 wrote:And hannah, that has to be the coolest course I've ever seen.

+1. My course goes through water but everyone hops on the rocks that stick out.

thank you guys for all of the responses
the course wasn't actually made like that- the lake in the picture used to be a soccer field, but then it rained for 3 days straight before the meet. it was pretty epic though.

very epic. my school and our surrounding areas are such wimps that if a course looked like that, the meet would be cancelled. I have yet to run through water during a race.