Goals- Let's make this real

smart_goal_blog.png

Some may say that I have gone about this a little backwards with regards to setting up your season and then establishing your goals but often times our season is set for us, meaning we can’t really choose a specific date to race, what the specifics of the race are for the date we choose to race or the race Ironman chooses for us after cancelling the majority of the season. That is why I went about having you set up your season, as we discussed in my last blog post, https://www.catalystmultisport.life/blog/buildingyouratp, and then try to set up your goals for the upcoming season, so here we go, but first a little background.

Before coming a multisport coach, I worked in the Healthcare world for around 25 years and learned a lot in that time.

When I say a lot – I mean 90% nonsense and probably 10% useful stuff.

One my favorite parts of the medical world was the constant slew of new acronyms, that in theory, were meant to speed up communications/decision making. In the medical world we all heard them EMR, MFR, TE, etc and were baffled by them at the start. However before long – you too were using them in everyday conversation and you had been assimilated.

That said, there is one acronym that has made the transfer from my prior life to my new life, coaching – SMART. This is because I have found it useful in something I am truly passionate about – Triathlon and setting goals/targets for the upcoming season.

SMART is a model for ensuring that you set good goals for yourself and stands for:

Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time bound

So when I sit down with my athletes at the start of the season and I ask them what their goals are – I hold them to this model and productive conversations typically go like this (based on a conversation with an athlete, but tweaked to protect the innocent!)

Athlete: I want to have a PR session next year Coach

Me: I like it – let’s target that, but you need to be more specific – what distance are we aiming for – Sprint, Oly, HIM or Ironman?

Athlete: Ah yeah good point – you are always so clever coach (ok small ad lib here) – Half Ironman distance – really like that distance …. So yes I want a PR in that….

Me: Ok now your HIM pb is 5:45 – how much of an improvement are we looking for here – would 1 min off that work – would 30 mins work – we need to be more measurable on this

Athlete: Ah yeah good point – I am thinking under 5:15 would be awesome – yes sub 5:15…

Me: Hey I love the energy/drive but we have to make this achievable – you are looking at a approx 10% improvement – this is doable’ but we will have to change a few things and see where we can find the 30 min

[Sub conversation that I will not bore you with looking at sub goals for swim/cycle/run etc and changes in training to achieve – yada yada]

Athlete: Ok I am down with that – I need to increase my training by X% to get this goal and focus on Y and Z – I am onboard with this – as I have finished the night course, the kids now in school – this is the right time for me to do this – the relevant time

Me: Great stuff – so what race we shooting for? I need a date to make this time bound

Athlete: Great point Coach – what would I do without you (dum di dum small ad lib again) – ok we are planning a family holiday in Sept – so has to happen before that – how about a 70.3 in August

Me: ok nine months out – yes we can go for it!

Thus we go from “I want to have a PB session next year Coach”

To

“In 70.3 Maine on the August 29, 2020, we will finish in under 5:15 hours (10% improvement) by shaving 5 mins off swim time, 20 mins off bike split and 6 mins off run split.”

By having a clear set goal – this is what will keep you focused and motivated! Without a clear goal – it is way too easy to give up things, get tough training, and race wise!

So to summarize, as a coach I recommend you now in Off Season –

  • Do take time to map out next season’s goal/goals (try to keep it three or under)

  • Be structured in how you formulate/decide on this/these goal/goals – or else you will be setting yourself up for failure – SMART is a decent model to use but not the only one

  • Make sure you include a plan to monitor/review whether you are on track to achieve the goal/goals

  • Plus in light of the horrible year we have just endured - also have a contingency plan or mini milestones that you can check off in terms of progress - so that even in the event of a race cancellation/deferment you can control some of the controllables.

As always, I am here to answer questions, lend a little insight or help you determine if you goals are truly SMART. Please reach out to me by clicking the link below and I will free up some time in my schedule to help achieve those 2021 goals.

Happy training

 
Edward Geddis