Passion, drive, and motivation: ingredients to reach your goals

Goal Setting for Triathletes

Triathlon is a sport with endless challenges and a lifetime of rewards if you are willing to take the journey.  Beginning with goal setting will give you the map to reach the grand rewards that you dream of and all the smaller triumphs along the way.

All of us are stressed for time, and setting goals is like writing a shopping list. If you don’t make a list before you go to the store you will probably get most of what you wanted, but you may forget some of the big-ticket items. Taking the time to figure out what your goals are will allow you to focus your training on what is important to reach those goals.

Start by writing down some different goals. Brainstorming is always a good idea to start. Write down your triathlon dreams; the things that you wish you can accomplish. It is ok if these seem out of reach right now.  After you write them down and work towards those dreams they may become more realistic and become goals down the road. Then lets think about long-term goals. What has your triathlon career looked like so far? Write long-term goals for where you want to be two years from now. Where do you want to be at the end of this season? Each set of goals should get you closer to the next and closer to the dreams that you first wrote down.

So that those goals start to become more realistic there are some rules that you need to follow when you begin to pair down your list and formulate specific goals.

1. Set specific measurable goals (aside from those dream goals we talked about early on).

–       Doing your best is always something to live by, but when it comes to setting goals make it more concrete. Instead set a goal to improve your pace on the run to 7-minute miles in an Olympic distance triathlon.

1. Make sure your goals are challenging.

–       All of the goals should push your limits.  If the goals that you set are too easy, they will not motivate you enough to reach those goals.  Make sure the goals are realistic too.  Setting a goal to improve your 100 pace in the pool by 20 seconds in two weeks is not a realistic goal.

1. Use all three types of goals. Process, Performance, and Outcome.

–       Outcome goals such as winning your age-group or beating another rival have their place, but using only outcome goals can hold you back. Outcome goals have a weakness in that you are not purely in control of the end result. If the world champion shows up to your local sprint race, you might have a home run race, but still not win.

–       Instead use Performance and Process goals.

–       Good examples of Performance goals in triathlon relate to improving paces in the swim or the run, increasing a lactate threshold power output on the bike, or lowering your transition time on a known course.  These are all specific measureable goals.

–       Process goals keep you in focus and help you reach your Performance and Outcome goals.  Focusing on an increased turn over on your running stride or maintaining a strong catch throughout the duration of the swim portion of the race exhibit good process goals.

1. Have a purpose for each training session.

–       Setting ‘practice’ goals will keep you motivated and interested in what you are doing.  Make sure every time you head out the door there is at least one thing you want to accomplish on that day.

1. Keep it positive.

–       Say “improve quality and duration of sleep” instead of “stop staying up so late”.

The last final touches are all together.  When formulating your goals make sure that you have short-term to long-term goals. They should all work together to meet those end results. You can plan as far ahead in the future as you want, as long as you make the clear steps as how to get there, you can meet those goals.  I have provided a worksheet to use for a season’s worth of goals.  Use the steps to reach the long-term goal over the course of a season.  Ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve this year?” Follow the 5 rules above to formulate your stairs to success. The last step, write them down, print it out, make them permanent. Share your goals with those who are close to you and get their support.  Reaching your goals is not a solitary task.  Now you can help them set goals in their life too. Now go, enjoy your journey. Reach your goals; one step at a time.

Gould, D. (2010) Goal setting for peak performance, In J.M. Wiliams (Eds.), Applied Sport Psychology (pp. 201-220). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Written by Greg Reznich, Petersen Performance Lab coach, USAT Level II