Keeping Focused on Goals

[Kristen]

The past couple of days I've been sorting through goals for this year's races. And now I'm wondering what to do with them, especially the "big" fall marathon goal that's so far out that it's more a conditional wish than anything else. During training, how do you keep focused on your goals? Do you write them down? Share them with others? Tape them to the fridge? Or maybe you prefer to not set goals and see what happens? What works for you? Do tell!

[bnn]

What worked for me last year was:

to have a plan broken out for me day by day;
do the workout of the day;
not log it;
not to talk about it;
rinse/repeat.

I did this mostly because it really worked for me the year before and also because I felt my goal could be so all consuming that I just wanted to do the training and then be sorta 'normal'. Of course I talked an awful lot to my coach about what I wanted (end result) and maybe a bit less about my workouts when they went well.

I found the benefit in not being tired out or burned out from training or training talk or from analysing if I had done enough or too much. I just did the workouts as they came.

I log (blog) emotions and not miles. I'm trying a training journal this year on RM and still don't know how I feel about it.

[Jo-Jo]

The past couple of days I've been sorting through goals for this year's races. And now I'm wondering what to do with them, especially the "big" fall marathon goal that's so far out that it's more a conditional wish than anything else. During training, how do you keep focused on your goals? Do you write them down? Share them with others? Tape them to the fridge? Or maybe you prefer to not set goals and see what happens? What works for you? Do tell!

I'll give this a try

I tend to be a big picture person in pretty well all areas of my life. So I take a big picture approach with running goals too. I plan a tentative race season in January and because I find winter training sucks I tend to think of my fall races as my A races. The spring races are just an indicator of what I might do later in the season.

I write my goals down in the sense that my coaches have always lived out of town and my main contact is via e-mail or phone.

I tend not to share a lot about running goals (i.e. race times) with people other than those who are helping with my training program.

Taping on fridge..? I tend to be a visual person so in the past (and I think I need to do this again) I have transformed our patio door into an "inspiration wall" The best was when I was training for the Boston Marathon. I had my acceptance card, a picture of my coach, a picture of me in the Marathon I had BQ'd at, the race bib from that marathon, a few quotes that inspire me, along with an RM poster from the famous Wolfe Hoopla with one of my all time fave quotes: "No Doubts, No Fears, No Limits"

That "wall" would still be up except my dh asked me if I would take down the "shrine to running" so he could see into our back yard

Sigh...I miss that "wall"...I think I need to work on another one

[pheasant plucker]

If your fall marathon is a conditional wish, then its not really a goal and I'd have a very hard time staying focused on it as well.

Even if it is a goal, I'd have a hard time staying focused on it for 10 months or whatever. I need shorter-term intermediate goals than that.

The one thing I do for upcoming races is print out the course map and put it up in my office. Looking at the NYC marathon map or the Calgary marathon map is a constant subtle reminder of what I've got ahead of me.

[Jo-Jo]

If your fall marathon is a conditional wish, then its not really a goal and I'd have a very hard time staying focused on it as well.

Even if it is a goal, I'd have a hard time staying focused on it for 10 months or whatever. I need shorter-term intermediate goals than that.

Interesting. I don't find it difficult to project that long in advance. I actually remember when I trained for my October 2006 Marathon, I told Mike in January of that year...here's my goal time. I just want to BQ for 2008...and I want your help getting me there.
But...as I said before...I tend to be Big Picture and don't have trouble thinking long range. Heck...I'm already thinking about what I want to run when I'm 60...and 65 And yes...those ages aren't not that long away. Just 3 years until I move into 60+ AG Group

[ultra monk]

There is utterly no reason for me to run 20+ miles every Saturday; and that is the beauty of it.

[Jo-Jo]

There is utterly no reason for me to run 20+ miles every Saturday; and that is the beauty of it.

I think that is so utterly cool

[Kristen]

A few reflections...

I prefer having just a few people know about my time goals.
I used to write these time goals down, but have since stopped doing this.
I have time goals for tomorrow's run and C, B, A races for the year.
I have process goals for tomorrow's run and C, B, A races for the year.
Some races have no time goals... I'm wrapping my head around this one.
The races without time goals have goals like "having fun" and "running a strong second half."
My upcoming half on Feb. 28th doesn't have a time goal, just an "experience" goal. I kind of like this.
Oddly, my A race marathon has a time goal but it's contingent upon reasonable progression throughout the year.
I might hit that A race goal or obliterate it, so it is very difficult to focus on it. I like to think of it as "potential."
I like knowing what trusted experienced confidants think I'm capable of (esp. when I get too glass half empty).
At the same time, I like knowing that this year will be full of surprises (the promise of this keeps the glass at least half full).
I do well when I know that people who have been there and done stuff before believe in me, my training, and my resolve.
I just love the idea for an inspiration wall! (I sort of have one going at work)
I printed off pages from each of the races I'm going in, stapled them together, and have them on a wall facing me at work.
Right now that little collection of race pages shows the Winnipeg Hypo Half.

[Corpus Cani]

I like knowing what trusted experienced confidants think I'm capable of (esp. when I get too glass half empty).
At the same time, I like knowing that this year will be full of surprises (the promise of this keeps the glass at least half full).

The Swami Nitwan Purlwan once said
"It matters not if the glass is half full or half empty, it's what's in the bottle that counts"

[QuickChick]

That is BRILLIANT, CC. That's going in my quote bank for sure!

[Jo-Jo]

I like knowing what trusted experienced confidants think I'm capable of (esp. when I get too glass half empty).
At the same time, I like knowing that this year will be full of surprises (the promise of this keeps the glass at least half full).

The Swami Nitwan Purlwan once said
"It matters not if the glass is half full or half empty, it's what's in the bottle that counts"

Love this quote...thank you!

[alexk]

Good question. My main goal is always to run healthy and strong - the rest follows that. I usually don't have a big goal unless there's a specific race in the near future. I try to stick to one marathon a year, though I've done two before (that's my limit; too hard on my body). As for time goals, I usually keep those to myself or tell just a few people. I usually have three time goals for a race (one that I don't tell anyone and I've never reached it). I do try to mix things up a bit to try to keep myself motivated. For example, last winter I had no spring marathon to keep me motivated, so I decided to focus on improving my 10k time. I raced two 10ks, one in April and one in June and I was able to get PBs (by just a few seconds, but still...). I plan to run a marathon this spring but not in the fall. I think I'll focus on improving my half time or maybe pace a friend. We'll see...so I guess I've always got goals in the back of my mind. I just don't like to get too stuck on them.

[QuickChick]

I think it's important to stay motivated, but at the same time I've learned this year that putting all your eggs in one basket can be dangerous. My goal now for my races is to run my hardest and my best, and whatever number that represents is OK. I'll be disappointed if I feel like I dogged it at a certain point or if I could've done better. I do still want to BQ, but I'm putting that off till I'm at a place where I can race a marathon with the same laid-back attitude I have developed about other races. Just run the hardest I can for the distance.