Starting Out: Setting Goals

Posted: March 9, 2009

By Amy Anderson, Coach    

     Most of us need something coherent and tangible to work towards—a goal, something that helps us focus our energy and channel our desires to an achievable end.  Most of us like the sense of accomplishment when we attain our goal.
     First, let’s talk specifically about how to generate goals: think about why you decided to participate in this Rogue program. What motivated you?  Now, re-read what you’ve written.  You can probably make some of those reasons into goals.  A goal should be a reasonable stretch—not too far-fetched, nor too easily attainable. A goal should also be something that you can control. So, for instance, to say that you’d like to win the Cap 10K would not be a good goal, since you cannot control who else competes in the race.  What if some hotshot, record-setting senior from out of town shows up? You can’t control that outcome.
     A goal should be very specific, too—and, preferably, measurable. So, for example, to say that you want to be a better runner is too vague. How can we measure that? How do we know for sure you’ve achieved it? Can we be more specific? A better choice might be to say that you’d like to be able to run 2 miles without stopping. Or, if you run/walk, then to say that you’d like to run a whole 5K, except for water stops, regardless of time. Make your goal quantifiable.
     Once you’re satisfied you’ve created some good tentative goals, then think about what you need to do to achieve them. It might be helpful to think about obstacles to your goals; things that might potentially limit you. Do you lack enough fitness to run more than a couple of minutes at a time? Do you tend to get overwhelmed with other life duties and consistently miss workouts? Make a list of the things you’ll need to work on. 
From this list, you can create workout objectives. Workout objectives become little intermediate goals.  For instance, say that one of your goals is to stay on your bike for all of the hills on the bike course, even the last ones. In order to achieve this goal, you’ll have to become a better climber. Your lack of ability to climb limits you.  So, a good workout objective might be to never miss the cycling workouts that focus on climbing. Or, perhaps, when you’re given the choice of how many hill repeats to do, you will always try choosing the greater number: 6 instead of 5, for instance.
     Now, with your goals in mind, as well as what you need to do to help achieve them, you are on your way to success—maybe even halfway there!  Write your goals, and find a place to put them where you can refer to them often—on your refrigerator, your nightstand, your bathroom mirror. Refer to them. Memorize them, even. They will help you stay motivated!