WHILE new year’s resolutions are not for everyone, Eilish McColgan has admitted that she is a huge fan of setting targets come the turn of the year.

The 29-year-old goes into 2020 with qualification for her third Olympic Games in her sights, and she has revealed that she will make sure that come the 1st of January, she will know exactly what she is aiming for over the next twelve months.

“Every January I write up my goals for the year,” she said.

“It’s something I discuss with my mum and partner, Michael (Rimmer, fellow GB international athlete). Although we set my target times tough, they are times we feel are within my capabilities.

“And it’s never just one goal. As a professional athlete, it’s important to be versatile and really extend yourself across a range of disciplines. An athlete who can run personal bests over several events is a dangerous one in competition and that’s something we strive to achieve.”

And McColgan will not hide her targets away in a drawer, instead, she makes sure she can see them every single day whether she likes it or not.

“These goals are written up on a big bit of paper and stuck to the mirror of my fireplace so that I see them every day,” she said, speaking to the Lindsays website.

“When I’m eating my breakfast on the sofa every morning, doing my hair in the mirror or relaxing in the evening - the times are constantly in my eye line. They sink deep into my subconscious each day.”

McColgan had a successful 2019, becoming British champion in the 5000m, finishing in the top 10 at the World Championships in Doha, setting a new personal best of 14 minutes 46.17 seconds in the process. And her form was highlighted in setting new personal bests over 1000m, 1500m, the mile and the 10,000m as well.

Her tenth-place finish in the 5000m final at the World Championships was the same position she finished at the World Championships two years ago which could, she admits, look like a lack of progress. But that is not remotely close to how she feels about herself and while tenth-place was not, she admits, quite what she wanted, her performance cancelled out any disappointment that may have come from not finishing higher up the field.

“I felt capable of breaking into the top 8 and potentially, the top 6 if I had a cracker of a run,” the Dundee Hawkhill runner said. “Yet I came away with 10th. But I had made huge progress.

“I was not only a faster athlete, but a more confident athlete both physically and mentally. I ran almost 20 seconds faster than two years previous, it’s the perfect example of why we focus on times and what I’m capable of running rather than positions. If you continue to make improvements and knock seconds off your best times - you’re heading in the right direction.”

McColgan has been plagued by injuries in recent years but 2019 has been, she says, best year in terms of being able to train as she would like. All too often in the past, McColgan has been chasing her tail as injuries have interrupted her training but the past twelve months have been a different story.

“2019 has been my most consistent year of training in terms of injury and illness,” she said.

“It’s the first time, in a very long time, when I’ve had brilliant blocks of training back to back. And I came away with personal bests across the board.”