What is a goal? The
Profile Form
I have athletes fill out when I discuss training
has a section where I ask, “What is your goal for lifetime running?”
The answer I get most often is “I want to get faster.” That is a desire, not a goal.
A goal has several factors
that make it different from a desire:
1. It must be “Identifiable”. Meaning it must be specific.
Instead of saying “I want to get faster” you would say “I want to reduce my 10K time by two minutes” or “I want a Boston qualifying time.”
2. It must be “Quantifiable”. Meaning it must have a specific time element
involved.
3. It must be “Attainable”. Meaning if you are a solid 9:00 per mile runner the odds are against you qualifying for the Olympics.
The goal must be realistic.
The success of your goal is based in a large part on your willingness
to plan. The first step in
this process is effective planning. Analyze
your strengths and weaknesses. Understand what you want to achieve and the process for achieving
your goal. There are four steps to a successful goal:
1. A clear goal. Write this down, this makes it real.
2. A racing
plan. You will need marker
and tune-up races along the way to track your progress.
3. A training
plan. This is where most goals either succeed
or fail. You must have a realistic, structured training plan where every workout has purpose in the overall plan.
4. A supplemental training
& recovery plan. You need a strength building
plan to condition your core musculature and connective
tissues, and a recovery plan while training and after your event.
(A Clear Goal) Set performance goals instead of outcome goals. Example: “I plan to run 5 days a week instead of 4” or “I want to cut my 10K time by a minute”. An example of an outcome goal would be “I want to win an award in my age group”.
You can control performance goals, but having control of other runner’s
performance is an outcome that you have no control over.
(A Racing Plan) Chose specific events to add to your schedule
to measure progress and to develop mental toughness.
A common
mistake is racing
too often and not allowing for physiological adaptations and recovery.
(A Training
Plan) This is
where having a coach
is a great benefit. Every workout
should have a specific purpose.
Eliminate “junk miles” that are run just to look good in your training
log. A coach can design your workouts to allow you to focus on your training
and goal without becoming bogged
down in trying
to determine what each day’s workout should be.
Keep a training log!!!!!
Not only to track your workouts but to have for future
reference. The log can be as simple as recording
total distance, time and heart rate or be as extensive as to include
course description, weather, which shoes you ran in, and a general statement about how you felt, i.e. “hard run”, “easy pace”, etc..
Periodize your training. Determine how many weeks you have until your goal event then break it down into blocks. If time allows the blocks should be four weeks,
with the fourth week being a recovery
week where you reduce your volume to about 60% of the previous week and reduce the intensity.
This is a general synopsis of a complex task. There are online programs
and books that will provide some general guidance for developing your training plan, but the services
of a coach is your best and most efficient route to take to achieve your full potential
and to accomplish your goal.
See you at the races ....
Coach Will
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