Don’t just have goals, come up with SMART goals!

Often times, goals are picked without all of the considerations in mind.  Use the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting method to help try and select your goals for your future events, or even in life.

Specific – Picking a goal that is clear and well defined will increase your likelihood of achieving your goal.  So, instead of a goal of “Improved performance,” chose something like “FTP of 250W,” or “I want to perform 5 workouts per week at a minimum of 60 minutes each, with two of them being an interval focus”  Both of these goals keep in mind where you are currently at and where you want to be in the near future.

Measureable – A measurable goal allows you to track your progress, have bench marks and allows you to base success on something tangible.  The Specific goals that were given in the previous point are perfect examples of this. You can track whether or not you achieved each of these at the conclusion

Attainable – Keep your goals challenging but realistic.  If you are new to triathlon and have only run a 5k, cycled 15 miles and do not know how to swim it may not be in your best interest to want to set a goal to race a sub 11 hour Ironman in the next 12 months. 

Relevant – Make sure these fit in with what is happening in the rest of your life and will support the rest of your life goals.  As an endurance athlete with a lofty goal of an ultra marathon, having a secondary goal of joining the local crossfit box and doing 4 workouts a week does not support your initial goal.

Time Bound – You need to have a deadline to achieve your goals.  Think of when you were in school. Often times that paper that was due in a month was done the night before or the days leading up to it.  In this instance though you are not able to cram for success or possibly even completion.

As you are looking through your goals be sure that they are something that inspires and excites you.  If the gain or potential result is not great enough to lead you to sacrifice in the necessary areas it may require then you are far less likely to achieve what you want.

Do you have your SMART goals already selected?  Make sure your process goals are in line to steer you in the right direction and help improve your rate of success!