Choosing your Goal

Goals come in all shapes and size. Sometimes you hit your target and sometimes you don’t. If you are new to running or setting goals (I struggled setting goals for most of my running and professional career), or find yourself struggling consistently, here are a few thoughts that may help:

Make your goal, YOUR goal

At times we see someone else doing something cool. We get envious or think, if they can do that, then surely I can do that. So you set off trying to follow their goal. Or you have a conversation with a friend or family member and they decide to set goals for you. While your goals and their goals can align, I have found that if my soul reason for targeting this goal is due to someone else’s goal it makes it more difficult to see it to fruition.

Make it measurable

Saying I want to improve this year is an example of a goal that is not measurable. Set more specific goals. Some examples are; to improve by one minute in your marathon, or run 20 miles each week for a month, or start running 4 days/week. You can keep it small, too. While it is great to have your big long term goals, it is also necessary to have your carrots to chase along the way. If your longest run is 10 miles, you probably don’t need to sign up for a 100k race in the next 6 months. Set yourself up for success! Whatever it is, if your goal is measurable then you are able to recognize the change. Remember that if and when you reach that goal, celebrate it. Its not likely that you will feel content forever and all will be well in the world after you achieve it, but recognize the progress and work you’ve put in and be ready to continue onward.

Speak it into the Universe!

Keeping goals hidden is something I’ve done for many years. I did this subconsciously because If I failed then I was the only one that knew it. I only had to face myself in the mirror, but not the world. The more you get comfortable talking about your goals, the more you believe in yourself. You may run into some naysayers, but don’t let their thoughts cloud your goals. We might have positive support from ten of our closest friends and then one acquaintance laughs or sheds some doubt on you. That can turn you into a downward spiral of negativity. Let them hold onto their negativity, and you hold on to the supportive ones.

Ask for Help

Just because this is your goal, doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone. Take the last step a little further and after you speak your goals to the world, reach out for support. Whether you hire a coach or find a group of friends that can help, get the support you need. Make sure the folks that are helping you are lined up and in tune with your goals.

Remember that goals come and go all the time. Failure is going to happen. I don’t know one person that hasn’t failed (unless we dig in more and discuss if failure is actually even real. Another day though.) Think about what excites you and get to work. Celebrate your small achievements. We hope to see you out there!