GOAL SETTING

Instead of looking at the race calendar and thinking “I might do this race, that race, and oh that one looks good too,” you should look at each race with a purpose and think, ‘what is it I want to achieve and work hard on this season’. The average weekend warrior needs to take the time to factor in family, lifestyle and work and try to aim for balance.

Reflection is just as important as looking forward. I often hear ‘I just want to run 40 minutes for 10km’ when just a year ago they couldn’t run a 60 minute 10km. Their head is stuck in what they want, not how far they have already come.

We are often too focused on an overall result rather than taking a step back and looking at what we have achieved. We are forever looking for the perfect race so let’s pull the hand brake up for a minute and take a quick look back at how far you have come and what you have achieved and then let’s set some goals.

Let’s set a handful of goals, you don’t have to master everything at once, but it will give you the best chance to apply yourself to a specifi c goal and commit to it 100%.We all know that person who tries to do too much and ends up fl ustered and too busy to do anything properly. Having too many goals will just leave you losing focus so stay focused on the goal at hand and don’t over-commit.

Realistic Goal Setting:

Really think about what your goal is and make smart decisions on these goals. An example may be, you want to improve your swim time this season. So a good goal would be to attend three swim squads a week. A bad goal is ‘I’m going to beat Michael Phelps at the next triathlon’. Be specifi c in your goal and really identify what it is you want to get out of your goal remembering everything has a beginning, a middle and an end.

Accountability:

Another great tool I love is being accountable to my goals so write them down. This has great power and direction and really does leave you with good intentions. Visually, this will help with those 4:30am starts or night time swim squads. They will have purpose not just ticking the ‘yes I did swim squad’ box.

Visualisation:

There are a few mantras I swear by and have them strategically placed where I can see them often, they confi rm why I put my shoes on and train. A great quote I personally use is, ‘every training session you have the chance to become a better athlete. Now is your time to decide why you are going to train’. Let’s not forget the classic #ugottawantit.

Lock it in and commit: Lastly, a goal needs a date just like homework at school we all need something to keep us accountable and adding a date can keep us on track. I often ask people what is it you’re wanting to achieve in this session? And they look at me with a blank face! A great quality about training with a goal and a purpose is that we can maximise our time in sessions and trust the process of your training session or programme. Check out the group at your next swim squad – there will be the people there happy to chat between intervals, those that pull the ‘I’m tired’ card and the people there to train with a purpose or a goal, all you need to ask yourself when you get to each session is ‘what is my purpose for being here?’

Being measurable is a great tool as the old adage says, ‘you can’t manage what you can’t measure’. You want to know that deep down you committed yourself 100% and throw the kitchen sink at your goal, then move to your next goal. To me the power of a journal for goal setting is the foundation to being productive and getting the most out of your time. As life gets even more hectic lets have a purpose for training and a goal to work towards, it leaves you with more time to keep everyone happy in your life.

Happy training team and remember every day you have the chance to becoming a better athlete both mentally and physically.

ADSY