Goals. We all have them. Do you have a bullet journal, a vision board, a to do list, a task chart etc. Anything we write on those things equates to a goal to be accomplished, no matter how trivial they may seem. It feels good to cross something off a list or check a box, regardless of how much effort it takes. Goals allow us to feel successful. Goals help us develop a plan, stick to it and provide us a locus of control for areas where there are unknowns. While goals are important in all areas of life, let’s focus on triathlon.
The basic structure of a goal is simple, right? Just think of something that you want to do and do it. Let’s not ignore the importance of the goal setting process. As Pablo Picasso once said “ Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Let’s be honest, there are training days that we just do not want to do. We all have been there, made the excuses and either sucked it up or ate the Oreos. When we create a goal for our events, reasons and excuses not to train on the days that you truly don’t want to, dissipate and we continue to climb the training mountain.
One of the most important tenets of goal setting is commitment. We must make sure the goal we wish to attain is one worthy of our time and sacrifice or else, let’s be honest, it is easy to give up. Figure out and understand what it takes to attain the goal you wish to achieve and decide if you are willing to commit. When your “why” is clear, you increase your motivation and begin to set the course for your goal. When you clarify a goal, you don't have to scratch your head to remember it, it is easy for you mentally, which is always good when we are training like maniacs.
Remember when thinking about a goal, it is paramount for YOUR goal to be YOURS. It’s easy to let other parties dictate what they feel we can do or even want to do but if it doesn’t resonate with you, will you really put your whole heart in it? Early in my triathlon journey, I had a coach who basically laid out my goals for me. This seemed easy enough in terms of training but in those times of mental darkness that comes with training, it wasn’t enough to drive me to push through it and I often gave up early on the workout. Now I know it is my job to have an open dialogue with my coach about my goals and collaborate on my plan.
When setting a goal for myself, I know I have to make it challenging enough to feel successful. However, make sure to not go too over the top, where each task to attain the goal is ego deflating. We have to know our own abilities and how to push our skills (planning, time management, self motivation, self regulation, flexibility, and focus) to the limit or else we will be left frustrated and dissatisfied. Be sure to discuss your skills and abilities with your coach, if you have one. Allow your coach to push you a little out of your comfort zone but keep the dialogue open. Triathlon, as a sport, is hard enough, we do not want our self defined goals to make it even harder!
Perhaps the most important and effective part of setting a goal is feedback from others and yourself. When you elicit feedback, you are best able to gauge how you are progressing toward your goal and how it is being met. When we perceive that we are progressing toward our goal, we feel we are capable of continuing to improve on our skills and hone in on our abilities. It is important to gain your feedback from people in your inner circle that you trust and those who support you. Unfortunately, not everyone will support you and your goals and when we do not feel supported, it deflates our motivation and lessens our ability to pull ourselves out of those darker training moments.
In the clinical world we use the acronym SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable/attainable, relevant and time specific; all outlined above) when discussing goals for our clients. This acronym can aid in setting personal goals as well. Write down your goals, putting pen to paper will allow you to improve recall of your goal and your why. Create your action plan to meet your goals and review it regularly to aid with motivation and help your mindset. Reward yourself often for small to big successes when working toward your goal but remember NOT to punish yourself for “failure”. Treat each task or workout as a learning experience to improve and do something different. Lastly, when you toe that race line remember to have fun and enjoy each moment, the work is already done!