Goal Setting

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had fun and relaxing holiday.  It's a stat holiday here in Canada so things aren't quite back to normal yet.  I had a very low key New Year's Eve and started 2017 with a 17km run.  That's been my longest run in a while.  It was a perfect day to be outside.  My legs felt tired around the 13km mark but that's probably because I did a pretty hard bike ride the day before.  I can slowly feel my fitness coming back.  Finally!

Yesterday my social media feed was filled with posts about 2017 goals and I find it so inspiring to see what people are hoping to achieve in the upcoming year.  I always encourage people to dream big.  I feel that pretty much anything is possible IF you have a plan and, most importantly you allow yourself the time to reach it.  Wanting to run a marathon in 8 weeks when you've never run more than 10km might be possible for a very small segment of the population but for most people, it will result in frustration and potential injury.

So how do you go about achieving your BIG goals, or any goal for that matter?  Obviously that starts with a solid game plan.  But it also requires some SMART goal setting.  And by SMART I mean:

S = specific
M = measurable
A = attainable
R = realistic
T = time sensitive

As athletes we don't have a problem being specific with our goals.  Pick a race, any race.  That's the specific goal.  The measurable part is the distance you're going to cover.  The ART of a successful goal boils down to are you giving yourself enough time to realistically attain your goal (attainable, realistic, time sensitive = ART).

Setting a BIG goal can be daunting.  It's also very exciting.  That's why we do it.  If it's a big goal, then allow yourself the time to achieve it.  Set smaller goals along the way to keep yourself on track and to keep you motivated if required.  Not allowing yourself the time to get where you want to go usually results in frustration and disappointment.

Here's to a successful year of being smart and crushing goals!

Coach PK

Tri Talk Tuesday: Goal Setting

Aaaand, we're back!  The first Tri Talk Tuesday of 2015.  Try saying THAT 5 times fast, ha ha.  I'm linking up with Cynthia and Courtney to chat about Goal Setting.  Seems fitting given that January is traditionally all about that sort of thing.

Setting goals is great.  Sticking to them is another story altogether.  In January it's often full steam ahead and then by the end of February we're often left wondering what happened.   It's easy to lose steam.  So, I've got 3 tips that should help you see those goals through.

1.  Be Realistic.

I'm not saying don't dream big but you need to be realistic in terms of where you're at physically when you're planning your goals.  If you want to do an Ironman but you've only ever run 5km and you don't swim, then you need to allow yourself the time to build up to that.  Be realistic with your timelines and your abilities and the less chance you'll have at becoming discouraged and overwhelmed.  That's not to say that you won't have rough patches along the way.  That's par for the course.  But that's also a small part of why we do what we do. 

2.  Less is More.

In terms of goals I've found that less is more.  In previous years I've often made a long list of things but I've found that to become overwhelming and when I look back on the year, I realized that I only accomplished half of what I wanted to do, which at the end of the year, was a bit of a downer for me.  Now I pick anywhere from 3-6 things and focus on the steps needed to achieve those goals. 

3.  Put it Out There & Get Support

This is huge.  Whether the support comes from your family, a training group or a coach, having a support network to help keep you on track is key to successfully meeting your goals.  This also means sharing your goals with people.  It's funny how "putting it out there" makes you feel much more accountable.   Having a support network will help you get through the rough patches, keep you focused and keep your head in the game.

What are your goals for 2015?  Any other tips you'd share?

Join us next month on Tuesday February 3rd to talk about Training Plans!

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