An Exercise in Setting Goals

6 years ago

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This article is meant to serve as an exercise. The goal is to help you get to the core of why it is you train and race, and then use those reasons to develop a comprehensive set of goals. Let’s begin.

You will need a piece of paper and a pen (not a tablet or keyboard please). Studies show that writing down information with a pen and paper is more effective than typing.1

PART 1: Setting Your Goals

What is/are your goal(s)?

Please write down your answer(s) before you proceed with the rest of this exercise.

What was your answer?

What’s your “A” or priority race/event this season?

Write down a list of all races for this season?

What races would you want to ultimately tick off your list longterm?

PART 2: Finding the Why

The most important step: The “why” is the real question that needs to be answered before moving forward.2

Why do you race? What’s behind your motivation to train, to race, to strive for a goal?

This “why” can lead us to other goals we have. Long term goals such as health, strength, balance, challenge – goals that aren’t necessarily races.

By finding reasons other than an actual races, we may find the real reasons underneath our motivation to race and to train. We can remind ourselves of these reasons when it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning, or when we want to stay up later, or when we want to eat a second helping of dessert. The “why” helps us return to ourselves and remind us of what we value as an individual. The “why” brings us to our own authenticity which we can rely on training day after training day, race after race.

I challenge you to sit down by yourself and write – yes, write again with a pen and paper – the reasons why you race.

Take your time and look back at your note the next day. Add to it if you need. Look back at your reasons in a week, in a month, throughout your training season, before your races and after the season ends. Edit and adjust until it’s true and authentic to you, discover who you are and why you train and race.

PART 3: Goal Setting 101

Research shows we most successfully accomplish our goals when we set S.M.A.R.T goals. 345

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Results Oriented

Time Specified

Take both your near term season goals and your long term goals and define them in each element of S.M.A.R.T

PART 4: Evaluating Your Goals

What are your goals for this season?

Will these goals give you a sense of accomplishment?
Why did you pick a particular “A” race this season?
What do you want to accomplish at that race?
How you will achieve that goal?
How many races did you pick?
How many A races do you plan to race in one season?
What will make you feel accomplished for this season?
What are your ultimate goals?
What race or distance race do you want to ultimately complete?
When do you want to do that race?
Why did you choose that race?
What do you want to accomplish by racing that particular race?
What do you ultimately want to accomplish in your discipline?
What will make you feel a sense of accomplishment in your discipline?

Are your goals realistic?

Think critically through your goals until they align with what’s realistic for you.
Do you have the available hours required to train most weeks?
If you set a discipline specific time(finishing) goal, how close are you to your goal pace/speed?
Have you built the necessary level of fitness to achieve your goals in the time allotted?
Should your near term goal be moved to a longer term goal to provide time for improved fitness?

Are your goals actually goals?

Make the distinction between action-oriented goals and performance goals. Action oriented goals are not really goals, they are objectives that can help you reach your goals.6
Setting a PR marathon time is a performance goal.
Running four days a week is an objective or action-oriented goal.

Have you set a controllable goal?7

I want to PR: Controllable.
I want to place 1st: Uncontrollable.
I want to follow my nutrition plan: Controllable.
I want to beat my friend: Uncontrollable.
Are your goals outcome based or processed based?

Are your goals outcome based or processed based? Mix in both for success. 689

Example of outcome based goals:

Personal Record
Peak Pace
Best Personal Finish

Examples of process based goals:

Stay confident. I will adjust my plan according to what comes my way race day.
Maintain mental strength. I will say my mantra hourly throughout the race.

What is your real goal?

Your real goal should be what gets you excited!
Take time to really discover what’s important to you.

What is your secret goal?9 Answer this question out loud, on paper, AND tell your coach.

When you reach your stated goals but not your secret goals you set yourself up for disappointment.
If your stated goal was “to do my best”, but your secret goal was to beat your friend, you may feel disappointed even if you did your best at the race but didn’t beat your friend.
If your stated goal was to PR at your “A” race, and your secret goal was to podium, then you can feel upset even if you PR’d because you didn’t make top 3 in your age group.

PART 5: Plan Your Objectives

What is required to meet your goal?

Plan a training schedule/approach. Include how many hours you can actually devote to training.
Specify which days are best for which types of workouts. ie. long rides/runs, indoor sessions, off days, etc
Enlist the help of a coach.
Pick a training approach that works for you. Make sure it accommodates your schedule, availability, and your body’s response to volume, intensity and load.
Evaluate your overall schedule as it relates to your goals.

Evaluate your sleep.

How many hours of sleep do you get each night?
Is this enough to elicit recovery for your required training load?
Is there room for improvement?
What can/should you do to make sleep a priority if it’s not already?

View your nutrition with the same importance you view your training.

Log your hydration as ounces of water consumed each day.
When do you eat during the day?
What do you eat during the day?
Evaluate what nutrients and calorie densities will optimize your training load and training times. Periodize nutrition in the same way you periodize your training. Optimal fueling elicits optimal performance.

What are your other obligations?

How much time is consumed by family, work, and friends?
Do you need to make any adjustments?
Do you have support from those areas in reaching your goals?
Have you established support from a training group, friend(s) and coach?

PART 6: Best Practices

To help achieve your goals follow these practices: 4,10

Have accountability and support.

Do you have a coach? A coach serves not only to deliver a program, but to give you regular feedback, analyze your workouts, and prepare you individually for your events. They also serve as a primary support network to help you navigate the inevitable highs and lows of training.
Do you have a training partner?
A training club?
Do you have buy-in and support from your family and friends?

Adjust your plan as needed.

During training AND racing. Nothing is set in stone! The best plans are designed with flexibility in mind.
Channel Gumby. Be flexible but stay committed!

Plan for obstacles.

Injury
Family responsibilities
Work commitments
Travel – Work and family
Stress induced down time

Keep a training log.

Research shows that those who log their training and comment about training sessions are more consistent in training and successful in reaching their goals. Tools such as TrainingPeaks provide a platform to not only log your training, but also allow you and your coach to track both qualitative and quantitative metrics related to life and training.

Rely on the process.

Life is not a straight line and no journey follows a straight road.
Trust your course, and accept the changes that come with it.

Celebrate!

Remember, when you do reach your goals celebrate your accomplishments before setting new goals. Don’t move to quickly from one goal to the next. Take time to enjoy your victories, big or small, and take time between goals to work through the process outlined above.

Start with “Why” and everything else will follow. The deeper meaning behind training, racing, and setting aggressive goals has to be discovered to enable you to ride the wave of emotions that comes at any level of training. The process outlined here is meant to provide an actionable approach to develop the tools necessary, both physically and mentally, to tackle any objective.

Alana Levin is a multi-sport coach for TEC as well as the race director for the June Lake Triathlon. Her decades of experience not only enable her to be an expert coach to athletes, but also to organize a long standing event such as the June Lake Triathlon. Click HERE for registration details, and use code TEC20 for 20% off registration.

References

1) Mueller, Pam A. & Oppenheimer, Daniel M. 2014-04-23, The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard, Psychological Science.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797614524581

2) Allen, Mark & Moss, Julie & Babbit, Bob, 2000 Workouts for Working People, Villard Books

3) Bilancih, Bud 2013-06-21 Set and Achieve SMART goals, Work It Daily

https://www.workitdaily.com/set-achieve-smart-goals/

4) Cheadle, Carrie 2019-01-24 How to Turn Resolutions into Reality, Training Peaks

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/how-to-turn-your-resolutions-into-reality/

5) Friel, Joe & Vance, Jim 2013 Triathlon Science, Human Kinetic

6) Barr, Stacy 2017-05-02 Replace Your Action Oriented Goals with Results Based Goals https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/replace-your-action-oriented-goals-with-result-oriented-goals/

7) Allen, Mark & Moss, Julie & Babbit, Bob, 2000 Workouts for Working People, Villard Books.

8) Neason, Matt, 2013-07-01 Outcome Goals versus Process Goals Sports Psycholog