Goals

Goal setting for next year is a broad subject, so I’m going to hit a few key points here in hopes of spurring you into finding a system that works best for you.

Goals need to be clear and based on YOUR wants.  They are not about what your buddy thinks you should accomplish or shoot for.  They are based on YOU first.  Coaches and training buddies can help orient those, but the key stone is that YOU are excited about the goal.  My suggestion is to think of setting goals this way:

• What is my guiding philosophy behind my participation in sport?
• What is my north start for this year? (What is the theme, or experience I want from this year most?)
• What actions or activities will act as the gas pedal, helping me live, operate and grow towards my north star this year?
• What actions or activities will act as brakes, hindering my ability to live, operate and grow towards my north star this year?
• Are there any reasonable steps I can take to alleviate or mitigate the brakes?
• Are there specific things which I can do that help enhance the gas pedals action?

With those questions/concepts thought through and worked on, focus on the north star, and the gas pedal.  From that orientation, if you think of specific outcomes, performances and tasks that help you work towards the north star and broader philosophy, those are areas to consider focusing on. This approach reduces the risk of competing ideas, creating frustration.  For example, if you think: I want to win the Harvest Triathlon Olympic Distance version in 2024, but you just started triathlon and your philosophy for sport is “to have fun and be social”… This may get frustrating as the tasks required could bind up when blended with the things needed for that outcome/performance.

Working through a series of questions like those above, helps orient your thinking, so that any goals you do try to set, make sense with YOU, who YOU are and the experiences you are looking for!

I do think considering outcomes you want (think race finish times, specific health marker changes etc), performance you want (how do races or specific test workouts go?) and most valuable, tasks/processes which help things go is a great step, having worked through the questions above.  Place emphasis on the last, the process/task goals.  Everything else is a dream, without you understanding the steps required to get there – and that’s the task/process end of things.  For example, if you think you want to go from mid pack to top 10 in your age group, sort things into steps you think that takes.  Not a thing like “I need to run X pace off the bike”… But, what things day over day help you run X pace off the bike.  For example: “I will work at sleeping 7.5 hours per night 6 days a week”, “I will make sure to have healthy protein, starch and veggies at each meal”, “I will ride an extra 15’ per ride every second week”, “I will apply intensity discipline during workouts to keep fresher through the year”.  Tasks, like those sorts of things, make a huge difference in how close to any outcomes or performances you have this year… And best of all, they are driving you towards your broader philosophy of sport!

-Will

Will Kirousis, MS, CSCS, CISSN
Tri-Hard | Director
USA Cycling Certified Coach

USA Triathlon Certified Coach
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Certified Sports Nutritionist

508.633.2708 | will@tri-hard.com | www.tri-hard.com | @willkirousis

Max Performance organizes multi-sport events throughout New England with an emphasis on organization, communication, energy, and enthusiasm!