Two Kinds of Goals to Set This Year
My mom informed me that since I’m a personal trainer I should make a New Year’s post about goal setting. I’m a little late, but as far as I know you’re still allowed to set goals after January 1st, so here we go.
I like to focus on setting two kinds of goals: Long-term goals and process goals. In my experience, having these two types of goals in place gives you the best chance of success and actually achieving what you want.
Long-term goals (often 3+ months in the future)
This is where you want to go, the desired end result. Having a destination in mind can help guide your everyday behavior and make sure it is in line with what you want to accomplish.
A long-term goal can be tied to achieving a specific outcome (completing your first ultra marathon, or finishing top 10 in an upcoming race). It can also entail how you want to feel when you show up to a big event (confident, prepared, and excited) or at the end of the year (satisfaction, pride).
Note that long-term goals tied to specific outcomes or results (like achieving a specific time or place in a race) are often not entirely within your control, even if you did everything right and in your power to achieve it. For example, you could set a goal to win an upcoming gravel race. But you have no control over the competition that happens to show up that day, how fit they are, the weather, any flat tires or mechanical issues you might have, and so on. You can set yourself up for success by having a mix of goals that aren’t entirely dependent on achieving a specific result. For example, you could have goals to:
- Place top 10 overall
- Finish in under 2 hours
- Ride your race and give the best effort that you have on that day, regardless of what happens.
- Arrive to the start line feeling confident in your preparation and knowing you did everything in your power to have a successful day
- Finish the race healthy and in one piece
Process goals
The repeatable actions and behaviors you perform on a daily/weekly basis that will help you realize your long-term goals. They help define how you should be spending your time. If your goal is to finish your first 100-mile gravel event 6 months from now, then your process goals would be things like:
- Riding your bike 3-5 x a week
- Strength and conditioning 2 x a week
- Setting aside 7+ hours for sleep each night
- Hitting your protein and nutrition requirements each day
- Practicing specific bike handling skills weekly
Whether or not you achieve your long-term goal may not fully be within your control. But your process goals (things related to your mental/physical preparation, skills work, nutrition, etc.) often are. Make sure your definition of success is based not only on your results, but the effort and hard work you put in on the journey to achieve it.
Here are some other thoughts about setting goals:
When it comes to long-term goals, you can mostly just “set and forget.” Definitely check in from time to time to make sure you’re still on track and to make adjustments as needed. But you’ll probably find that if you focus your time and energy on the process, the outcome will likely take care of itself.
If you’re unhappy with the process, you are unlikely to be happy with the results. While you should definitely prepare for hard work, you shouldn’t have to suffer through misery to achieve a goal that may or may not make you happy in the future. Make sure you are getting some enjoyment and meaning from the journey itself.
Your goals are not etched in stone. Don’t feel like you need to keep pursuing a goal you made several months ago, especially if it no longer excites you or if you find the work required to achieve it is making you miserable. Be willing to adapt and adjust your goals as you grow, your circumstances or values change, and as you get new information.
Don’t be overzealous with your process goals, especially when you’re first getting started. Most people overestimate what is sustainable over the long-haul and get discouraged at the slightest setback and abandon their goals altogether. New habits and process goals should feel almost too easy when you’re first getting started. Start small and give yourself a chance to grow and accumulate some tiny wins that will snowball and build momentum over time.
I hope this was helpful and gives you some ideas on how to set goals for your training this year!