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As I mentioned in my last post, the High Performance Program Application also includes a goal setting section. The Yukon athletes have all worked with a sports psych trainer before (there is also a goalsetting form there) so are pretty familiar with goal setting. Even so, it can be difficult to come up with good goals. I am going to try to come up with some goals for myself and then try to apply some goal setting principles to my goals.

When I was a teenager and was training quite seriously for running, I read this section from Coe and Martin’s (1991) Training Distance Runners and it has always stuck with me.

“Good planning mandates achievable intermediate goals along the way to a larger, more ultimate goal, such as a personal best, a championship victory, or an Olympic medal. Goal setting is crucial at the outset because it demands an answer to a very important question to each athlete: ‘What do you want from running?’ Once this answer is identified, this becomes the ultimate goal; working backward from that goal to the present is then much easier.”

This is my first attempt at getting some goals down.

Ultimate goal: 

Be competitive in my age category at World Masters.

Intermediate goals:

Improve my (relative) level of fitness from where it is now.

Be very stable technically in a wide variety of terrain types.

2010 goals:

Win a medal at NAOC.

Win a gold and 3 medals at COC

Monthly goals:

Train more hours

Do some intensity

Improve map reading

Weekly/daily goals:

Get out for an average of 10 hours.

Do one tempo run per week

Do one interval session per week

Okay, now it is time to apply some goalsetting principles to my first attempt.

A very simple principle that you can apply is the SMART principle.

• Specific

My ultimate goal is to be competitive place top 10 in my age category M45 category in 10 years at World Masters.

• Measurable

Be very stable technically Make less than 2% in errors in all my races in a wide variety of terrain types.

• Action-based/Adjustable

Win a medal at NAOC.* Have a solid attack point for all the controls. Stay ahead in my map reading for the entire course.

*It is okay to have result-based goals as your long-term goals. That will help you get out the door. HOWEVER, it is critical to have action-based goals on your race day.

• Realistic

Win a medal Be ahead of the 3rd place US runner in at least one race Men’s Elite category at 2010 NAOC. OR Win a medal at NAOC in M35 Category.

It is not realistic for me to win a medal if I am unable or unwilling to do the training required. Given that I have a newborn at home, a full-time job and coaching commitments, my training time will be limited.

• Time-oriented

Get out for an average of 10 hours in the next month OR EVEN BETTER Get out for an average of 10 hours. 8 hours this week, 8.5 the week of January 4th, etc.

I also found the following Guidelines for Goal Setting in “Goalsetting for Coaches” which seems worth taking a look at.

1. Goals should be meaningful to both the coach and athletes.
2. Goals need to be performance- not outcome-oriented.
3. Goals should be individualized and not oriented toward the team.
4. Goals must be objective and measurable.
5. Goals must be specific.
6. Goals must include a criterion for success.
7. Goals must be realistic but challenging.
8. Goals should be stated in a positive manner.
9. Progressive short-term goals should lead to a long-term goal.
10. Goals should have a target date for completion.
11. Goals should be few and should be prioritized.
12. Goals should be accompanied by strategies for achievement.
13. Goals must be recorded and monitored.
14. Goals must hold athletes accountable.
15. Goals must be reinforced or supported.

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